Launching your first job
You may have excelled at your studies in university or college, but that is no guarantee for success in industry.
In fact, some students perform averagely on campus, but end up stars in the workplace.
Basically, college life and industry life are not exactly the same thing. As you transition into industry, you need new approaches that can help you to excel.
Below are 10 tips to focus on as you start your career in your first ever job after college, governing your first three to five years of professional life.
Focus on learning the job–In university or college, you learnt a lot of theories, mastered formulas and developed models and frameworks. Now, in industry, you have to get your hands dirty and learn how they do it in industry. Learn the new things from a practical side. Be open-minded to learn the job. Some of the people that will teach you the job will be less educated than you, in fact your juniors. Be humble and approachable if you want to learn a lot in a short time.
Attend professional courses–Do your best to find chances for some professional courses leading to professional registrations and certifications. Invest personal money from your salary if necessary. Do not always wait for your employer or others to sponsor your professional development.
Join high performance teams–Failure is contagious and so is success. If you play in Real Madrid or Barcelona football clubs, you are more likely to be a world-class player than if you play in a lower division league club. The same rule applies in career development. In your company, identify which are the best-performing teams and find your way there!
Learn the business–If you join a company in the banking sector, make sure that you quickly understand banking. If you join telecoms, learn how telecoms business works. If your first job is at a tobacco company, learn about tobacco business quickly, whether you are in marketing, sales, HR, engineering, IT or administration, you need to master the core business of your organisation.
Acquire basic financial knowledge–No matter what your profession is, learn the basics of finance because all companies have to manage finances and you will not rise far in your career without basic understanding of money. Attend ‘finance for non-finance managers’ short courses or buy a book on introduction to finance.
Learn from good managers and leaders–Identify who are the great managers and leaders around you and start following them and learning from them. Copy the good things they do and experiment their tactics, improving them along the way. Do not copy their ‘dark sides’, copy only their good practices. Choose among them your mentors and coaches.
Study career growth trends and align–Every organisation has its own trends for how people climb career ladders. Talk to the ‘old guards’ and learn how careers evolve in your organisation and don’t plan to break many records, plan to reposition and realign yourself so that you can break smaller records while climbing the ladders.
Communicate clearly–You may be a star, but if you are not a great communicator, you will not go far. Develop your written as well as oral communication skills. Join Toastmasters public speaking clubs to master the public speaking skill also. This skill will help you negotiate for better pay, for promotion and even to pass interviews for better jobs later.
Make the company and your boss rely on you–In everything you do, make sure that you are of great value to your boss and for your company. Sustain the reason for your existence in the job.
Be outstanding–Be the best in whatever you do. Always check whether you are giving out your best or not. Raise your game if your output is not great and not amazing. Work hard. And, work smartly!
Above all, you need to network as much as possible as this will help you to deliver effectively and efficiently and to create your future opportunities for career growth.
Your immediate attention should not be on maximising money–making, but building skills. Money will come as a by-product of outstanding brilliance over time.