On any day, in any new job, workers will feel a mix of nerves, anxiety and — hopefully — enthusiasm. But for recent graduates, those nerves will be heightened.
So, what can you expect from a new job? How can you make the most of this opportunity to progress your career? And what are the red flags that might suggest you and this company are not a good fit for each other?
- It’s okay to be nervous going into a new role, says Sinéad Brady, career psychologist. “Starting a new job is a massive adjustment and a time of liminality, when you exist between two identities as you transition from a full-time student to a full-time worker. You always understood that this would happen, but you are not sure what is to come.”
- “Ask questions, as you are not an expert,” says Brady. “At third level, you have learned how to learn, but now you are transitioning that knowledge to a different space so you don’t necessarily have all the skills and answers.”
- But don’t ask too many questions, advises Ruairi Kavanagh, editor of gradireland.com. “Employers want you to work on your own initiative, seize the initiative on a project and work independently. You should not be looking for vast amounts of credit for doing your job, but it will be noticed where you have gone above and beyond, such as standing in for a sick colleague or coming up with a solution. That said, if you take on something and find you are not quite capable, don’t struggle on: there is no such thing as stupid questions, especially early on in your career, just as long as you are polite and respectful.”
- “Set realistic expectations,” says Caroline Kennedy, head of careers at the National College of Ireland. “Sometimes employers say that people expect promotion within six months, but it all comes backs to the relationships you build in the company. Remember that you don’t start a job at 25 thinking you will still be there at 68: you are there to get the skills and experience to bring you to the next stage.”
- Make the most of it from the start, says Kavanagh. “On day one, be prepared to observe. Try to make personal contacts as soon as you can. Any job provides a chance to learn, so embrace this opportunity to develop transferable skills, especially in areas where you may be lacking such as, for instance, giving presentations. On average, a graduate will stay in their first job for two or three years, so this is your chance to develop a level of competency and capability. Don’t be a problem in the first few weeks, don’t become someone that a colleague feels they have to take total responsibility for. You are there to help solve problems, not to become one.”
- Don’t go by first impressions, Kavanagh advises. “You could be walking into an SME where they have established ways of doing things and where you won’t be familiar with the challenges they face. Or you may walk into an environment where you are ignored in the corner. Don’t make rash judgements. If you do find yourself ignored in a large organisation, give it a few days, observe others around you and perhaps reach out to others at your level or just above and ask if this is normal.
- Build professional networks, Brady says. “It helps to stay in touch with your college alumni network, whether to fall back on, for mentorship or when you want to move to a different role. Look at joining professional networks: when you join an organisation, see what type of professional networks others are involved in. There may be strategy committees around environmental, social and governance or equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI), for instance. Connect with the ones that interest you. Networking involves learning something and, more importantly, making social connections.”
- Find a role that is right for you, says Brady. This involves self-reflection, a degree of self-awareness and thinking less about what you should be and more on what you could be. You don’t necessarily have to go for the biggest or most publicly-renowned organisation. In a start-up, you may not have as high as a salary, but you will get excellent experience across a broader range of areas.
- Be polite, says Kennedy. “Graduates can be nervous and shy going in, but go to that team lunch or night out if you’re invited. Remember it is not like college: you are in work and have to be professional. Don’t shout. Write your emails professionally. Don’t be on your phone. Thank someone who helps you. If it’s not working out, it can be down to basic things like not meeting deadlines.”
- Know your worth. This isn’t just about money, but about how you are treated. Brady advises graduates to find out as much as they can about a company before they start. Look on Glassdoor and check on LinkedIn how long people tend to stay there.
“If something feels wrong, or you’re spoken to rudely, gently ask the person to repeat themselves, as this is where their conscience may kick in, while you are making it clear what your boundaries are,” says Brady.
“You will be worked hard in a new job and there can be a shock factor, but if you find that the job is not for you, such as if you’re getting critical emails where nobody has shown you what to do, talk to others around you,” says Kavanagh. “Commit yourself for a minimum amount of time, but the mitigating factors are abuse, bullying or if the role was misrepresented.”
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- Have an exit strategy from day one, says Brady. “If you find yourself genuinely exhausted, and the job cannot satisfy your non-negotiables - like getting a lunch break, sleeping well, moving well, not being sick all the time, spending time with people who make you smile — these are warning signs. Look up, look around, and see if your organisation’s idea of success is the same as yours.”
The do and do not of a new job
Marie McManamon is a careers consultant and recruitment expert who has worked extensively with graduates and early careers professionals. She established ClearCut Careers and Consulting (ClearCut.ie) in 2010. Here are her top tips for graduates adjusting to a new workplace.
Seven things to do in a new job
1. Have realistic expectations. Your first graduate role is unlikely to see you using all of your skills; the objective is to begin your career on a positive note.
2. Be patient. It takes time to understand the organisation, the culture and even the job itself.
3. Get good advice. Seek out a mentor or look for peer support from colleagues who joined as graduates themselves —they’ve been where you are.
4. Show enthusiasm. There will likely be a steep learning curve and employers respond well to the interest shown.
5. Be prepared to participate. If the organisation has a strong social dimension or clubs and societies, take part.
6. Be open and flexible. A job description is a wish list at best and most better organisations to work for rely more on your contributing to project work as opposed to fixating on rote tasks.
7. Be prepared to ask for help. No one knows everything; the only silly question is the one not asked!
Seven things not to do in a new job
1. Don’t be late. If you are unavoidably delayed, make sure you get a message through and be prepared to make up the time.
2. Don’t be negative or critical — of your new work environment, colleagues, managers etc and give it time to allow yourself to understand how things work.
3. Don’t make assumptions. You need to keep your mind open to exploring and understanding the bigger picture before rushing to judgment.
4. Don’t participate in gossip. Office politics is sometimes fascinating but ultimately getting embroiled in drama can harm your career by damaging relationships with co-workers.
5. Don’t overshare. Your new colleagues are not family or friends and your tenure there may not be lengthy so keep it professional.
6. Don’t be a passenger. In other words, you are there to make a contribution, not wait for directions from a team leader or manager.
7. Don’t be afraid to say something — if you have genuine concerns about any aspect of the new job, talk to your manager or the appropriate internal contact or reach out to a trusted external friend or career coach, if you need an initial sounding board before raising it in the workplace.
And in summary, as the actor Helen Mirren once said when asked about the success and longevity of her career, “turn up on time and don’t be an ass”.
Things I wish I had known when starting my first job
- Office politics is a thing. I still don’t understand it now, but I would have liked to be aware that people can behave in self-serving ways at work.
- You don’t have to be friends with work people if you don’t want to. You can pick a couple of people you like for chats at breaks and not everyone else has to like you.
- Many people are managers who should not be. Managing people requires emotional maturity and self-awareness that many people don’t have.
- Feedback is always from one person’s perspective so get more than one person to corroborate before you adjust yourself.
- It is fine to move jobs, it is fine to stay in jobs, but like relationships, if you stay in a place that makes you unhappy your whole life will suffer.
- A good boss is worth their weight in gold. A work buddy who cares about you is also priceless. If all else fails a nemesis will make things interesting.
- If you can’t sleep at night because of work, if you notice you dread going in, or lose your joy outside of work … change your job or your work situation fast as by the time you feel symptoms of stress it has been going on for a while.
- At the end of each day make sure you switch off the part of your brain that you use for work.
— Submitted by a woman who has worked in the IT sector since the 1990s.
