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Transitioning Into the Workplace Successfully

*Resource from Macalester College

Getting a job is an important accomplishment. The following guidelines include suggestions for learning your job, getting started and developing professionally.

Learning the Job and Getting Started 

• Most new employees obtain information both from formal training programs and other employees. However, new employees are responsible for a large part of their own learning.
• Take time to understand your supervisor’s expectations and work style. Some of these will be explicit, while others will emerge as new situations arise. Follow workplace etiquette and evaluate workplace norms (who goes to whom for what, what people do at lunchtime, etc.). Do not hesitate to ask questions.
• Timeliness, effectiveness and establishing a good fit with colleagues are important to most employers and are also ways you are initially evaluated.
• New employees are often surprised by the lack of structure in their work environment and by the interruptions that occur. You are ultimately responsible for making the most of your time.
• College graduates may experience shock in finding that they are asked to do some mundane tasks and have less status than they had hoped for. Viewing this situation as paying dues and earning opportunities can be useful. Volunteering for tasks can provide additional experiences.
• Salaries and (lack of) benefits can provide other surprises. For example, the reality that money does not go as far as it did in school or that two weeks of vacation per year is the employment standard can seem harsh.

Dealing with Change

• Validate that a change in environment, colleagues or responsibilities has occurred.
• Change can be stressful, and having to deal with that stress can greatly affect your self-esteem and positive attitude.
• Identify stresses in the workplace and work to either reduce or eliminate them. Overload is a primary source of stress; continue to set and evaluate priorities and projects.
• Understand that there are only 24 hours in a day and decide how you choose to divide that time regarding work, family, exercise and, don’t forget, time for yourself.
• If stress continues to be a factor that is taking away from your ability to be positive and cheerful, seek ways to effectively deal with it. Develop a network of positive colleagues with varied interests from different areas. Have a strong network of friends outside the workplace and make time for yourself.
• Establish a routine/lifestyle that is realistic; especially share tasks and chores in the household. It is the little things that make a huge difference.

Working as a Professional

• There are a number of things that you can do that will encourage your supervisor and coworkers to perceive you as a professional:
• Dress the part of a professional in your workplace. It is advisable that you dress like the people at the next level if you aspire to those jobs (Dress for the job you want, not just the job you have).
• Demonstrate the right attitude, be enthusiastic and learn to make use of constructive criticism. Viewing corrective feedback as an opportunity to learn as opposed to a personal attack will allow you to benefit from mistakes.
• Act with as much self-confidence as possible and continue to evaluate how to reduce stress.
• Set goals based on your job’s responsibilities and discuss them with your supervisor. Set priorities for your work based upon your supervisor’s expectations and your goals. Clarify your supervisor’s expectations and discuss your learning needs. Establish time lines and do your best to meet deadlines.
• Getting along with your supervisor and colleagues is important to allow you to do your job well and to be comfortable in your workplace. Being positive, flexible and willing to learn can serve you well.
• Before presenting new ideas, find out what has and has not worked before. Get facts and figures. These practices will not only prevent your reinventing the wheel, but will also allow you to gain more respect for your ideas.
• Being willing to take on new responsibilities can lead to valuable experiences and to being perceived as a valuable employee.

Advancing in Your Career

Take responsibility for your own professional development throughout your career.

• As you learn and grow in your job, you will be developing mastery. Gaining and contributing as much as possible will better prepare you for advancement.
• Research the formal and informal opportunities for professional training and education within and outside of your workplace. Within your organization, you may be able to enroll in classes, seminars and training programs to gain advanced training.
• Consider joining a professional association to meet other people in your field, to stay informed and to open yourself to opportunities.
• Find a mentor to assist you with your professional growth. A mentor is essentially a career coach who can provide guidance and direction in your work, give you inside information about the organization or your field, help you learn and assist you in moving up or along your career. This person may be someone within your workplace, a person in your field whom you meet, for example, at a professional organization. He or she should be someone with whom you are compatible, someone who wants to be a mentor and from whom you learn.
• Networking is another valuable way to develop professionally. This process involves meeting formally or informally with individuals or groups to share information about your field or organization. While you ask for information and receive support, you will also need to share with others.