Happy, but not so happy.

Jane had just graduated from university and found her dream job in an advertising company. She loves her job but she has problems fitting in with the working environment, especially with her colleagues. Do not get me wrong. She is a bubbly person with great personality and has no problem mingling with people whom she just met. Listen to this.

There are only 2 females in Jane’s department. Well, the other girl dresses more like a guy and all the other guys treat her as if she is one of them. Maybe that is one of her ways to get around with them. They threw things at her, like paper and some other hard objects, which gave Jane a shock when she first witnessed that. They also go for cigarette breaks together, leaving her alone in the office. Jane does not smoke. Occasionally, her colleagues also hit the bar after work to chill out (and get drunk, in case you guys think it is just social drinking) but she has been refusing them. Yes, she cannot tolerate alcohol as well. Well then, what is the problem when she does not mind not getting invited to cigarette breaks and chill out sessions since she does not smoke and drink?

In the beginning, she thought it will be fine because they respected her stands and she had no problems in delivering her assignments and pleasing the boss. But now, she feels that something is missing. She does not feel offended or left out just because she is not invited. What made her feel bad is she that does not get along so well with them. It is because she was left out of their routine breaks; during which they share secrets or have small talks with each other. It is the bonding that she misses.

As for Jane’s colleagues, they might feel that she is pretending to be an ‘all-goody-girl’. For them, it is rare to find people who don’t smoke and drink, especially so in the advertising industry. It might not be as bad for them as they already have a clique at work. What they might be feeling is that she doesn’t want to be associated with them.

What would you do if you are Jane?

Why effective communication?

When applying for my summer internship which has just passed, I sent a simple email to my supervisor stating my interest and he replied to ask for my resume. That is when I panicked because I did not know how to write a good resume. So, I searched high and low on the internet between the difference of a cover letter and a resume. Then, I painstakingly whipped out a resume which myself is not very impressed of but due to lack of training and time constraint, I needed to submit it.

That was when I realized I needed to learn effective communication skills.

To me, a person with a good degree but without proper communication skills is far behind a person with an average degree but is able to sell herself. With proper communication skills, I believe I will be ahead of my colleagues even, when I start to work next time. A good resume is the first step to getting the job I want. At working environments, effective communication skills conveys my messages clearly and efficiently instead of creating misunderstandings and offending colleagues and worse, bosses. Besides that, well written work also shows professionalism. I do not want to be the hardworking person that submits poor written which because it will not reflect the efforts I put in. I am sure many of you have encountered people who do not put in much effort in pre-report stage but presents a very well written report and still get good grades for that. I have seen that happen and it is really not a nice experience.

I am not a very good in terms of scoring As but I am sure I do not want to lose out further in terms of professional communication.