Your job may not be cursed like the Defense Against the Dark Arts position in "Harry Potter" (or is it?), but that doesn't mean you can't pick up a few career pointers from the whole ordeal.

No, "don't be a werewolf" is not one of the tips. (Though, like, don't be a werewolf. Really.) Each of Harry's Defense Against the Dark Arts professors, none lasting more than a year for the six years that Harry actually attended Hogwarts, has a bigger lesson about how to behave in your first job.

Here's what you can learn from Harry's teachers.

Don't let your boss get into your head.

While it's hard to see how your supervisor could actually, uh, burn themselves into the back of your skull, a la poor Prof. Quirrell, they can definitely get into your head. Don't let anxiety about how your boss thinks you're doing stop you from actually doing a good job. Be confident, and the results will show.

Don't overhype your ability.

Gilderoy Lockhart exaggerated his abilities to secure his post at Hogwarts and look where that got him: unemployed in St. Mungo's. While we doubt your superiors are going to ask you to lead a mission to a basilisk-infested chamber to prove yourself, being honest about your skills -- and willing to learn to improve them -- is the best route if you want to do the job right.

Keep your personal life and your professional life separate.

Guess what happened when people found out Remus Lupin was a werewolf? He lost his teaching position. Similarly, don't let your own hairy issues creep into your work life, whether it's friend drama, relationship issues or anything else.

Be yourself.

While we're pretty sure Polyjuice Potion isn't a reality yet, don't keep your real personality locked away in the bottom of a trunk while an imposter -- maybe what you think your coworkers and bosses want to see -- walks around wearing your clothes. Be you! Putting up a front is exhausting and pointless.

Don't be too rigid.

Nobody likes the person who's obsessed with rules and is always creating new ones, as we learned from Dolores Umbridge's tenure at Hogwarts. Relax a little, and don't try and force things into the shape you think they should be if it isn't happening naturally. Otherwise, you might end up running for your life from a pack of pissed off centaurs.

Your first job isn't your last job.

Most people hold many jobs over the course of their careers. For example, one Severus Snape badly wanted the Defense Against the Dark Arts post, but was Potions master for years before he actually got the coveted role. (Then he messed it all up by betraying everybody and then flying away like a scaredy-bat, but still.) The lesson here is that good things come to those who wait, and even if that good thing doesn't come right away, well, it will eventually. Do your very best in the job you have now, while still looking forward to the future.