Hurray! You have just graduated from university after years of hard work, taken the next step of seeking employment, and gotten your first job. You are excited to step into one of your life's biggest changes and channel all you have learned in school to your new job. However, you may be nervous, confused, and anxious with many unanswered questions as you enter a new environment with little experience. It is not unusual to feel this way. The transition from student to a working-class individual is a process that could easily throw a person off.
The following tips will help you succeed at your first job:
Truly, navigating your new job may be nerve-racking as you will have to work with co-workers that have years of experience thus you may be tempted to keep to yourself. However, to excel at your job, it is important that you show up to your job with a positive attitude and mindset.
Showing up to your job with a frown, scowl, or coming off as an unwilling partner will make your co-workers critical of you. Some may label you as unsupportive and uncooperative. Connect with your co-workers that have positive energies and enjoy their jobs. Be careful about how much time you spend with co-workers that pollute your positive mindset and breed negativity. Rather than partake in gossip and drama, read books, listen to music or go for walks during your free time.
The structure of your new job may throw you off and leave you feeling drained or disorganized therefore creating a schedule is crucial to succeeding at it (your new job). Become familiar with the company's work culture, goals and mission and create a schedule around that.
Creating a schedule helps you get clear on your goals, identify your weaknesses, prevent procrastination, and prioritize your tasks. A schedule also helps you develop into a more reliable person. This could make your employers see you as a committed and well-grounded person that meets deadlines which consequently accelerates your career.
To create the perfect schedule, try to:
Remember to make your schedule flexible to accommodate unexpected tasks. You could try adding an extra 30 minutes to the time allocated to each task.
Many people have negative assumptions about fresh graduates entering the workforce. You must strive to not play into any. It is true that you have worked hard to land this job but as a new hire who has just arrived at a new job, you will not have all the answers. This means to succeed, you must accept your "naivety" and open yourself to learning from your co-workers.
Be willing to admit ignorance. This could be hard to do since you may feel the need to prove your skills, but you must know that learning from them will help your professional life tremendously. It will also help you become more comfortable working with them and achieving goals.
Work with as many of them as possible in different situations. Introduce yourself to new things and ask questions. Never be afraid to acknowledge ignorance as ignorance acknowledged is an opportunity. You could also consider asking the HR department in your workplace for suggestions or improvement opportunities.
Nevertheless, you must remember that you were hired because your employer believed that you could do the job effectively so ask only relevant questions. You definitely do not want to come off as annoying or unknowledgeable. Be deliberate about how and when you ask these questions. You could try asking for a convenient time so you can compile all your questions and ask them once or consider asking different people different questions.
Now that you have landed your first job, networking may be the last thing you intend to do but experts have stated that networking is crucial to ascending the ladder in your professional life. As a fresh grad at a new job, this (networking) could be tricky to do because you would want to tread carefully, play it cool and form the right associations without coming off as a needy person.
A good way to go about it is to establish relationships with your co-workers without all the formalities. That goes without saying that you must make yourself networkable. Attend social gatherings and office gatherings. Be an approachable person and have good communication skills. Move around and join in on conversations but try not to talk about yourself alone during these conversations so you won’t seem self-absorbed. Follow up conversations and do not be afraid to be yourself.
Having strong work ethical values will help you succeed in your first job. Giving your all to your job will help you stand out and move up the career ladder in no time. Forming good habits, focusing on tasks, completing assigned tasks effectively as soon as you can, going the extra mile will make your employers notice you and in no time, you will be regarded as an indispensable talent, and you could even be considered for a promotion.
Additionally, earn the respect and trust of your colleagues/employers by staying away from drama and delivering high-quality work for every task you are assigned.
The plain truth is that your employer can make significant decisions that could determine your success at the job or other jobs you may get. The point is, it is a good idea to have him/her in your corner. Asking for feedback is a good way to initiate a good work relationship with your employer.
Endeavor to have great open conversations with your employer about the company's goals and how you plan to achieve them. You can also politely have regular conversations with your employer by giving them compliments or asking about their welfare. Learn about their priorities, their preferred method of getting tasks completed, pet peeves, etc. Remember to be honest, authentic, and respectful in your dealings with your boss.
You have successfully landed your first job. Follow the tips above and you will have no trouble navigating and succeeding in your professional life.
