Chapter 2 - Transitioning from a College Student to a Working Professional
Introduction
Are you going to graduate soon? Are you pondering what it will be like to be a part of the corporate world? If yes, then there are certain things to keep in mind if you want this transition to the "real world" to be smooth and not exhausting or overwhelming.
The main reason people struggle in adapting to corporate life is not generational but cultural. Particularly, the very significant yet understated cultural transition from college to the corporate world. The prospect of making this life-altering transition may feel petrifying, but there's no need for that.
In this blog, we are going to discuss a few points to serve as guidelines for a smooth transition process from college to corporate life.
Take advantage of available resources and get involved in your career field:
As a student who has just transitioned to the corporate world, you need to have a lot of knowledge about your particular career field and the profile you choose to pursue. To gain appropriate knowledge, it is appreciable to utilize your resources to the fullest and take advantage of them to make your transition process efficient.
To make it easier for you to adapt to the corporate world, you should start working on your soft skills right from when you are a student in college. You can make a difference in the following ways:
To make it easier for you to adapt to the corporate world, you should start working on your soft skills right from when you are a student in college. You can make a difference in the following ways:
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You should read more and educate yourself for which there are a lot of resources available online. You can get a hold of E-books and article subscriptions at a very minimal rate nowadays.
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Speak more and be very confident while keeping your points in any discussion. Do not be afraid of disagreeing with someone's perspective just to please them.
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Be active and passionate about your work and your job. The passion will drive you towards success.
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Do not confine yourself. You might discover your strengths when you open yourself to new opportunities. It may appear scary at first but, you got this!
Acquire an appropriate mindset:
Building a ‘growth’ mindset is extremely essential to advance in the corporate world. Developing one’s most basic abilities and skills through dedication and hard work. If we enter the corporate world with this mindset, everything goes pretty smoothly and conveniently. Here are some tips and tricks to have a growth oriented mindset:
- Be accountable and accept responsibility with an open mind.
- Build a feeling of ownership.
- Become an expert in your field and excel in your domain.
- Focus on ‘what next’ rather than being stuck in the past.
- Put 100% of your effort into everything you do.
- Don't prioritize monetary gain over your health and mental peace.
- Focus on being efficient and fast instead of being perfect.
- Become self-aware and have a healthy relationship with your co-workers.
Craft a personality:
A certain kind of personality or a set of personality traits is known to thrive in today’s corporate world. Adapting these traits while maintaining your original skills and belief system is an art that goes a long way if you are planning to enter the corporate world. The following traits may help you find a way to maneuver in a more corporate way.
- Agreeableness - know when to speak up and put your opinion forward:
When you disagree with management, letting them see your point of view in a constructive and non-condescending way is the best way to go about it. Carefully consider the time and place, start by saying something positive, ask questions, and politely help them see your point. In the end, respect their final decision.
- Be result oriented:
As long as you are delivering results and are an asset to the company, your small mistakes are happily overlooked. Make sure to be productive rather than perfect in everything you do.
- Extroversion - people skills:
These skills allow you to minimize conflict, get people to want to spend time with you, to believe in your mission.
- Neuroticism - never associate your self-worth to your position in the company:
Learn from your failures and don’t let them disappoint you or affect your perception of your self-worth.
- Action plan:
Always have an action plan before entering a board room or a meeting. This helps you look prepared and only then you will be able to contribute productively to the company.
- Confidence is the key:
Whatever you do, do it with 100% confidence. When people see that you are confident, they tend to question you less and trust your judgment more. Confidence comes from awareness and knowledge. Work smart and not hard.
Upskilling:
Hence, here are some websites where you can find these webinars, seminars, boot camps, and workshops:
In addition to being engaging, these learning programmes also provide you with the chance to network with others who are also attending. As a result, it can help you upskill and lessen your boredom and tension after work.The skill of taking feedback:
Feedback in college is clear and consistent. It is given to you directly and without much personal explanation. Furthermore, because grades are standardized, it is simple to understand your personal performance level in comparison to others or yourself in previous classes or semesters. As you might expect, once a student enters the professional world, the feedback paradigm shifts completely. For starters, feedback at work is frequently less consistent and difficult to interpret than it was in college. You may receive feedback on an irregular and difficult-to-decipher basis, such as a quick comment here and there until you receive that rare official performance review.
Recent graduates must also learn a new skill in the workplace, one that was not taught in college: how to receive both positive and negative feedback in a poised, professional manner.