First One In, Last One Out

Let's face it. As a first year staff at any company, you're going to be working your butt off. But, if you go into the real world knowing that, it makes it far less painful when the long hours actually hit you. I have always had the attitude that you need to put your time in and establish yourself in order to create a reputation within your business unit. However, you will find that not everyone feels that way and only want to work 9 to 5. Honestly, this is just not realistic.

I can probably count on one hand (okay, maybe two) the amount of times that I only worked 8 hours in a day. As a first year you really should be the first one in and the last one out. If your manager is at the office or client later than you are and there is something you can be doing to help out, you should still be working as well.

In addition, do what you do well. Don't rush through your work because you think that you have to. Ask the person giving you the work how long they think it should take you. If you do a poor job on it they are not going to trust you to do work for them in the future. Quality is one of the most important things in the professional services world and if it's not there, you might be out of a job sooner than you think. Always give 110%, even when it comes to making things look "pretty". I know Microsoft Word is a pain to format, but it really does make a difference when you are presenting something to the client, or even a co-worker or manager.

Lastly, accept your weaknesses. If you are not particularly savvy in a particular application (i.e. Microsoft Excel, Visio, Powerpoint), let those who are take that portion of a project. It is important to play off of each other's strength in order to be efficient and provide the most value to the client. Don't take offense if someone tells you that your co-worker is better at something than you because they will also recognize your strengths and commend you for them at another time.