The DashBurst Blog

The ‘Office Space’ Guide to Work: 15 Rules to a Satisfying Career

Are you excited to go to work each day or is your job just a means to another paycheck?


 
For you to have a truly satisfying career, you need to find the right balance between your personal and professional goals. To have a better chance of achieving these goals, there are a set of best practices or unwritten rules to the office place that will help guide you along your way.

Here are the 15 most important rules you need to live by at work:

 

1. Have a Purpose

One of the keys to a satisfying career is to find a purpose. Whether that purpose is climbing the corporate ladder of success or just making enough money to support your family and spend time with your children, it’s paramount that your job lets you accomplish this.

If you’re looking for the right job, you’re not alone. 75% of working age Americans are either on the hunt for a job or open to new employment. Some highly in demand jobs in 2013 include software engineers (like Peter in Office Space), accountants, marketers, and computer network administrators. But with an aging Baby Boomer generation, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that occupations related to health care and social assistance will see the fastest job growth over the next decade.

 

2. Get a Job

When looking to get a new job, certain labor markets present more opportunities than others. U.S. News & World Report put together a top 10 list of the best cities for job seekers based on a combination of low unemployment rates and relatively high numbers of job openings compared to numbers of applicants. Some of the cities that offer you your best bet for finding work in the U.S. include New York, Baltimore, Austin, Texas, St. Paul, Minn., Oklahoma City, and Washington, D.C., the latter of which has an unemployment rate of 6% (that’s about 33% lower than the national average of 9%!).

Fortunately, the Web is a great resource for job hunters, regardless of where you want to work (even if you want to work from home). The best job search sites include Indeed, Monster, CareerBuilder, and LinkedIn.


 

3. Find Motivation

Are you looking to move up in the company, or are you looking to maintain status quo?


 

4. Dress to Impress

How you dress sets a tone for how colleagues perceive you in the workplace, and looking sharp can be a real confidence builder.

 

5. Don’t Skip Breakfast

Breakfast provides us the fuel we need to start a productive day.

 

6. Set Up a Comfortable Work Environment

Try to make your office feel more like home!



 

7. Lighten Up

Have some fun participating in company functions and retreats.

 

8. Make Friends

Having a few pals at work can go a long way to surviving at the office.


 

9. Be Part of the Team

It’s not just about you anymore: it’s about the greater good.

 

10. Work Smarter, Not Longer

Working longer doesn’t make you more productive: working more efficiently does. Things you can do to increase your work productivity include staying organized, using an ergonomic chair, and avoiding unnecessary interruptions and too much multitasking.

 

11. Take a Break

Motion creates emotion, so move around once in a while. 86% of us work while sitting on our asses all day. Every two hours we spend doing this reduces our blood flow and good cholesterol levels by 20%, increasing the chances for cancer, diabetes, and heart attacks. Yes, sitting too much should scare you!


 

12. Set Expectations

To keep things cool in the office, let your colleagues know what kind of behavior is expected – like not hogging up the printer all day. When all else fails, get rid of any problem tools.


 

13. Identify Key Resources

Make sure you have all the resources you need to successfully complete your duties in a timely manner. While doing this, though, make sure to respect other people’s property (like your colleague’s favorite red stapler).


 

14. Most Importantly… Do What You Love

They say if you love what you do, you’ll never have to work another day in your life.

 

15. If You’re Unhappy… Quit Your Job

But if your spinning desk chair is the best thing about your job, it’s time to look for greener pastures. Sorry – unless you are passionate about your work, you’ll always feel like you’re in prison!

If you’re looking to start a business doing what you love, too, I’d be happy to help you out with:

What do you really want to do? Are you doing what you love?