5 Lessons You'll Learn at Your First Entry-Level Job

Last week, I hit my one year mark as a full time employee at Sprinklr. Four quarters of hard work, trials and errors, honest feedback, deeper relationships, and professional growth. 

And this week, I have the privilege of flying out to our Annual Sprinklr Kick Off event in Phoenix. 

In addition to the company keeping this year’s list of in-person attendees to a targeted group of customer-facing roles, I am also the most junior member on the Sales Team to be invited and I could not be more grateful. 

As I’m waiting at the gate, on the way to our largest internal event, I’m reflecting on the insights I’ve gained within my first year and the experiences that helped me get here. 

photographed by Frank Samuel

I remember in my final year of undergraduate, I researched everything to prepare me for my entrance into the workforce. I read on how to dress for your first day, how to impress your boss, and how to become an indispensable employee. 

All great things to know; however, there are just some things you can only learn while at your first job and the faster you learn them for yourself, the better. 

Within a year, you will learn: 

1. How you like to be managed

At Sprinklr, I’ve had the opportunity to work on variety of initiatives backed by different departments. While I officially have one reporting line to my manager, there were other leaders I had the pleasure of doing work for and this allowed me to experience different managing styles. 

Some were hands off, do-it-yourself-but-here-if-you-need-me managers and others wanted project check-ins twice a day. Some gave their feedback in the moment, coaching you to think on your feet and solve problems fast, and others delivered their feedback upon request in a structured format. 

You will learn which style suits you to produce your best work. Personally, I thrive in a self-autonomous, coaching style and need frequent feedback while the work is being done so I can learn in the moment and practice problem solving. 

2. How you respond to failure

Let’s quickly establish 2 things: 
(1) You will fail and (2) no one will care that you failed. Instead, they will care about how you fix it. 

This is your first job. You’re doing new work (or should be at least). When you try to do things for the first time and with excellence, you will mess up. Novelty invites error and error creates lessons. 

Now, when things go south, your team will expect you to bury the worry and move forward on a solution. It’s your job to recognize how you respond to your mistakes and to come up with a plan on how you’re going to prevent it from happening again. 

Sometimes, when projects move fast, these two will mesh and you’ll find yourself building planes in mid-flight. Those are the work lessons that will stick with you for life. 

3. How you grow yourself in relationships

I’m naturally curious about people. When I started as an intern at Sprinklr, I was supporting or leading Splash, Sprinklr’s monthly on-boarding class. It was the perfect opportunity for me to connect with all the new employees joining different departments across our global offices. 

Even though my role has evolved to be more sales-focused, I still reach out to my peers and leaders of teams that I don’t get to engage with frequently because there is high value in knowing what other projects are happening and which teams are expanding. 

The most important relationship, after the one with your manager, is the one with your mentor. Having a mentor within the organization must be pursued and it is preferably someone who is more senior and tenured. Remember, all mentorships are mentee-driven so it’s your job to initiate and to cultivate. 

4. How fulfilled you are in the tasks and projects you’re doing

I’m sure the bullet points that were listed under “Responsibilities” looked like good work and that’s why you accepted the job. But now that you’re doing it every day, how do you feel? Is the work enjoyable? Are your strengths being maximized? Are you being stretched? 

Note that your day job is not intended to bring you fulfillment in all areas of your life but it should continue to make you feel curious, motivated, and rewarded. It’s critical that you’re also uncomfortable in your job. A good hallmark to test this is if you always know what you are doing. The right answer is that you shouldn't because you're being introduced to new situations and encountering issues you've never come across. 

If you feel yourself getting too comfortable, it may be time to pursue more challenging work to keep that learning curve inclined. 

5. How to take vacation

This was a big one for me. I was so used to the university calendar telling me when it’s time to break. In our academic years, the institutions provide designated recesses-- a long weekend for Thanksgiving, an entire month for winter holidays, and a whole season for summer. 

Aside from the weekends, expected breaks do not exist in the workplace. You must be proactive in scheduling your PTO and planning to take proper time off to rest and recharge. 

When I started, I didn’t know when to take a vacation. It took me quarters to realize that I was getting real close to burning out. My company recommends 1 week per quarter as a vacation cadence. 

I’m still figuring mine out but I am taking healthy PTO in the meantime and learning what my manager’s expectations are for vacation. 

In the widest possible perspective, your early experiences in the workforce will test your ability to learn and to apply what you’ve learned. You will fail tasks, grow relationships, solve problems, and understand what works for you and what doesn’t. Knowing one is just as invaluable as knowing the other. 

Okay, they just announced my boarding group so I need to move. 

I’m so happy to be here and so thankful for what I’ve learned. I can’t believe it’s only been a year! 

Please, leave me your thoughts on something you learned at your first job. 

Cheers & happy Monday, friends.