Things to Do to Have a Good Start in Your First Graduate Civil Engineering Job

• 

  TopCat on 01/03/2017 - 16:25

  +3

  Hey mate, no need to overcook things in the industry, but I know you are nervous.
  Most engineering companies know your background as a grad- you don't carry the job-specific experience but neither does any other graduate.
  For the well-established companies, they know they can always train knowledge, but they can't train attitude.
  Just make sure you listen to your peers when they steer you in the right direction, and don't be afraid of doing some extra reading of an Australian Standard if required.

  If your attitude and approach to your team is good, you will pass the 3-month probation without a worry. Just be sensible, ask questions, and do your best to produce quality work.
  Some good questions for your future boss might be:
  What kind of timeframe would you like this delivered in?
  Is there a similar piece of work I could look at so I know how to structure the information?
  What is the best way for me to present this?

  If you do any calculations, make sure they are clear and saved so any other member of your team can pick them up and understand your thought process.
  If you are doing all of the above, then you are ahead of the 8-ball and will probably be keeping your boss happy.

• 

  altomic on 01/03/2017 - 17:59

  You've got the job. Now it is time to reinforce your position in the company by bringing in muffins/cakes every Friday. Condition your managers/boss to subconsciously like you more, just in case they need to downsize. Sugary treats make people feel better/more energy, Friday is the start of the weekend/end of a busy week, cake/muffins go well with coffee. Boss eats muffin—> boss enjoys sweet treat—> bosses subconscious "hey isn't Ti94 a great person for bringing these in" —> possible downsizing—> bosses subconscious "can't get rid of Ti94" —> boss "hmm Bob isn't a team player". Positive reinforcement of your place at the company.

  And if people ask why you do it then just say " it's a cultural thing"

  • 

    bobbified on 01/03/2017 - 18:40

    ^ This is called "Brown Nosing". Never ever do that.

    Your boss will see straight through it and your peers will hate you for being a suck-up.

    Respect and likability is not bought with muffins and lollies. It has to be earned through hard work.

    • 

      supnigs super skids on 01/03/2017 - 18:50

      Depends on company culture. I've seen some brown noses in leadership positions

      • 

        bobbified on 01/03/2017 - 18:51

        This is engineering - it's a male-dominated industry.

      • 

        supnigs super skids on 01/03/2017 - 18:54

        +1

        Brojobs. Jobs for bros.

    • 

      altomic on 01/03/2017 - 19:12

      you're totally correct with hard work being 1st,

      muffins won't keep you in a job if you're crap.

      muffins are a sweetner. be subtle.

• 

  jjjaar on 02/03/2017 - 08:16

  +1

  I work in a company that is civil engineering work and I don't have civil degree. 80% of my work I learned on the job, 10% is just pure logic and the other 10% is just general skills I learned through my own degree.

  You'll be fine - just ask questions whenever you have to, and show you are eager to help with anything!

• 

  porkandbeans on 02/03/2017 - 09:11

  +1

  So what can I do at the beginning of my job to make sure I got a good start and get along well with my colleague/boss?

  • Come in everyday with a good attitude
  • Show an eagerness to learn and develop your skills
  • Show that you can work independently (don't keep pestering your boss with questions all the time)
  • Interact with your coworkers (ask them your question before going to your boss, but again, don't pester them)
  • Speak up if you don't understand or know something (never pretend you can do something you can't - unless you're talking to a client :P)
  • Don't overwork yourself (if you need more time ask for it, your boss would much rather find out earlier in a project than later. There'll be a natural period of getting you up to speed, don't fret)
  • If your boss asks you how long you think something will take, multiply your estimate by three.
  • Try to enjoy yourself (make jokes, chat to your coworkers, have a wank in the toilets, it'll make the day go so much faster)
• 

  Ti94 on 02/03/2017 - 14:41

  Thanks everyone for the positive advice. I really appreciate it!
  For this Friday, I will have the first introduction to the office and a sit down with the boss to discuss the contract and to sign contract. I would definitely go with a suit. Only thing I'm considering now is should I wear a tie too and should I shave my beard? I'm Asian and my facial hair is not much but I do have some beard under my chin and some little moustache. My preference is shave them all off and go with a clean look but my girl friend said without beard, I look like a 12 years old…

  It's my first real engineering job ever so I'm a bit nervous but reading all your comments make me realise I'm not the only one feel that way. I will go to work with the right attitude everyday and try to learn as much as I can.

  Thanks all. Cheers :)

  • 

    [Deactivated] on 03/03/2017 - 17:08

    You can skip muffins for this Friday seeing it is the first day in the office

    But, If I can give some advice from the old days, make sure your files and calculation notes are super tidy and traceable. There is nothing worse than if someone, e.g. the technical director, wants to follow your calcs and he is not clear on what is going on. In projects, plans can change after the initial concept and someone may need to redo part of the work, or sometimes your files are called for in future forensic work if anything goes wrong. For this reason, having a very clean record of your files and papers shows you are a reliable engineer.

    Also, although a beginner, you should not look as being frightened by new work but instead show your eagerness for learning.

• 

  Ti94 on 09/04/2019 - 20:34

  +1

  Hi my 2 years younger self! I am your 2 years senior at the present coming back to give you some advice here on this topic (and to any fellow ozbargainers who just graduated looking for the same answer):

  Tips to start well in your 1st graduate job:

  1. You are here to learn! This is the most important thing. Once you get this, you will set yourself on the right path i.e avoid getting into politics at work, always keep a positive attitude, always eager to learn things even if they are not in your specialties (I learnt accounting skills from my admin colleagues which landed me my 2nd job a year after I started my 1st job in a procurement role).

  2. If you got paid $5, don't work like you got paid $5, and certainly not like you got paid $2. Instead, work like you got paid $10 and soon enough you will earn $10. If it is not with your current company (a performance review and pay raise), then it will be with another company out there who recognizes your worth. Trust me on this!

  3. Soft skills are the most important so learn them well! Things like team work, how to talk to people, how to please people, how to make people like you so they will help you. If you are not so good with technical stuff but get along well with people, they will help you to be better at technical work. But if you are good with technical stuff but nobody likes you, then chances are you will not do as well as you thought at your work.

  Those are just the things I noted down from my own experience. Since I started my 1st graduate job 2 years ago, I have doubled my salary. I moved on to a company that values my worth and my work, and feel really happy here. I learnt from my mistake at my 1st job that I did not get along very well with some people in management role, but I'm proud that even in the darkest days I did not lose my will and my attitude to keep learning and do good work regardless of my salary or how I was valued at my work.

  I will leave it to the fellow ozbargainers to share some more advices on this matter so that we can all learn from each other on this topic :)

  Cheers

  • 

    Hybroid on 09/04/2019 - 20:40

    +1

    This is fantastic to hear and really happy for you. There are plenty of engineering opportunities in Sydney right now with the infrastructure boom so have a look around every so often.

    At the 5 year mark, you should have received your chartership with engineersaustralia.org.au. Start the process now, look at the requirements and plan with your line manager on how best to achieve all the experience and knowledge you need to obtain this. Getting some site experience during construction is also very valuable.

    Once you do, it's all uphill from there, instant promotion and huge salary increase and you should choose which aspect of Civil Eng you want to specialise in (e.g. pavement, roads, stormwater, drainage, flooding, ancillaries, retaining walls etc.) or alternatively look towards getting into Project Management or similar.

    Once you're on any defined path, you are set for life in terms of career. All your hard work and effort to-date will start to pay off!

    • 

      Ti94 on 09/04/2019 - 20:53

      nice thanks for your thoughtful comment. I really want to get into charter path too but it is a bit difficult with my current situation as I am more in construction industry and not consultant industry so there is less support for charter engineer (CDP hours, training and such). However, I have aimed to prepare for that by myself and so will seek any opportunity I can have to collect knowledge and points to apply for charter at a later stage in my career