The first office job I had was in Australia for a software company, and things were pretty casual around there. Most days I showed up straight from a dawn patrol session at Currumbin, and was still wearing my boardshorts with a t-shirt and Havis. Wearing a collared golf or polo shirt was getting dressed up. Wearing a button down shirt meant you were crazy.

Things at my current job  are a little different, and in the past year and half of being a “real guy,” I’ve learned a lot about what it takes to be prepared in the office.

When I first started at my current company, I was the go-to guy for events. Some weeks, I was going to an event almost every single night and had some early-morning breakfast events thrown in there as well. The life of an awards ceremony-attendee was glamorous, but also taxing. To stay my sharpest, I started keeping a kit at work.

It included:

A complete change of clothes

I don’t mean just a spare shirt here - I mean a entire outfit. When you’ve been at a breakfast at 6am, had meetings all day, and then had to go out for dinner that night you’ll be glad that you had a clean white shirt to change into. Keeping a sports coat or suit jacket around is always a good idea, because you’ll want to look your best if you get called into a last-minute meeting. Same goes for having an extra tie or two around the office.

Even if you don’t think you’ll need a more formal outfit for going out for dinner or to an important meeting, its still a good idea to keep a change at the office. A few weeks ago I was having lunch with a friend when she spilled her coffee all over the front of my shirt and pants. Had I not been prepared, it would have been a long afternoon.

Toiletries

When I was teaching English in Japan, I realized that all of the teachers at the Junior High School I worked at brushed their teeth after lunch. So did all of the kids, and after a few days of feeling like a dirty foreigner I too started bringing my toothbrush to work. To the delight of my dentist, this is a habit I’ve kept up. I also keep deodorant (both a stick of my preferred brand Speed Stick and a can of spray-on Axe for when I need that extra effect); a razor and shaving cream; and hair gel.

Cash

One of the things that my dad taught me is that you should always carry a bit of cash. You never know when you’ll forget your lunch, have to pay for a taxi or want to buy a cute girl a drink. Even in this day and age, not everyone takes debit or credit cards (and bank machines are always broken when you need them), so its always a good idea to have a little bit of money hidden at your desk for when you need it.

This might all sound like overkill, but it is way better to have this stuff and never need to use it than to not have it and wish you did.

What goes in your office kit?

-Parker

I was going to write a full-on blog post this afternoon, but I think I got too much sun today so I’m going to leave you with a couple of other posts I think you should read:

-David Meerman Scott has a great post about personal branding and Twitter - it was so great that I shared it with some of my coworkers, then immediately realized that my own Twitter page isn’t exactly up to par (I’m working on it!).

-io9 makes the point that web-series are the new direct-to-dvd. The example that they use is for a series called The Artifact that is being offered on YouTube and on the show’s website. I think that’s just a great way to repackage something, and it will actually make me (a guy that doesn’t have a tv at home) more likely to watch it.

-Our favorite PR Maven has some good advice for young job-seekers (in the field of PR or not): don’t skip the “interests” section on your resume. This is your chance to stand out.

Until next time…

-Parker Mason

If I had to describe Web 2.0/ social media with two words it would have to be “good manners”: Communicate, connect, collaborate, share, exchange, listen, learn, criticise to improve not to hurt, don’t mean ill but keep it nice, value people’s time, appreciate their efforts, say please and thank you.

Apparently a definition not shared by everyone. As the Blog Herald reports the Earthcomber CEO tried to connect with Michael Arrington – by suing TechCrunch. From Arrington’s blog:

I called Earthcomber President Jim Brady this morning to verify the lawsuit. At first he wouldn’t answer - all he did was try to explain how he’s been wronged by Loopt. When pressed he did confirm that the lawsuit was filed, but quickly added that he didn’t really mean to press it with us. He wants to go to court with Loopt, but is willing to quickly work something out with us to make this go away, he told me, hinting that he’d like to partner with us. He also said he’s been desperately trying to get me on the phone but hasn’t been able to, so he decided to sue us instead.

Trying to connect with someone by violating everything the Web stands for certainly isn’t a very clever idea, even more so when your aim is a partnership – which obviously isn’t going to happen.

Writes Arrington:

The problem with using a lawsuit as a negotiating tactic is that you can’t put the cat back in the bag. The door is open, and it has to play out. In other words, suing someone to get them to return your calls is not exactly a sign of brilliance. (…)

I’ve asked our attorneys to spend whatever it takes to kill this lawsuit, and to find a way to counter sue this guy into the stone age. (…)

We will not be bullied, and people who file frivolous lawsuits need to be put down. I would rather run TechCrunch into the ground and go out of business than let this guy win.

Keep your good manners – keep your company.

-Jens

Now that Parker gave some tipps on how to get started with twitter, speak in public and live happily with your job here’s some clever advice that might make your life even easier: Matthew Buchanan’s $7 I-forgot-my-business-cards insurance policy.

While being at a baseball game with his family he met an incredibly interesting person that has quickly turned into a key contact for him and the firm. Unfortunately he didn’t have his business cards with him.

Explains Matthew:

She was talking with someone else in line, so I had a few minutes to think on my feet. I came up with a solution that, honestly, I thought was goofy at the time, but that I’ve grown to appreciate. I thought “I need a memorable, personal (i.e., not the firm) domain precisely for this situation…one that functions solely to convey my contact info to folks I meet.”

I checked a few domains and settled on IMetMatt.com. I told my new friend about my gaff on the business cards, and then mentioned the domain (not mentioning the fact that I wouldn’t purchase it until later that evening). “Remember - I Met Matt - Go there tonight and jot down my info.”

End of story: She called, several times in fact. Calming your conscience for $7 and keeping in touch with people, not a bad investment!

-Jens

A few days ago, a friend of mine asked me for advice about work. She said she enjoyed part of her job, but not all of it.

I told her to focus on the things she enjoyed doing, and make those her jobs.

Gary Vaynerchuk takes my advice one step further.

“Ask yourself: What do I want to do everyday for the rest of my life? Do That. I promise, you can monetize that shit,” he says.

“Stop crying, and just keep hustling.”

(thanks to Todd Defren for pointing out the video)

-Parker