Being on time is important for a new employee/intern. No matter what the situation is I can guarantee that you will have show up to an event/meeting on time. Even the obvious aspect of arriving to work consistently on time seems to be a failing concept for some individuals.
Below are my personal little nuts and bolts about being on time.
Timeliness is one of the most basic aspects of our daily lives. Being on time is such a simple concept that fails on a second by second basis. The main objective is that their aren't any detriments to being early or just on time. All you have are opportunities to gain.
Below are my personal little nuts and bolts about being on time.
- Gives A Great Impression. When you are new and still trying to get your foot settled the last thing you need is to give any doubts concerning your professionalism. A major sign of unprofessionalism is being late to meetings, events, or work in general.
I know that within a corporation the corporate standards can deviate a little from department to department. For example, one department might have the standard of an 8am "clock-in". With this department it is obvious that your standard is to show up at work around 8am. In comparison, the neighboring department can have a more lax start time of a 9-11am "clock-in". With a department like this I would exercise caution with respects to choosing your start-time. You might think that you can set your start time to mimic the rest of the employees. The only problem is that you are not like the rest of the employees you're the NEW employee. You can't fall into lax standards like the seasoned veterans. You are still trying to establish your footing within this corporation and you need to consistently make great impression. Let everybody else be lax and show up at whatever morning time suits him or her, that's their business. You need to establish that you are ready to work, so adjust your start-time at least 30min to an hour before everybody else's. - Early Bird Gets The Worm. This concept is so true that it's not even funny. The prime opportunities in life are given to the people that are present. If you're not there when opportunity strikes, you'll definitely be there to watch someone else glorify in it. Its a simple concept that basically tells you to be present in all areas of your life to reap possible benefits. As a new employee/intern all you want are opportunities to help you take the next steps to further implement your career. Being on time and ready for opportunities definitely helps that.
- Avoid Awkward Situations. This section really focuses on the importance of being on time to meetings and events. The best way that I can show you how this awkwardness will play out is to apply this to a setting we are all familiar with. The first day of class is always the best scenario to compare with because a meeting or event can very often be a case where the company is meeting with a new client just like a teacher is meeting a batch of new students. In this example we are going to analyze a student walking into class late and all of the different reactions that occur at that moment.
From the student's perspective he/she now has to pause and look at the teacher and express some sort of an apology for coming in late and disrupting the lecture. This person now has to stand at the door for a few seconds and stare into the classroom for an empty seat. Once that random seat is found they have to maneuver their way through the aisle to that seat, if they are lucky they can find an aisle seat open. Finally seated this person still has to open their bag and retrieve all of their supplies to fully establish their prescience in class.
Now from the teacher and classmate's perspective they have just been paused from the present lecture. The teacher has to pause because a late intruder distracts the students and he/she doesn't want the present students to miss a point that might be needed. This also gives the teacher the opportunity to judge a character by his/her actions and in this case they viewing this student in a bad light. And students by nature are always looking for a good distraction, and what's a better show than seeing someone walk in late and fumble into their seats.
Now let's apply this to a meeting. By showing up late you are putting yourself in an awkward position. You will be disrupting the flow of conversation that could range from a very important point to general small talk. Either way it's best to avoid interrupting conversations that involve the possibility of your boss or an important client speaking. Don't forget that they might have to introduce you to the clients, so now they can put a name with the late arrival. The worst possible scenario, in my opinion, is when everybody decides to wait on you to begin the meeting which makes your tardiness the starting point for this new venture. In every scenario my mind can conjure up, being late to a meeting provides a hint of awkwardness in the air. So the only solution to this problem is to be on time. - You Have Time To Play Apps!!!!!!!!!!!! This point is for all the people who might complain that being early can be boring. I realize that sitting around at work before co-workers arrive, or showing up early for a meeting can be boring, but in today's day and age that can be amended. You'll have time to catch up on a bit of local or world news. You can check Facebook to see if your still more accomplished than all of your old classmates. There's also a ton of addicting games you can access from the device's app store that are waiting for you to lose your life to.
Click here for my post about suggested apps you can use while waiting.
Timeliness is one of the most basic aspects of our daily lives. Being on time is such a simple concept that fails on a second by second basis. The main objective is that their aren't any detriments to being early or just on time. All you have are opportunities to gain.