Job newcomers should study cast of workplace characters

In this season that launches a new class of graduates on their careers, here's a tip: It's not just about the work — it's about the people.

That's a basic tenet of the workplace, and it means you'd be smart to pick out the different personality types that inhabit the office, make wise alliances with some and guard yourself against others.

Experts say that during your first few weeks on a job, it's important to do a personality scan to get a sense of the lay of the land:

Who is aligned with whom, who isn't. What are the various agendas. Who is potentially helpful and who is trouble. And who really wields what powers.

If there is an organizational chart, the formal reporting structure will be clear. But offices have their own unspoken alliances and unwritten rules, says Kathleen Crowley, co-author with Kathi Elster of "Working with You Is Killing Me." So in the early days, it's wise to be cordial and upbeat with everyone, and unguarded with no one.

Some behavioral types are easy to spot. Take Dwight Schrute, the office sycophant in the NBC sitcom "The Office," where we see all kinds of exaggerated interactions among the employees of the paper-supply company Dunder Mifflin.

But the real world is occupied by real people, not the caricatures of TV fiction. And personality outlines typically aren't so clear.

As a result, it's easy for a newcomer to be taken by surprise, says Julie Jansen, author of "You Want Me to Work with Who?"

That's why it's important to examine your relationships in the workplace and develop strategies for survival.