Career development - you have the valid passport do you have the visa?

Your first job is always very important as it is the first step at the portals of your career. The poor image makes you feel bad about you and limits your performance. Your knowledge on job, intelligence and all your hard skills simply vanish when you fail to have the needed soft skills.

I enjoy the words of my friends about soft skills "Hard skills are your passport for your career whereas your soft skills are your visa for your career development. With the passport you can go to any country across the globe but you cannot enter without a visa! Here are the simple tips that projects your image and earn good name to move on and ahead in your career growth.

1. PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR APPEARANCE - DRESS CODE

Your appearance matters most. The dressing pattern should be akin to that of others in your cadre across the organization. Most of the youngsters who are just from college to corporate appear as college students and thus fail to impress. Your first look in the eyes of others, especially your team lead (or boss) make them accept or avoid. Adhering to the Dress Code of the organization is thus very important. Casual T-Shirts with words printed on them must be avoided at least initially. One of my friends' son who joined an IT Company wore a T-Shirt with 'O' neck with words both at front and back "BEWARE! I AM HARD NUT TO CRACK". I need not say what would be impression of his boss on seeing this. Unkempt hair, wet-set hair style or modern and novel hair cuts with long dull face put you in poor light.

2. BEHAVIOR & ATTITUDE

Good and polite postures & gestures make good impressions at once. Taking initiatives in greeting everyone you meet with a warm smile make people come closer to you. Please never expect anyone to wish you first - take initiative. Do this for a week at least - then see the results - the other person would take the initiative! A few hand gestures are to be avoided which may change your communication altogether.

3. MONITOR YOUR VOCAL DYNAMICS

Never raise your voice out of joy or anger. Show politeness in your voice. Your humility, respect and humbleness should be exhibited whenever you communicate to your superiors and boss. It is not always what you say but how you say. Most of the youngsters simply make noise and do not communicate. Please practice in front of a mirror and even record it to know how harsh your mode of talking is. Most of the people unwittingly commit blunders in vocal communication.

4. MIND YOUR GAZE AND GAIT

Yes, you have to establish eye-to-eye rapport during your communication process. At the same time mind your gaze. It is more important to take care of your gaze when you communicate to your woman superior or boss. Never stare - shift your gaze from the person time and again while keeping your contact in tact. It is quite natural for a male that the gaze slips down to the chest cage of a woman receiver. One must be very careful on this score - especially the youngsters who are in their first job. Failing to keep monitor your gaze would fetch you bad image.

Walking through the corridors of the office premises is another important aspect to pay your attention. Most of the youngsters produce mini tremors as they walk around. Mind your gait. It should be gentle and decent. Please be careful when you approach dead ends and curves. Harsh gaits may end up in dashing against your seniors and female colleagues and/or boss. Always, give way for seniors and female colleagues at passages where only one can walk. Cranky and jerky walks embitter the onlookers. People may be focused in their jobs and your walk should never be a disturbing factor.

5. BE PUNCTUAL

Be the first to arrive at the work spot. Your seniors / Team Lead / Boss should know that you would be there before their arrival at office. Never stick to tea / lunch breaks when you carryout jobs for your higher ups. Get stuck to your schedules rather. More importantly never leave the office after a day's work without informing the superiors. Lot of youngsters call it a day and leave hurriedly only to be searched by the superiors later and those who want to build their career seek permission whether they can leave or not after apprising the status of the job entrusted to them.

6. TAKE RESPONSIBILITIES

Those who are ready to take responsibilities afresh or are ready to share it enter the hearts of the superiors. There is a famous adage "When you are young, work to learn the job and not to earn money". As a learner, take and/or share responsibilities. Your willingness to share the responsibilities would impress the superiors. Those who are willing to work more are tend to learn more. Once you learn the job well, you are invincible. Whereas, our youngster tend to shed their responsibilities and refuse to accept challenges fearing stress and unnecessary burdens.

7. REMAIN AS A WILLING HELPER

Wait for an opportunity to help a sister here a brother there. Helping tendency paves way for excellent Inter Personal Relationship (IPR). Help brings help back to us in manifold. Helpers are helped back always. It may be construed as unnecessary interference when you overdo this . Seek permission humbly and with utmost humility & fraternity - otherwise superiors may doubt you for ulterior motives.

8. UTILIZE OPPORTUNITIES TO APPRECIATE

Appreciating others for right cause, in right proportion, at the right occasion and forum is a virtue. Never lose opportunities to appreciate people. Appreciations take you to lime light and people always crave to be appreciated and recognized. However, please be careful in not crossing your limits. Even genuine appreciations are considered as an act of sycophancy when we cross our borders and limits.

9. LEARN & PRACTICE BODY LANGUAGE

In communication, this non verbal communication forms part of 57 percent. Vocal Dynamics is 36 percent and words are just 7 percent. I always insist practice of body language in communication. It is very important with which body language you communicate. Body language stems from sub-conscious mind whereas all other vernaculars stem from conscious mind. People observe and believe only the body language and not the verbal communication. Your communication fails when your body language fails to buttress the words uttered.

10. REMAIN ENTHUSIASTIC AND SHOW ENCOURAGEMENT

Dull faces, dirty habits and dampened spirits never impress people. Remain active like a busy bee. Activities without encouragement and enthusiasm seldom produce desired results. Activities without results are unproductive. Honey Bees are busy and so are the mosquitoes. Your activities should have a purpose and results. Be a vibrant and live wire youngster. At this age, even after putting in 31 years of industrial experience, still I am vibrant and active. My enthusiasm knows no bounds.