Being the youngest member at work

Considering the time for me to find a job is rapidly approaching I found this article from msn.com to be very interesting. It is about being the youngest member on your work team. This obviously applies to myself and everyone else who is just starting out in the work world. I thought the tips were very interesting and helpful.

So how do you convince your co-workers that you belong on the team when you're the youngest member?

Find your place
Part of establishing your role on a team comes with understanding what you can learn from others and what you can offer them.

"While it is important to be knowledgeable, it is more important to understand your status," advises Tina Hamilton, president and CEO of hireVision Group, a human resources firm. If you show a willingness to learn more about your new position and the company, others will be eager to assist you. "Most will be pleased to do so and as such will look at you in a positive light ... If you are inexperienced and attempt to act otherwise, you risk coming across as difficult to work with or immature."

So if you aren't experienced, how do you give back anything to the team? Simple: Use the knowledge you already have.

Lauren Garfield is the youngest person in her public relations agency, and she realizes that her age can be an asset. "Many employers value the new techniques and information you know because you are younger and know a younger audience. Make sure you use your age to your advantage. This is especially true with my knowledge of Facebook and other social networking Web sites."

Caution: Youth doesn't automatically make you an authority on cutting-edge technologies like social networking and new media. Avoid arrogance and ageism by assuming anyone over 40 has no clue what social networking sites are. Offer your view on the subject as a member of the young demographic, not as the only person at the table whose opinion counts.

Earn respect
Thom, a 25 year-old who asked to remain anonymous, recalls his first job in marketing at 18. Not only was he the youngest member of the team, but he was also the only one without a college education.

"I felt that I had to work twice as hard to prove that I actually deserved to be there. It meant that I was the first one in, last one out and had to be more reliable than anyone else in the office," he remembers. "It likely didn't make me popular, but each time the boss had to make sure something got done right and chose me, it made me just a little bit more invincible."

Put in the effort
Learn from Thom's dedication. You might not become the office darling in a day, but good work will earn you the reputation of a dependable and hard worker. Keith Pillow, vice president of public relations firm Abelson Group, offers the following advice to young professionals trying to fit in:

· Communicate like a professional
Speak clearly, intelligently and authoritatively, Pillow suggests. "Make sure to consistently use standard business and workplace vocabulary, not buzzwords or clichés."

· Participate in problem-solving and brainstorming
"Take steps to consistently offer fresh ideas, perspectives and solutions that can resolve specific problems or situations," Pillow recommends. "[These ideas] prove that the young associates are experienced, insightful and initiative takers."

· Dress the part
"There is no way a supervisor or senior executive will take an employee seriously if he or she is not attired appropriately," Pillow warns. "Revealing or casual attire indicates a lack of respect -- for oneself and for the organization -- and a lack of judgment, neither of which will get an employee anywhere."

· Be respectful
"Follow the golden rule," Pillow advises. Treat your colleagues like you want to be treated.