Be a brave version of yourself, you'll succeed in your first job

"We all get setbacks. You have to learn to be resilient," says veteran recruiter and author of guidebook to work success

Colman Collins, founder of Collins McNicholas, the recruitment firm where he still acts as a management consultant, brings 40 years of recruitment experience to his new book 'How To Succeed in Your First Job'.

Be assertive and compassionate, be yourself, be productive at meetings, find a mentor and surround yourself with people who will alert you if your ego is expanding.

These are just a few of the 50 tips that recruitment veteran Colman Collins has gathered in his book, ‘How To Succeed in Your First Job’. An invaluable handbook, it is an A-to-Z guide to everything from starting a job well through to leaving on good terms.

A co-founder, along with Val McNicholas, of Collins McNicholas in 1990, Colman Collins brings 40 years of recruitment experience to this book. That lends weight to the book’s subtitle  '50 Proven Ways of being successful in your First Job’.

Across a number of sections, Colman cites the importance of learning from your own mistakes.

“I can advise people about learning from mistakes because I have made most of those mistakes myself,” said Colman. “I’m not coming at it from a ‘holier than thou’ perspective. I’m still making mistakes.

“You have to learn to be resilient. We all get setbacks. You may have come up with a brilliant idea that you believe should save the company money or bring in new business. Not everyone is going to see the idea as brilliant.

“You just have to take the knocks, be resilient, learn where you were wrong and come back stronger. Don’t take ‘No’ for an answer. If you don’t have mental fortitude to learn and then push back, you won’t get anywhere.” 

Colman currently sits on the board of Collins McNicholas as a management consultant for the company. When Val McNicholas retired in 2003, Colman became the firm’s sole managing director until November 2015, when Niall Murray, Antoinette O’Flaherty and Michelle Murphy bought out the company.

Prior to founding Collins McNicholas, Colman worked in executive-level roles in HR and customer services with Nortel Networks, and in HR with Westinghouse Switchcontrols and Thermo King.

He brings vast experience to the advice he gives in the book. In the context of a person’s proposals falling flat, Colman suggests running your ideas by colleagues and stakeholders in advance of meetings.

The resilience of people who fail and then bounce back quickly is always noted by those in senior positions. It’s a quality that is widely admired, arguably winning more friends than those whose ideas succeed first time out.

For Colman, the same advice applies to staying focused and learning when you apply for a new job or an in-house promotion, but fail to get the role you’ve applied for.

“If your application is unsuccessful, find out why,” Colman says. “You may get valuable feedback that may help you at future interviews. It should be very easy to get this feedback when you are applying for an internal role.

“Of course, there’s always a fear of litigation, but I always encourage employers to give people that feedback. It’s always a good idea for candidates to ask for feedback. It shows that you’re interested.

“It shows that you accept the decision. You didn’t get the job, but you’re not argumentative. What you’re saying is that you want to find out what you did wrong, so you can do better if you get another chance.

“When I was the HR manager at Nortel Networks, I would always make a note of the people who sought feedback. Many of those people would eventually get the job they were originally seeking.”

 Colman’s solutions to workplace challenges are refreshingly simple to follow. For instance, in relation to the rejection of an idea you may have proposed, he advises that we learn to differentiate between professional criticism and personal criticism.

Professional criticism is part of the job. Your idea may have failed because you presented it badly. Personal criticism isn’t part of the job. If you endure a personal attack, you’re advised to walk away. If an apology isn’t volunteered, sometime later you can approach them or email them asking what exactly is their problem with your proposal.

Another interesting point in how you are perceived is finding a balance between having a sense of self while also being aware of others. Workplace winners are very often strong personalities who decide that they want to be seen as a team player from day one.

“Being a team player will make your working life much easier than if you are seen as a loner, nerd or snob,” says Colman. “As well as it being pragmatic to get on with your fellow employees, it also makes work much more enjoyable and fulfilling. I would advocate that you adopt a similar approach with suppliers and customers.

“You need to have independence, to have a sense of self and to have your own modus operandi. You also need to gain the reputation for being someone who is good at problem solving rather than just problem reporting.

“If you have a good work ethic and if you are seen by others as being the go-to person to get things done, then you’re obviously a good candidate for promotion.” 

‘How to Succeed in Your First Job’ by Colman Collins is available from www.buythebook.ie and from Carrigaline Bookshop in Cork.