Sometimes work can be a real drag. You get caught up in trying to be as productive as possible, and you end up making mistakes that are pretty embarrassing.
You’re by no means alone, so lucky for you, eight young professionals are sharing their most awkward first job horror stories so that you won’t repeat their mistakes. And let’s be real here: Reading about other people’s cringe-worthy tales is always fun.
1. The Handshake
“I was only into my first year of college when I happened to also be accepted into my first corporate internship at an accounting firm in Los Angeles. During the first day, I went around to meet my fellow co-workers and eventually worked my way up to meet the CEO. Given that this was my first work experience and I was ridiculously nervous, when he said hello to me and stuck his right hand out to me for me to shake, I stuck out my left hand in response and we both possibly shook the most awkward handshake in all of eternity. (Do this someone you know and you’ll see why this was the most humiliating experience ever to do to the CEO.) I made sure to tactfully avoid any interactions with him from then on. Did I also mention my hands were abnormally sweaty and clammy?” – David, Loyola Marymount University ’18
First, impressions are always important! Remember that firm handshakes are also a nice touch when you’re going around the office to meet people. Just make sure you use the right hand!
2. The Joke
“I worked at an aquarium over the summer and to get to know me better, my boss had me say a mini-speech to get to know all the workers better as well. We all grouped up in a big work room and started introducing each other, and everyone was just so friendly and humorous. Because everyone was in such a good mood, I thought I would drop some fish puns like “Whale hello everyone!” and “You guys are all the seal-iest bunch of people I’ve met.” Literally not even a chuckle. They looked confused and some smiles even faded. It became a very awkward summer.” – Tyler, San Diego State University ’19
Getting to know your fellow employees and connecting with them is a key part in setting a good atmosphere for your internship and jobs, but don’t feel like you have to force it.
3. The Diaper
“I had a daycare internship in Japan, and at a point, I started to feel more comfortable with the whole daycare process. Every day, it’s playtime, teaching time, and potty time—and of course, the little kids need help with changing diapers. One day, in the youngest class, Rainbow class, Sebastian, the cutest, yet easiest to scare of all the Rainbow kids, needed to have his diaper changed. While supervisors or more experienced helpers tended to help out Sebastian, I ended up scrounging up all my confidence, and took him to the changing room. The moment I coaxed him to change out his clothes, he started crying and was really not happy. Sebastian and I dealt with tears, poop, and soiled wet wipes. At one point, I just didn’t think I would make it out of that room because it was just unrelenting chaos. Somehow—we got through it. I’d rather Sebastian and I not go through that again though and leave it to the professionals. Even recalling it now, I still have mild war flashbacks.” – Brian, Stanford University ‘18
We all have hard days at work. While it may be scarring at times and implanted into your deep memories, don’t let it get you down too much because there will be better days!
4. The Bakery
“My first job was at a bakery for several months. In order to announce to the staff that fresh bread was made, one worker would yell out at the top of their lungs, ‘Fresh bread!’ and the other employees would follow suit and yell out, ‘Fresh bread!’ as well. Knowing this, my friends would sometimes sneak into the bakery and yell ‘fresh bread!’ and I, out of habit, would also shout the phrase, not knowing the amount of confusion and chaos it would cause among the actual employees who were actually trying to determine if the bread was fresh or not.” – Vanesa, University of California, Santa Barbara ‘18
There can be a lot of distractions while being on the job so it is important to be attentive during your hours, just so you know when someone can be potentially joking around or when something actually needs to be tended too.
5. The Bathroom
“I had the privilege of working with two of my friends for an internship at large television company. We were pranksters back in the day, so we would do shady, inconspicuous things every now and then to one another. One time, my friend was in one of the bathroom stalls, so my other friend and I wet some paper towels and threw it over, out of good humor. Unfortunately, we had targeted the wrong bathroom stall; my friend was actually two stalls down and we had accidentally hit one of our higher up co-workers with wet paper towels. My friend and I were terminated shortly after. Happy ending though because I’m actually working here currently now two years later.” – Mark, University of Pennsylvania ‘16
Practical jokes can be fun, but keep it professional in the office. That is not to say you shouldn’t have a fun time during work, but think smart and be aware of whom you’re joking around with.
6. The Hard of Hearing
“My ears have never been the best, as I listen to a lot of loud music through headphones and concerts. This certainly did not end up helping me during my first job as well at an adoption center. As I was working in the animal area behind the office, my supervisor began to call for me to work with a customer; however, I was pretty deep in the back area and couldn’t hear her. Soon, most of the animals (dogs, cats, and birds) became super out of control from all the shouting my supervisor was doing to get my attention and literally, some bird cages fell down and dogs became very aggressive. The customers in the back as well as the customers in the front left swiftly, scared for their lives (not really, but they were still pretty frightened). On a brighter note, I didn’t get fired!” – Ali, Arizona State University ‘16
While you can’t do much to fix hard hearing, being alert will serve you well in the office.
7. The Social Media Profile
“One time, I accidentally posted on my company’s social media pages through my own individual account rather than the company page. So it definitely looked like I was a huge fan for this random company due to the marketing/advertising content I was posting on my wall for all my friends to see. Also, one time, I tried to like my company’s post through my personal account to give added support and more feed on it, but I accidentally liked their post with their own company page. Social media is an enigma.” – Sarah, University of California, Santa Barbara ‘17
They say to keep your personal and professional lives separate, and that’s no joke!
8. The Cry
“It was the first day of a very stressful internship at an neurobiology lab, and I had not been able to complete a vital research assignment on time, even with an all-nighter prior. I legitimately thought that I would be fired and taken out of the internship program by the very intimidating supervisor and I began to bawl nonstop. Fellow employees tried to comfort me, saying that it’ll be alright and everyone misses important things every once in awhile, but none of it seemed to work and I just kept crying. Turns out, that assignment was for the other ‘Charles’ in the lab and I had no assignment to do at all, no reason for all-nighter and full out bawling. Rest in peace my career.” – Charlie, University of California, Davis ‘17
Work can get pretty stressful without a doubt, especially if a huge responsibility is put on you. Considering this, make sure not to stress over the wrong things or small incidents that won’t have a big impact on you in the long run.
What can all of these stories teach you? Embarrassing moments happen to all of us, and it’s about how you pick yourself up after that counts. If anything, you have a story to share with others now!
