How To Pull Yourself Together & Be An Adult At Your First Real Work Meeting

This morning, I was given an unexpected, but rewarding opportunity. My boss called from Carlon Leong, the creative agency i've been interning for, and suggested I join the Account Director and Art Director downtown to attend a workshop. There, I would meet the PR agency, media agency, and client group that are in collaboration with our agency. I was grateful, of course, but sort of stunned seeing as the meeting was half an hour away when I received the call and was unsure of how to prepare. I've put together a list of tips and do's and don'ts based on my experience today:

1. Don't panic - you used to roll out of bed and make it to homeroom in 15 minutes flat during high school.
2. Change out of your casual pants and pull on an appropriate pencil skirt.
3. Ask your roommate to assess if the amount of wrinkles on your shirt can be condoned for today.
4. Be punctual - speed-walk down Pitt Street but stroll in calmly.
5. Viciously tuck in your shirt and flatten your skirt on the 20 second elevator ride up to the 13th floor.
6. Turn off all of your electronics - especially your ipod, so that Lil Wayne's "Right Above It" doesn't start playing from your bag in the middle of the meeting.
7. Pick your jaw up off the ground after walking into the agency lobby and seeing the view from the window.
8. Smile when you reach the boardroom, shake hands, and introduce yourself, expressing how thrilled you are to be there.
9. Stop drooling over the Ryan Phillippe look-alike sitting across from you.
10. Don't be offended when they shove you in a corner seat in the back of the room; be happy to be merely a fly on the wall.
11. Let the aggressive PR girl nudge you even further into the corner - smile and look happy about it.
12. Listen to your mom's voice in your head that says, "Julia, stop slouching!" Sit up straight.
13. Act interested in what the presenters are saying, even though they use terms you've never heard of.
14. Nod your head and pretend you know the difference between "resi" and "CNI" (make sure to ask your boss at the end of the meeting).
15. Don't eat all the brownies on the table. They're not for you.
16. Stop staring at the brownies.
17. Don't give death glares to anyone who take brownies.
18. Laugh like you get all of their jokes, even though you totally don't understand Australian humor.
19. Take mental notes of the meeting structure, people's presenting skills, and use of PowerPoint to display ideas. Remember these for the future.
20. Act the most mature even though you're the youngest in the room.
21. Linger for 5-10 minutes after the meeting to thank the hosts for having you and compliment them on their work.
22. Call your dad and gush to him about your first real client meeting.
23. Leave the building and enjoy the rest of the beautiful autumn day sitting in Hyde Park, thinking about how lucky you are for all the opportunities coming your way.