We're not friends.
Not you and I. Not you and your boss. Not you and 90% of your coworkers.
I like you and all. Think you're adorable. But be sure to always keep in mind that we're professionals and there is a line (sometimes etched in concrete, sometimes, sand) you should not cross.
This includes not bringing your personal drama to work as I talked about in the Creative Commandments.
And not friending me on the Facebook or following me on my personal Twitter account or vice versa.
(This is a personal peeve of mine because I like to keep my business and personal separate, but some people don't mind. Just don't assume I want to see where you were on your last vacation or read your drunk tweets. And I definitely don't want you to see that one pic of me making out with a bag of kettle corn or to get a whiff of one of my potty-mouthed tweet rants.)
I need to see you as a capable professional. Someone I can look in the eye at work and view as reliable, mature and competent. I'd like you to look at me as the same.
At home, I may walk around barefoot and eat peas out of a can, but at work, I'm in heels, wielding a pencil. All that matters is the latter.
Allow people their privacy. Allow yourself your privacy.
You'd be surprised how quickly someone will turn on you and say "He tweeted he was out at 4 a.m. so he was probably late because he was hung over" when they want to steal your shine (#haters), or they're out drinking with coworkers and that third beer diluted their filter.When it comes to CDs you want to work with, senior level people you currently work with and anyone you want to respect you in the morning, keep your profile professionally driven, limit what they can see, or reach out to them on LinkedIn – the official place to connect with professionals.
You're young so have fun. But you're also young and trying to establish yourself so you don't want anything to work against where you want to be in the future.
Yes, advertising is more fun and more lenient. Yes, people talk about taboo stuff all the time. Yes, your coworkers may overshare from time to time.
But you're new and no one has any allegiance to you. No one knows that you're an amazing writer/designer/art director. No one knows that you're super smart and super dedicated. You show yourself to be unreliable or undesirable in one area, they're going to generalize it to all.
Pow. There goes your credibility.
Split your personality. Have your work self and your home self. And nurture and love each one of them. (Hug them, love them, tell them they’re pretty.) But try to keep them apart. Kinda how you never saw Superman and Clark Kent in the same room.
It's simpler when things are separate.
p.s. when you ask someone to connect on LinkedIn and you've never met them, write them a note saying who you are, how you know them and why you want to connect. Post on that coming soon. Another peeve of mine but an important thing to do to help you stand out and make sure people click Accept Invitation.
