IncorporatingUs: Tips Around the Web for Navigating Corporate America

Access is everything. The team searches for online communities, advice, and information that tackle some of the questions we want to explore. This post is a compilation of some of our favorite tips and insights from around the web on navigating Corporate America.

"Tips to Survive in Corporate America"

Blogger “Shady_Grady” of Urban Politico weighs in with tips for surviving Corporate America. Here are a few gems:

“Always strive for excellence: There's no reason you shouldn't be the best at your job. Ok, maybe there is a reason but you should certainly TRY to be the best. And if you fail try harder next time. This is especially important if you happen to be Black as likely there are more than a few people in your company who have negative stereotypes about your intelligence, your credentials, your work ethic and the quality of work that you produce. But Black or not, one of the best ways to keep your job and/or rise in the company is to have an unblemished reputation for quality work and for being able to pick up new assignments quickly. . .”

“Use Careful Communication: In terms of emails, instant messages, written documents, text messages, chances are that your company either views what you write or maintains an archive of what you wrote. Some companies use key-loggers. And I'm not even going to get started about inappropriate internet usage. There are different rules at various companies but a good rule of thumb is that if you wrote it over their network, it's theirs. They can look at it if they want to do so. . .”

Clocking Out: The Politics of Face Time and Leaving Early (or Late)

It was a busy day, but now it’s 6:30 and you've finished your project. As a junior in most corporate organizations, work is often assigned to you rather than generated by you. If you are finished with the assignments and your services are no longer needed for the day, can you leave? I’ve been often told that the answer is NO. However, by knowing your boss(es), knowing your organization’s culture, and using your judgment, it doesn't have to be NO.

The Name Game - Navigating Names and Nicknames in the Office

Angela – Angie            Thomas – Tom           Chinyere – Chinny

Yoshikazu – Yoshi       Katherine –Kate          Daniel – Dan

Ask. If you are uncertain, ask the person how to pronounce his or her name.

Ask. If the person’s name has a common abbreviation, ask if it’s okay to use it. Do not impose nicknames because the person’s name is hard to pronounce. If you can say the name of your favorite athlete (Ndamukong Suh, Fernandinho, Anna Kournikova), you can learn the name of a person you see every day.

On Professional Disappoints and Setbacks: Explanations and Solutions

They came in thin envelopes -- the rejection letters. For all of my accomplishments, the thin envelopes came for me as they would for anyone else. Even when I was certain of the contents, I opened them. I had to know that I had been rejected. And in most cases I had.

It is a bad grade. It is making a mistake on a major project. It is being passed over for a promotion. This corporate world is presented hopeful students as a meritocracy, where winning is a sign of their virtue. Even some young associates cling to the idea of always winning.  

Virtue is most evident in the manner in which one handles disappoint. That idea is not novel nor is it my own.

This post is about the way we deal with losing.