The DOs and DON'Ts of club activities
Some people join clubs for the ultimate purpose of socialising and creating a network. Others look at it as an opportunity to develop skills through practical supply of output, albeit in a formulaic way. Yours truly has gotten himself into multiple clubs and organisations and has been kicked out of a few as well over the course of his student life, and there's more to come. So here's a few tips on how to maintain a healthy performance rating as far as pleasing your peers is concerned. Basically, how to NOT get fired.
DO: Be expressive
Let's get this one thing out in the open — club is a place where you are constantly given the chance to burst out of the bubble and express yourself. Whoever you are, whatever your traits are, a club and its people who truly believe in the core essence of it will welcome it. You have got a bunch of people who are really looking forward to knowing who you are and what you can offer to the club. So seize this opportunity, show up and show yourself off!
DON'T: Miss the meetings
Meetings are the only time other than club festivities when majority of the club members are brought together under the same roof. A whole bunch of decisions are taken during meetings that you don't want to miss out on. And while that doesn't exactly sound like a fun time, trust me, it is. Interaction with other club members is one of the vocal points of clubbing, and these meetings provide you with the perfect opportunity for that.
DO: Represent Responsibly
One thing is for certain. If the club recruited you they didn't just do it because of your long list of accomplishments in the field of extracurricular activities. The one thing most clubs' HR looks for during recruitment is your personality and its compatibility with the club and its motto. So keeping that in mind, know that there is a responsibility/privilege attached with you. You represent the club and what it stands for, what it believes in. So it is up to you to make sure that you act not only as a representative, but also the standard bearer.
DON'T: Gloat
You got yourself into a club. Congratulations! While this does call for a celebration and a series of hurrahs, by no means does this mean you should be basking in the glory of your 'triumph' in a manner that comes off as egotistical. The hierarchy of the club puts in a lot of effort in order to maintain a popular and favourable relationship with its external network and nobody has the right to jeopardise that effort. There's hardly any need for gloating your way up the list of worst employees of the month. However, you can update your social media bio if you want to have a moment real bad. It's standard procedure to do so in some cases as well. You can't possibly please everyone but keep away from pissing everyone off.
DO: Hang around
When needed, a club is as much of a formal workplace as it gets. But at the very core of it, a club is no less than a family. Trust me when I tell you, you will get to create some of the best memories while hanging out with these people. Every formal workplace has a grapevine. The best thing about a club is that the entirety of it somewhat acts like something similar to 'grapevine' concept. So hang around. Try to engage and blend in with the people in it and get to know them on a level that transcends the traditional relation between formal colleagues. Do a bit more than just finishing off your work and calling it a day.
The club may not be the most likely place to find love, but it is a place where you could find a family.
MD. Zamilur Rahman is a self-proclaimed foodie and comic geek. So if you have enough money to treat him with kacchi he will be interested to hang out with you. Connect with him at your own risk at shuvosanctum@gmail.com