Nate interviews a recent Virginia Tech graduate who has just completed their one-year probationary period working for the federal government. The graduate shares the 10 keys that helped them survive probation: 1) being punctual and arriving on time, 2) being on top of tasks and deadlines, 3) dressing professionally, 4) having a positive attitude, 5) taking initiative when finished with work, 6) being consistent in work habits, 7) being a team player, 8) avoiding office gossip, 9) going above and beyond job duties, and 10) developing relationships with peers and managers through networking. The graduate provides examples for each key to illustrate how they applied the strategies at their job.

1. Nate Interview - 10 Keys to Surviving the Probationary Period
We will start off with an intro. Basically, you are a Virginia Tech Graduate with Bachelors in Marketing.
You just graduated. You don’t have to use your real name if you don’t want.
What do you do? You work for the federal government as whatever position you would like.
How did you find out about the job?
I’m going to be talking about how I spoke with you and you were just telling me about how you survived
your probationary period (1year) at your job and you pretty much followed these 10 steps in order to get
there.
I will begin to go through each one. Just elaborate on each one and how you applied to your current job.
Try to give an example of each one.
1. be punctual – Talk about the importance and how people notice these things. Then provide an example
2. Be on top of things - Know exactly what is expected of you. If you're not sure - ask! It's not
advisable to proceed with the hope that you'll blag your way through. Find out when you are
expected to complete tasks and then manage your time accordingly. Stick to deadlines.
Unfortunately, this may mean on occasion you need to put in those extra hours. If meeting the
deadline is really not possible, make sure you let your line manager know in plenty of time and
explain why. Turning up on the day without your presentation/assignment/completed task will
not earn you any points.
3. Dress for the position you want – Talk about how your manager always compliment you on your dress.
Tell them how everyone don’t follow the dress code entirely but you do and its made a difference
4. Have a great attitude – Just talk
5. Initiative - If you finish a task with plenty of time to spare, don't hold on to it and use the
interim to surf the net, call your friends from the office phone or play.
6. Be consistent -
7. Be a team player -
8. Keep your mouth shut – Don’t talk bad about your boss. Talk about the Ihop story, you can use a
different restaurant or whatever
9. Go the extra mile
10. Relationships – Talk about the importance of networking and getting to know your peers and
managers.
At this point we will conclude, I will be talking about a bunch of stuff I guess. Just stay on until I dismiss
you.