4 Tools Every Corporate Newbie Needs To Know At Work

I don’t know, but I think I did pretty well on my first day at my first job ever.

I interacted with other people well. I am a fast learner. I listened to the instructions really well. And I finished all my tasks pretty quickly.

So what was the problem? APPARENTLY, I didn’t do my research well on what tools most companies use at their workplace. This company that I’m currently working at is especially. So, when I stepped foot into this company, they asked me, “Do you know Slack?”. Imagine all the things that came into my mind: "Uhhh, what is that? Is it one of the Google thingy? Is it a type of file? Is it software? Oh my god, I don’t know what that is! Am I going to get fired?!”. So yeah, those were what this fresh graduate had in mind at that time. Embarrassing. Really.

In order to make up for my embarrassment, right after the working hours finished, while waiting for the bus at the bus stop, I fished out my phone and searched “What digital tools do we need to know before we start working at an office?” on Google. Quite a number of results came out. So, I listed it all out and tried to see the most famous ones.

Here are the few digital tools that I think you should at least have a basic understanding of when using them:

Google Spreadsheets

You would be surprised at how important using Google Spreadsheets is to most companies. This is because it has so many cool and useful features that can save time and energy when it comes to group projects. For example, it allows multiple people to work on the same document at the same time. So, you and your team don’t have to have a meeting to work on the project together. You can just do it in your seat. If there are any mistakes that come from another person and you need to change them, you can simply add your comment or change it yourself. Other than that, it can also help you to analyse data more effectively, do the calculations for you, and automate the tasks for you. All these can be done by using formulas like statistical functions, text functions, logical functions, and many more!

All these functions, yet most universities and schools do not offer a subject that is related to them. What a shame. Because, as I mentioned before, most companies use this tool to help their employees do their work easily.

Google Calendar

This is quite surprising, to be honest. You might think that “it’s just a calendar; what else can we use it for other than looking at what the date is?" I had this exact same thought when I first found out about it. So I searched again for “Why is using Google Calendar important at the workplace?” on Google. So, I found out that you can use Google Calendar to look at someone’s availability to book them for a meeting or a meet-up. For instance, as a content creator, sometimes I have to shoot a video with someone that may be from a different department, but unfortunately, I don’t have their contact number, so all I have to do is look up their name on Google Calendar, see at what time and day they are free, and book their time through it. Furthermore, Google Calendar can also be your reminder for your meeting or any deadline.

Slack

You must be wondering what Slack is right now. I’ll just admit it here. I, too, was confused when I first heard it. In my mind, I was like, “Oh dear, what now?”. But I guess they saw how confused the other newcomers and I looked, so they calmly explained it to us. Basically, Slack is the main communication tool that this company uses for its employees to interact with each other. If I had to compare it with another communication tool, it’d be WhatsApp. The difference is that people use WhatsApp when they want to text someone whenever and wherever they want, but Slack is only used for work purposes. It’s strictly professional, as the company can see and track everything in Slack. And most people also only use Slack during working hours. And the most fun part is that you can update your current status. For example, if you are not in the office because of MC, AL, or EL, you can put your status as “Out of Office," so people will know that you’re not in the office and they won’t bother you on your day off. Slack is also connected to Google Calendar, so if your Google Calendar says you have a meeting, Slack will automatically put “In a meeting” as your status. It’s pretty cool, right?

HubSpot

You have no idea how long it took me to understand what a HubSpot is, its functions, and its features. This tool is a bit complicated, at least for me. However, after deep learning about what it is, HubSpot is basically an “all-in-one” software that offers a variety of tools to guide business companies with their email marketing, sales tracking, and customer service. It allows the company to manage their prospects to keep track from the moment a customer starts the conversation until they finally buy your product and lead nurture. For example, someone is checking out your website, but they end up not buying anything, so from there, you can promote your products more by sending them emails about vouchers, discounts, or any information about the product until they finally give in to those offers. I find it quite interesting, to be honest. Another cool feature is that they also allow you to customise your website content more easily, even if you have no basic knowledge of coding!

Well, as a fellow newbie in the office environment, I think that’s pretty much it! So, if you don’t want to be like me (totally clueless on what to do and what is going on at that time), on your first day of work, make sure to do your research well. If you need more help understanding how to use digital tools like Google Spreadsheets and Google Calendar, you can join the free courses offered by SOLS Skills Hub! Click here to book a class today, seats are limited!