Things I learned when traveling for work.

In September of 2015, I was giving the opportunity to work in another part of the country for my company and help establish the Human Resources department in the new location. It was a chance that I jumped at, as I recently graduated with my degree in HR and was excited to flex my experiential muscles and use that expensive education. The nice thing about being young and inexperienced is that you don't know what to expect, and the expectation is that you will be able to handle whatever gets thrown at you. Well, let me give you a few tips on what I learned about traveling for work, and how to prepared yourself for a very turbulent time. 

1. Ask a lot of questions and know that is expected of you;

• ​​​Nothing is more frustrating than starting a new role and having no idea what you are supposed to do, or who you report to. And pleading ignorance only last so long; at some point you have work that needs to be done, and you should get it done. A best practice is to sit down with your manager and take as many notes as possible as to what you will be doing, who needs to know what you are up to, and what their expectations are for the role. Often managers have their own vision for you, but forget to share it when they are distracted with their own work. They aren't trying to hurt your development, but hey, they are busy too! Help them help you.

2. Establish your presence;​​

• Probably one of the hardest things for those of us in the Millennial generation is to make ourselves know to the people within 5 feet of us. We are such social media powerhouses that we often forget that beyond the edge of our phone screen is a whole room of people who are looking to get to know us and meet with us IRL (in real life). Think of your first day as "first day at a new school" and try to make friends. The worst feeling you can have in a workplace is that you are alone or don't belong, and will serious disengage you from your work. Humans are social beings, and there will be some point in your day that you will need help, so a buddy or pal is great to have around. You would not know how many excel questions turned into fun conversations and friendships. Just remember that this isn't the middle school dance; you don't need to be a wall flower. In general, people are nice, so get to know them. 

3. You are only as good as your last achievement;

• With the hyperconnected workplace, people have developed very short attention spans. As such, you are often only remembered for your most recent achievement, meaning you have to constantly have to be on your toes. Your first impression may already be set before you arrive. Make it a good one. By contrast, your mistakes may last forever. Are people still telling the story of how you behaved at the christmas party? Well, that does travel with you. Your best defence against these stories is listed above. Dilute a bad day or event with a hundred stories of how you are a great support you are, or your great work.  

4. Be mobile, and prepare for A LOT of travel;

• For the first 4 months, I spent around 2 days a week traveling. Between flights to and from home, driving to remote areas and sites, and going to different meeting around the city, you need to understand that you job will not be tied to a desk like they promised you in university. For me, I didn't mind because it gave me the opportunity to explore more the area and province, and I was happy to spend some time out of the office. However, I also got strep throat twice while flying between home and work, and also would get headaches in long car rides, so be prepared. I now carry tylenol around and make sure that I keep hydrated while traveling. Basically this experience turned me into a 50 year old man travelling to an all inclusive in Mexico. I even recommend getting your vaccinations up to date. Sometimes the nearest hospital would be +100km away, and it was comforting knowing that I wouldn't get tetanus.  

These are just a few of the fun lessons I learned from my time traveling in Winnipeg, and I will continue to share my experiences. The days of the travelling salesmen are behind us, but the millennial generation demands more of their employer than ever, and travel is one of the those points. ​