致應屆畢業生：第一份工作教會我們的7件事

Entering the workforce for the first time is going to be as instructive as it will be potentially terrifying. Most of us get jobs when we’re fairly young, and the realization that we will spend most of our lives answering directly to somebody other than ourselves isn’t an easy thing to shake.
初涉職場會在擔心害怕中受益匪淺。我們多數人都是在頗爲年輕時就參加了工作，我們還意識到這一點：我們要用大半生的時光直接聽命於某人而不是自己，這件差事並不輕鬆。

The thing is, our first jobs, no matter how ridiculous, are going to stay with us; they’re going to teach us things we would never learn elsewhere, and to a certain extent, shape the person we’ll become later in our professional lives. Here are seven important lessons you’ll learn from your first job.
我們的第一份工作，無論多麼荒謬可笑，這份工作都要和我們捆綁在一起，工作會教會我們在其他地方永遠都學不會的一些東西，而且我們的職業生涯，在某種程度上，塑造着我們以後會成爲怎樣的人。本文的七個重要技能經驗可供你從你的第一份工作中學習借鑑。

1. People Skills are 90 Percent of Any Job
90%的工作是大衆技能即人際交往能力

The other 10 percent consists of the actual skills you learned at college or otherwise acquired along the way. The problem is, we don’t exist in a bubble; we’ll have to deal with other people pretty regularly.
另外10%的技能纔是你在大學中或是在工作中慢慢學到的實戰技能。問題在於我們並非活在氣泡中，我們要定期處理好人際關係。

Knowing how to communicate effectively, as well as being personable, is going to be (for some of us) the hardest part of the job. Even if you work from home as an independent contractor, you still answer to (and will have to interact with) real people.
知道該如何與別人進行有效溝通，自己還要很有風度，這會是（我們部分人的）工作中最困難的部分。即使你在家當一名個體承包商，也還是要與真實社會的人們有人際交往。

2. You Need to Stay Two Steps Ahead
你要提前先邁出兩步

Our success at our jobs – no matter the job – is less about any given moment, day or project, and more about the next. Anticipation is a thing we’ll learn early, whether it’s anticipating what a customer will want before they know how to ask for it, or anticipating the next demand our boss will make.
無論手頭這份工作怎樣，我們都從這份工作中取得成功，無關乎特定某刻、某天還是某個項目，而關乎於你接下來到底怎樣。預期是我們會在很早就學會的東西，不管是在顧客知道如何開口前就預料到他們的需求，還是在老闆開口前就預料到他的下一個要求。

If our first jobs teach us anything, it’s that one of the quickest ways to distinguish ourselves in the workplace is to take initiative. Don’t wait around to be told what to do; don’t make any assumptions, either, but if you’re given a chance to jump on the next thing that needs doing, without being instructed to do so, you’ll probably be rewarded.
如果我們的第一份工作教會了我們任何東西的話，那就是：想要在工作環境中最快地脫穎而出，我們需要積極主動。不要等着周圍人告訴你該做什麼，自己也不要做任何的假設，但是如果你有機會可以直接開始做下一件事的話，不要等人要求你做你纔開始去做，很可能你就會有所回報。

3. Don’t be (Too) Afraid to Make Mistakes
別怕犯錯

Conventional wisdom tells us that human beings learn from our mistakes. Science tells us that we may learn better from our triumphs.
傳統智慧告訴我們：人類從自己犯過的錯誤中學習經驗教訓。科學告訴我們：我們可以從我們的成功中學到更好的東西。

When it comes to tackling a job, you’re almost guaranteed to slip up once in a while. That’s what the “learning curve” is all about; it’s an understanding between you and your boss that you’re still getting used to how things work. The thing is, learning is a lifelong process. You’re going to make mistakes. Dreading them, or walking on eggshells all day to avoid them is no way to live.
在處理一項工作時，差不多你偶爾就會出差錯。這就是“學習曲線”：你和你的老闆都會諒解，你還處於適應這項工作的過程中。學習是一個終身性的過程。你會犯錯誤。害怕出差錯，爲了避免出差錯整天如履薄冰，這並不是生活的方式。4. Get Used to Monotony
習慣千篇一律

With very few exceptions, most jobs out there are almost painfully dull. There may be slight variations along the way, but for the most part, our jobs will largely consist of the same activities and tasks on a daily basis.
多數工作幾乎都讓人感覺痛苦枯燥乏味，只有極少數的工作例外。可能過程中會有輕微的變化，但在多數情況下，我們的工作在很大程度上都是在重複日常活動和工作任務。

Learning to make the most of a predictable life is important; you’ll have to find your own ways to change things up from time to time and inject a little bit of variety into your working hours.
重點在於學會充分利用生活的可預見性，你得時不時用自己的方式來改變一下，給你的工作時間注入一點不一樣的東西。

5. You’re Going to Work With People You Don’t Like
你會和你不喜歡的人一起工作

This might be the most important takeaway from our first jobs. It’s tempting to think that after you accept a job, you’ll find yourself among like-minded individuals who have everything in common with you. In fact, on occasion, you may end up feeling like you should take some animal repellant to work with you.
這可能會是我們第一份工作要面臨的一大最重要的挑戰。你接受一份工作後，你會發現自己與志趣相投的人很容易打交道，這樣的環境想想就挺吸引人的。其實有時候，你可能還感覺你應該與自己排斥的人一起工作。

I got my first job when I was 11 years old, at a local rental company. They rented chairs, tents, power equipment and dozens of other things I couldn’t name. It seemed like almost every other employee who worked there was some kind of ex-convict. Needless to say, there weren’t any employee picnics, and if there were, I’d have come up with a great excuse not to go.
在我11歲的時候，我在當地的租賃公司得到了我的第一份工作。這家公司主營椅子、帳篷、電力設備和許多其他我叫不上名字的東西的租賃業務。幾乎其他所有僱員貌似都有過前科。別說沒有員工野餐的集體戶外活動，如果有的話，我也會找個冠冕堂皇的理由搪塞着不參加的。

6. Accepting Any Job Can be Risky
接受有風險性的工作

Getting hired is, for most of us, a cause for celebration, and for good reason. It’s a culmination of a potentially months-long process of drawn-out interviews and waiting and worrying. Unfortunately, what comes next is anything but certain.
找到工作，對於我們多數人來說，可謂是件值得慶賀的事情，並且有着充分的理由可以慶祝一番。長達數月的面試、焦急地等待面試結果，讓人倍感煎熬。不幸的是，接下來迎接你的只有不確定。

Unless you’re the CEO’s daughter, your continued employment is far from assured. Neither is your financial stability. Learning not to take anything for granted is one of the most important life lessons you’ll ever learn.
除非你是首席執行官的女兒，無需擔憂就業問題，否則你的繼續受聘達不到十拿九穩的地步，你的財務狀況也會不穩定。對什麼都不要想當然，這是你人生經驗學習過程中最重要的人生課程之一。

7. Getting Hired is Only the Beginning
找到一份工作只是開了個頭而已

So you’ve successfully landed a job. That’s great, but you’re still far from knowing everything you need to know about performing the job and, more importantly, immersing yourself in the culture of your new workplace.
那麼，你成功找到了一份工作。真的很棒，但你對自己手頭的這份工作仍不全瞭解，重點在於把自己沉浸在你的新工作場所的文化氛圍中。

There are peoples’ names to learn and organizational procedures to memorize. Just because you work there now doesn’t mean you’re on even footing with your new co-workers; it’s going to take time and effort to make yourself a truly valuable piece of the puzzle. Find your strengths in the workplace and what kind of skills you offer that others can’t to make yourself truly valuable.
要記住人們的名字和公司的組織架構。只是因爲你現在在那裏工作，並不代表你跟你的新同事可以平起平坐；讓自己變得真正有價值需要時間和努力。在工作環境中找到自己的優勢，找到你有而別人沒有的某些技能，讓你真正有價值。