I’m a strong believer in helping other people, so I put together a list of 26 lessons I learned during my first years on the job.

These tips are for surviving your first job, but they can also be applied at any stage of your career to become even more successful.

1. Learn the right way to shake someone’s hand

People will judge you by the way you introduce yourself and shake hands. There are four things to focus on:

• Introduction - make sure you speak clearly, loudly, and confidently. I think it’s good to initiate the exchange, and say something like “Hi, my name is Firstname Lastname…”, and then give a very brief explanation of who you are, and why you’d like you to meet them.
• Eye contact – Very important! Look the person directly in the eye throughout the entire handshake. Do not look away until after the release, or some people may view you as weak or rude.
• Grip – this is the trickiest to master. Some people will try to test you by squeezing your hand very hard. I’ve found that the best way to manage this is to let them set the tone. Respond with equal force, possibly just a little harder than they are. It shows you’re not afraid to back down.
• Duration - let them break away first. Don’t be excessive or clingy, but I’ve found it’s best to let them start to break away so that you’re not seen as rude.

2. Be prepared for long hours and tedious tasks

As a new employee, you may be limited in how you can contribute. After all, you’re new and inexperienced.

Some of the ways you can help others out are to do tasks that are time-consuming or tedious. While these may be annoying, they do contribute to the success of the team, because you’re allowing others to focus on higher-level tasks.

3. Don’t be the last one there, or the first one to leave

You want to make an impression the right way. People will notice if you’re always the last one to show up or the first one to go. I’d even recommend always asking your co-workers if they need help before you go. Even if they don’t, you’ll show that you’re a team player.

4. Never be the drunkest at an event

How you behave at out-of-work events can, and will, come back to haunt you.

Always drink responsibly around co-workers, and make sure you’re not the drunkest person there. People will notice, and people will gossip.

5. Learn how to be gracious when someone else picks up the tab

If you’re lucky, you may have co-workers that offer to take you out for meals or drinks. Make sure to do it graciously.

Don’t order the most expensive thing on the menu, or premium liquor. When in doubt, let them go first, and order something similar.

What I like to do when asked what I want to drink is say “I don’t know…what are you having, Bob?”  Then I’ll tell the server to just “Make it two”.

It’s a good way to make sure that you understand the situation, and also bond over a shared drink. It can be flattering for some people when someone orders the same thing that they do.

6. Be prepared to go above and beyond what is expected

It’s not enough to do only what is expected of you, even if you do it well.

Try looking at it this way…if you do everything expected of you in school, you get an A. But if you do everything that’s expected of you on the job, you get a C.

Companies are paying you, so they expect everyone to do their job well. You have to go above and beyond. Look for opportunities to contribute outside of your role (such as by helping out others). Or, look for ways to save time or money on the tasks you’ve been assigned.

7. Make your supervisor’s life easier

If your supervisor is successful, then you’ll be successful too.

You should always be on the lookout for anything you can do to make his job easier. If you can pick up some of his tasks, it will free him to work on more critical and higher-level work.

Also, working with your boss is a good way to make sure that he recognizes your contributions.

8. Don’t get tripped up by administrative tasks

Make sure to follow all the company policies on things like vacation requests, dress code, time reports, expenses, etc….

You want to be noticed for your work. Not for tripping over easy rules.

9. Remember that you’re part of a team. No one succeeds unless everyone does

If you’re on a team, it’s your duty to make sure that everyone on the team is successful. It won’t do you any good to succeed at your task while the rest of the team crashes and burns.

10. Make sure to mute your computer at work

Don’t forget to mute your computer before you come into work. You never know what sounds web pages will make. Even ESPN automatically plays sound when you visit.

It’s a good way to announce to people that “I’m not doing my job!”

11. Don’t surf the web excessively…and stay away from Facebook while on the job

While you’re at it, try to stay away from surfing the web at work. Perceptions are important, and you don’t want to be seen as someone who is lazy or goofs off on the job.

And even if a small amount of surfing is considered professional, stay away from Facebook altogether. Nothing good can ever come from Facebooking on the job.

12. Be polite

A little politeness goes a long way.

Always hold doors/elevators for other people. Always say “please” and “thank you”. Try to smile at people as you pass them in the hallways, rather than acting like a robot looking straight ahead.

You want to be seen as someone who is friendly and personable, and being polite will help you towards that end.

13. Make sure to stay away from certain topics of conversation

There are certain topics that are guaranteed to cause problems, offend others, or worse – get you fired.

Stay away from topics like: salary, medical history, gossip, complaints, spending habits, politics, religion, personal details, social networking profiles, negative opinions of others, hangovers, personal problems, and sexist/racist remarks.

For more details on all these, check out my post on 13 Things Not to Share with Your Co-Workers.

14. Confirm critical decisions in writing

If you come across a critical decision that could have a significant or controversial impact, make sure to document in writing. There are two reasons why.

First, you want to make sure that you understand the situation correctly.

Second, you want to make sure that others are aware of what you’re doing, and also that you were instructed to do it.

This is called the “CYA” philosophy… when in doubt, cover your @ss.

15. Try to understand the motivation of those around you…and make them successful at it

If you can understand what is important to the people around you – be it teammates, superiors, or even other co-workers – you can help them be successful, and build strong relationships.

Again, there is no “me” in the workplace.

16. Make sure you take advantage of the 401K match

Many people, myself included, choose not to take advantage of the 401K plan when they start their first job. This is throwing away free money!

You should sign up for the 401K plan from day one, assuming that it has a company match.

17. Take the time to look over your benefits options carefully

 This is an extension of the last one, but take the time to read through all your benefits. It’s boring and tedious, but you could waste a lot of money by not choosing the best options for your situation.

18. Find a mentor

I think this is the most important and overlooked item on the list.

It’s important to have a mentor that you feel comfortable seeking candid advice from. It’s probably best if it’s not a supervisor, because you may want to ask them questions about an ongoing situation.

Mentors are great to have, and are often happy to help you. It should be someone that  you trust and feel comfortable talking to about anything.

19. Make sure you have a long term plan

You should always have an idea about where you want your career you go, because the choices you make on a daily basis will help guide you there.

This is another area where it’s good to have a mentor. They’ve been through the same situations as you, and can share insights on things they did well – or would do differently.

20. Good money management starts before the first paycheck

Before your first paycheck, set up an automatic deposit to a savings account. If you never see the money in your take home pay, you’ll never be tempted to spend it. Also, you’ll start out your career by living below your means.

21. Build a network

Sometimes success can depend on who you know, more so than what you’ve done. This is not to say that having the right friends will make up for poor performance, but they’ll definitely help you get noticed for the things you do well.

Be polite, helpful, and considerate to everyone you come across. You never know when you’ll be working with them again.

22. Buy permanent press, wrinkle-free, iron-free work clothes. And a reversible belt.

You want to make things as easy as possible on yourself, so buy clothes that don’t require ironing every time. You can still iron them if you want, but it could save you 5-10 minutes a day.

Also, buy a reversible belt. I’m always losing things, so it’s nice to just have one belt to keep track of.

23. Take advantage of training and learning opportunities

In addition to doing your daily tasks, you should be looking for ways to build your skills and knowledge. It’s part of your long term career growth, and will make you more valuable to the company in the long run.

If your employer offers training or instructional classes, take advantage of them.

24. Control your emotions at work

There are times when you simply have to hide your feelings at work.

I’ve seen people that had one bad day, and snapped at someone, stormed out of a room, or had a breakdown under stress.

Unfair or not, these incidents are long remembered, and people are judged by them.

If you ever reach a point where you can’t control yourself, find a calm and gracious way to excuse yourself. Leave the situation, and calm down.

There are times when I have had to leave a room – or even the entire building – so that no one could see my emotions, but that’s a much better option than having your feelings held against you for months or years.

25. Learn to say no

As much as I believe in being a team player and helping others, there are times when you have to draw the line.

One example could be if people are asking you to do work that interferes with your primary tasks. You have to take care of yourself before you can help others.

If you’re not sure what you say when presented with an unreasonable request, here’s what you should do. Try to side-step the question at first, and say you’ll need to follow up with your supervisor before you can commit. Then, talk to your boss to see if that makes sense or not.

26. Pass the knowledge on

If you have a chance to help a new employee, do it. You’ve been there before, and you may be able to make their life easier, or their entire career more successful.

It’s a good way to live by the golden rule. Also, you never know – they could end up as your boss someday.

Following these rules has helped me be as successful as I am in my career, but I’m always looking for ways to learn from others.

Do you have anything that you’d add to this list?

1. Take out more loans than you need

If people are willing to give you money, you should take it!  You’ve got your whole life to pay off loans, so it only makes sense to borrow now.  Don’t worry about how you’re going to make payments after you’ve graduated and are looking for a job.

If you can get loans, you should borrow as much money as you can.  After all, you’re going to college to have fun!  If you’re not eligible for loans, you can always… 

2. Sign up for credit cards without reading the fine print, and use them to party

Colleges wouldn’t allow credit card marketers on campus unless they were a good idea.  If you see one, sign up!  Don’t worry about the fine print – just make sure you get a cool prize for it.  Just like loans, you should sign up for as many as you can!  Sure, opening too many in a short time could hurt your credit, but you’ve got your whole life ahead of you to build it back up.

Once you have credit cards, make sure to use them to finance your partying.  Just because you’re short on cash doesn’t mean you should have to cut back on your lifestyle.

3. Don’t worry about building job experience

Potential employers will only look at the school you attended, your major, and the grades you got.  They don’t care about real-life experience you’ve built through jobs or projects.  After all, no one has experience when they graduate, so it’ll be a level playing field.  The entry level job market is not competitive.

4. Don’t engage in any extra-curricular or unpaid activities

If employers don’t care about the paid work you’ve done, they certainly won’t care about the non-paid experience you have.  It won’t show a sense or purpose or dedication – it will just show that you’re a sucker.  Why else would you work for free?

5. Don’t waste your money in a Roth IRA

You don’t have a real job, and you may not even be old enough to drink yet.  Why do you need to worry about retirement?  There’s no advantage to starting early.  The money is better spent on alcohol or CDs or movies.

6. Don’t attend job fairs and recruiting events

Let’s face it – job fairs and recruiting events are boring, especially if you’re not about to graduate.  Don’t waste your time with these.  Learning about employers and their needs won’t help you, and neither will the networking.

7. Do insist on staying on campus or in dorms, regardless of the cost

Don’t even consider staying at home while in college!  There is plenty of cheap, high quality housing available on campuses.  Sure, you may save a lot by living at home, but you’ll miss out on some great parties.

8. Make sure you don’t attend public or state universities

Private and prestigious schools are the only way to go.  If you don’t attend the best schools, employers won’t even look at your resume.  Expensive colleges always offer a better deal for the money.

9. Don’t bother doing research before choosing a major

When choosing a major, you should only consider what sounds the most appealing to you.  Don’t do any research about what kind of jobs you can expect in that field.  Just make sure your classes are fun!

10. Don’t get involved in any entrepreneurial projects

Most college start ups fail, and there’s nothing to learn from failures.  You’re better off not wasting the time.  It won’t help you network, build business skills, or impress future employers.

11. Don’t worry about your online reputation

Employers will respect your privacy, and won’t do any research about you online during the interview process.  So don’t worry about those embarrassing pics on Facebook…they won’t find them, and even if they do, I bet they’ll appreciate a sense of humor in applicants.

12. Don’t worry about a career until you’re getting ready to graduate

There is no need to start building a career until after you graduate.  After all, that’s when the job search begins.  Don’t worry about a co-op or an internship.  No one does them, and they’ll cut into your summers or the college experience.

These are the warnings I wish I could go back and give myself on the first day of college.  Unfortunately, I made most of these mistakes.  I racked up credit card debt and wasted loan money by staying on campus and partying.  I didn’t have enough job experience when I graduated because I never bothered to look for an internship or co-op.  The fact that I have a well paying job is due more to luck than anything.

I’m happy with my job now, but I wasted my college years financially.  I didn’t start a Roth IRA, which would have allowed me to take advantage of compound interest.  I racked up credit card debt, which forced me to spend two years paying it off when I could have been saving or investing.

With money, time is your biggest ally.  Don’t waste your precious early years for the sake of having fun.