Dispositions that you need to harbour from Day 1 of your career

You have clinched a good job and being a little apprehensive is not unusual. If you harbour correct dispositions, you will certainly acquit yourself well. While there can be no guarantee for success, moving ahead with due zeal will facilitate its happening for you. However, there are some dispositions that you should possess as you set out on your career journey; they are:

·   Discipline: The implication of discipline is dual; one pertains to the environment and the other to your inherent traits. In its broadest sense, discipline entails individual compliance. Remember that you are no more at college but a grown-up employee, though a junior one. You have to be skillful in whatever you do. More importantly, your work has to begin and be completed in time. Procrastination or delays will never be acceptable. Just because you are a fresher, people will tend to underrate your self-discipline. Surprisingly, self-discipline also encompasses some sacrifice of personal comfort and leisure. This will facilitate concentration on your goals. It is all about opportunity cost, there will always be a price tag attached to all facets of career advancement vis-à-vis time for personal work.

·   Sincerity: The importance of sincerity in your career has several dimensions. As a fresher, you should not be found deficient in sincerity and industriousness. There is no way that you can regard your job as a burden. Should you ever come to deem it so, you should look within and identify the source rather than blaming others. If you are sincere at your work, then you will work hard. It is all about discharging your responsibilities well and remaining answerable. More often than not, sincerity also implies sharing whatever you know. In doing so, your importance in your team will go up. Withholding knowledge has no advantages and is fraught with risks of failure. It should be remembered that sharing knowledge results in reciprocation; the more you do it, others will also do likewise.  

·   Seriousness: This attribute is perhaps the most important. No success has ever come without hard work and working hard also means working extra. It is here that the factor of dynamism comes in. It is all about taking extra initiatives to make things better and functioning smooth. Remember that if you are a conscientious employee, you will always be viewed as a sincere person. Your passion will serve to boost your morale and increase inspiration levels, not only of you but of others as well. The outcome will be in your favour – appreciation and recognition will come your way.

·   Purpose: A sense of purpose should be inculcated the first day itself. It could stand for your mental picture of the stage that you aspire to be at some years hence. Alternatively, it could suggest the manner in which your current employment will facilitate attainment of your objectives extending into the distant future. Identification and understanding of your position and charter of duties in your organization also falls within the gamut of purpose. You should never forget that you have a role to play, even if you are at the lowest rung of the ladder. You should be clear about your role and know how to play it well. This would facilitate timely and useful inputs by you; in the process you will definitely become self-assured.

·   Hopefulness: You need to be sanguine at all times. Hopefulness is something that requires the same effort for display as despair, so why should you be pessimistic? Hopefulness implies exuberance, self-confidence and resilience; it should be fused into your stash of work attitude. Have you ever imagined what will be your own purpose and inspiration if you have nothing worthwhile to look forward to? Your motivation levels will drop and hence, it is inescapable to appreciate the positive sides of all matters. Remember that optimism always sends out positive vibrations, the very geniality of which will serve as an impelling factor in all your pursuits.

You need to characterize the meaning and implication of success for you. Having done so, you can formulate a route-chart or a roadmap to achieve it. All this calls for mulling over the matter in peace and forming a good mental picture of it. Having done so, you should now move forward determinedly to achieve your objectives. Moving forward determinedly is indicative of not losing focus; your objectives should always remain the focal point centre of your attention. It is a time-tested fact that the more you concentrate your efforts towards attainment of your goals, the more booming they will turn out to be. There will be very few interruptions and distractions; and because of your resolution, you will be to inch forward successfully.

The crux of the matter is that you ought to know what your capabilities and vulnerabilities, assets and liabilities and strengths and weaknesses are. If you want the road ahead to be a smooth ride, you will have to play up on your competence, potential and aptitude in full measure. Simply exerting may not suffice; a continual improvement of your skills will also be necessary.

Your maiden job is the commencement of a new chapter of your life and you need to know what dispositions are best for you. That you have commenced a journey into the world of employment where only hard work and toil pays, you should etch discipline, sincerity, seriousness, purpose, hopefulness and hopefulness in your catalogue of work dispositions. These attitudes will stand you in good stead in your present job for certain. And as you move ahead following them, you will emerge a winner, even in the long term.