The Working Girl: 5 Tips Every Corporate Black Girl Should Know

Giving you the tips and tricks to get through the workforce is what we do best so why not partner with the team that does it even better. We partnered with the team behind The Working Girl to give the black women in the corporate world some advice to help you keep pushing despite the obstacles.

YOU DON'T KNOW EVERYTHING YOUR FIRST DAY

Congrats! You got the callback after the interview. They liked your resume and were delighted to meet you in-person--you're the perfect fit in their office. Now it's time to perform the job you were hired to do. During the first month on the job, be a student. Forget about your degree, your past experiences, and credentials. What matters now is that you are willing to listen and learn from others. This is a character trait that is most powerful in corporate and professional environments. Don't try to teach others in the office how to do things during your first week. You may have performed a task a certain way at your last job, but this is your new job. You may think you know everything in the world, but at a new job, it's all about taking notes and being attentive to your co-workers and higher-ups.

REMEMBER YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE THERE FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE

In the job search sometimes we get so comfortable thinking we need to find the forever place rather than the next step. Remember a job is only good to you when you can learn. Take a step back and plan out your career path. Start to apply to the jobs that will aid in that. You should never and will never be at a job forever so don’t apply with that mind-state.

UNDERSTAND THE WORK CULTURE

I cannot say this enough, so I'll repeat it--truly understand the work culture. The personality of your office will determine whether you will be successful or not at your job.

Ask yourself, does your personality traits and the personality traits of your office clash?
Do you see a majority of people at your office behaving a certain way?
Is everyone hardworking and into their work, but you like to look at your phone every 10 minutes?
Or is it vice versa, do coworkers slack off, but you are always on top of your work?

BE OBSERVANT

Observe how coworkers interact with each other and understand how your supervisors communicate. This will help you know who to talk to for certain things, get things done, or perhaps get what you want in the long run. This will also help to avoid certain people that may sabotage your position. It may take three to six months to understand how your office fully works.

GET THE MOST OUT OF EVERY MEETING

We all hate meetings. Sometimes they are a complete waste of time and an excuse for people to just talk. Most meeting could have been left on email BUT some actually mean things. Go into these meetings with your notebook handy ready to take notes. Jointing down the ideas and points may save you some time in the future while also impressing your boss.

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