12+ Super Helpful Tips For Starting a New Job After Grad School
If you’re starting a new job with your newly minted graduate degree, you’re likely on the right track of your dream career advancement path! However, even with your graduate degree combined with your extensive work experience, you’re probably experiencing a mix of emotions – anxiety, anticipation, and excitement – and it’s quite normal. You’re experiencing a pivotal transition in your life, after all.
Fortunately, you can prepare for success in your new job, including getting along well with your new workmates and meeting performance targets. Here are effective tips that will get you started on the right track.
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Before Starting Your New Job
1. Research Your New Company
Of course, you already have reliable and relevant information about the company you will be working for in the near future. Your previous research is probably part of the reason you shortlisted the company in your employment prospects and the reason you were hired! You believed that you were an excellent fit not just for the job but for the company, too, and the company saw it.
You must dive deeper, so to speak because you will be part of it soon. Your research must result in a better understanding of the company’s history, culture, and values as well as the industry it belongs in. You will then be better able to align yourself with the organization’s goals and integrate into its culture, as well as gain an appreciation of your role in a broader context (i.e., industry).
A few steps you can do include:
- Visit the official company website for information about its vision and mission, products and services, organizational structure, and key personnel.
- Read its annual reports and financial statements, if these are available (i.e., publicly-traded corporations), which will provide valuable insights into its financial performance and health over the years.
- Read the latest press releases, opinion articles, and news related to the company for updates about its achievements and plans.
- Check its online presence, including its social media profiles, such as LinkedIn and Twitter, which are good sources of employee and customer engagement, corporate culture, and recent activities.
- Ask about the company from current and former employees, if you can find them, so you have a more realistic and rounded picture.
This way, you know what you’re getting into and, thus, you’re better able to prepare for your new job.
2. Plan for the Logistics of Your New Workplace
While you may know the company’s address, you may not know where your specific office is, who you will be reporting to on your first day of work, and what the procedures are for entry into the premises, if any. Even if you come 30 minutes early, you may still be late because you ran around like a headless chicken!
You can avoid it by keeping these tips in mind.
- Ask about the specifics of your office location (e.g., general address of the building, level or floor number)
- Request for the name and contact number of the person you’re supposed to report on your first day
- Complete the necessary paperwork.
- Prepare your identification documents (e.g., driver’s license or social security card).
- Ask about the procedures for entry (e.g., pass through security and present yourself to reception staff).
- Coordinate your start date and time. Be sure to arrive at least 30 minutes before your appointment to be on the safe side.
- Plan your commute to work and practice your route a few times, even find alternate routes. You don’t want to get lost on your first day of work.
- Ask about your workspace and technology setup, particularly if you need login credentials for access to systems. You should be provided with the details and protocols even before your first day of work.
If the company has an orientation and training process for new hires, you must attend the sessions, too! You will not only gain more information about the company policies and procedures, culture and values but you will meet your future workmates. You must pay attention to the onboarding process, too, which can include the completion of required training programs or participation in a mentorship program.
3. Review Your Job Description
You must first review your employment contract or offer letter, which contains your compensation and benefits, among other terms and conditions of employment. Ask for clarifications so you have information for future reference.
Then, you should familiarize yourself with your job description and its roles and responsibilities. Your detailed understanding must be combined with realistic expectations of your roles and responsibilities within your future team.
Your best starting point is to ask relevant questions like:
- What are my primary roles and responsibilities, both as an individual employee and in relation to my teammates?
- Who will be my supervisors and teammates? (If possible, you may want to ask about their leadership style and relevant aspects of their personality.)
- What are the specific tools and technologies, including systems and software, that will be used in relation to my job?
- What are the long-term and short-term goals, key performance metrics, and related expectations of my job?
- What are the ongoing projects connected to my job that I should be aware of?
You must ask for a copy of your current job description so that you can compare the roles and responsibilities detailed in it with your employment contract (i.e., commensurate compensation and benefits).
You must clarify ambiguities, too, and use the job description for future reference, such as when making comparisons with your actual roles and responsibilities. You should also look at your job description as a professional development tool, particularly in identifying areas for knowledge and skills development.
4. Start Networking Activities
According to Zippia’s networking statistics, up to 70% of employees were hired because of their networking activities, and 85% of jobs are filled because of connections. Indeed, the importance of a supportive and extensive network cannot be overemphasized! These aspects are just as true when you’re starting a new job after earning your graduate degree.
But you must be deliberate when establishing a new network in your new job as it will have a great impact on your personal and professional success. Here are effective tips to go about it and achieve success in networking.
- Update your online personal and professional profiles. If you haven’t done it yet, you may want to clean up your social media profiles, too, so that your image fits in with your new company and job.
Your LinkedIn profile must also be updated to include your new employment, as well as your most recent achievements, skills, and experiences. You will find it easier to add more people to your online network by hooking up with current and former employees of the company you will be working in.
- Connect with these current and former employees on LinkedIn, among other professional networks, and through their given emails. You can send personalized messages about your excitement about joining the company, perhaps even requesting insights into its corporate culture. You must, however, be professional in your communications (i.e., avoid giving too much information and asking for personal information).
- Join professional organizations in the industry where your new employer belongs if you’re not yet a member. You can expand your network in this manner, too, aside from getting useful insights about the industry and, by extension, the company you will soon be joining.
When establishing your network in preparation for your new job, you must offer value. Keep in mind that networking is a two-way street, meaning you should offer support, knowledge, and assistance to strengthen your new connections.
5. Update Your Knowledge and Skills
Your newly minted graduate degree is among the reasons why you were hired. But you will likely find that your new job will require the acquisition of new knowledge and skills that graduate school didn’t include in its curriculum.
There’s also the fact that even the best employees must broaden their knowledge and skills in many areas because of technological advancements (e.g., AI and automation), among other reasons. Indeed, knowledge and skills upgrades are a must to keep fresh and focused, as well as to keep moving forward in your career!
But how can you engage in knowledge and skills updates to ensure that these are aligned with your new job? Keep these tips in mind to achieve excellent results.
- Look at your job description for more information about the knowledge and skills required for effective and efficient performance.
- Ask questions about the specific knowledge and skills that your new job requires from your supervisor and teammates.
- Consider the performance metrics for your new job for the first 30, 60, and 90 days and identify the skills and their progression during these periods.
- Identify your current knowledge base and skills set. Make a detailed list, be honest about it, and reflect on it.
- Determine the areas for improvement, particularly in relation to obsolete skills, based on a thoughtful comparison between your current skills and your new job’s required skills.
Once you know the areas for improvement, you can engage in knowledge and skills development in a wide range of ways. You can engage in their learning opportunities before and during your employment, a form of continuing professional development.
- Consider taking online courses and tutorials, if possible, via Udemy, LinkedIn Learning, or Coursera.
- Attend workshops and seminars relevant to your new job, which can be provided by the company and third-party sources.
- Earn professional certifications that will boost not just your skill sets but your expertise and credibility.
- Apply your learnings even before starting your job. In this case, a few practice sessions may not result in perfection, but it will set the stage for it.
Don’t forget to make an honest evaluation of your soft skills, too! Your hard skills have their merits, of course, but your soft skills reinforce your value not just as a productive employee but also as a person.
6. Set Realistic Expectations
In all your preparation for your new job after graduate school, you must set realistic expectations! You should remember that there’s always a learning curve whenever you’re into something new, even when you possess outstanding knowledge and skills that contributed to your advancement in the first place.
While you should set the bar high for yourself, you must also understand that making mistakes is acceptable when you’re learning the ropes. Instead of being too hard on yourself, you should view your initial mistakes as learning opportunities. Just be careful about making the same mistakes twice!
During Your First Weeks in Your New Job
1. Dress Appropriately
Even before your first day in your new job, you must ask about the specifics of the dress code! Even with more casual dress codes at work, you must be aware of the company’s dress code and follow it. You want to make a positive impression among your fellow employees and managers, as well as fit into the corporate culture. Indeed, think of the dress code as part of the corporate culture and a way to show your pride in being part of the company.
Here are tips to dress appropriately for your new job.
- Choose to be slightly overdressed on your first few days on the job rather than be underdressed. You must observe how your fellow employees dress, from their clothes to their accessories, and follow their lead. You should ideally seek to fit in, not stand out, in your first-day work outfit – unless, of course, you’re a new hire in a company that values flamboyance and grand entrances.
- Be aware of the dress code for different days, too. For example, the new company may have casual Fridays, meaning casual clothes are allowed, while the rest of the days require business casual attire.\Wear clean clothes that have been well-pressed and in good condition. You want to present a neat appearance and a professional countenance, meaning stained and wrinkled clothing and accessories are a big no-no.
- Coordinate clothes and accessories that create a polished and professional look. Your workday clothes must also be free of distracting and excessive accessories.
- Wear the appropriate footwear, too, and make sure that these are clean. This is true whether you will be on your feet all day or sitting in front of a computer all day.
- Comfort in your workplace attire is key, too, and it applies to both formal business and casual Friday clothes. You will be more confident and productive when you’re at ease in your clothes.
- Be mindful of good personal grooming because it’s just as crucial in your professional presentation as the clothes, accessories, and shoes you wear! A neat hairstyle, clean nails and skin, and good teeth are basic, and regular baths are essentials, too.
Following the dress code also means being mindful of the occasion! You must take into account the dress code of special meetings and events, such as client presentations and office parties when choosing your outfit of the day. Your attire must also take into account the weather conditions for obvious reasons.
2. Learn and Adopt the Company Culture
The term “corporate culture” points to the set of values, beliefs, and behaviors that determine the interactions between employees and management, their collective performance, and their dealings with third parties.
In many cases, corporate culture isn’t expressly defined, although its basics can be outlined in corporate handbooks and the like. The accumulation of personal and professional traits among employees that the company hires also contributes to the organic development of corporate culture over time.
As a result, company culture encompasses its dress code, employee compensation and benefits, hiring and training decisions, career advancement and turnover, and client dealings and satisfaction, among other aspects of its operations. The unwritten norms and rules of the workplace are also part and parcel of corporate culture.
With that said, here are steps that you can take to learn the company culture and achieve a sense of community with your new teammates.
- Review the company resources and materials, such as the employee handbook, which contains insights into corporate culture, if you haven’t done so yet.
- Pay close attention to the ways that employees and managers work together, communicate, and interact. Listen to conversations during business meetings and casual interactions, which will give insights into the dynamics within your team in particular and the company in general.
- Ask questions about the culture, values, and expectations of the company you’re in. You will find that it’s better than second-guessing yourself.
- Be an active participant in team activities and collaborative projects to determine the ways in which your fellow employees work together. Even talking with your fellow employees and with your higher-ups will be beneficial in getting a good sense of the corporate culture.
- Watch out for values being put into action and in day-to-day operations. If the company’s values include innovation, for example, you can seek examples of the ways in which it encourages and adopts new ideas.
- Document your experiences and observations of the corporate culture. You can then use these notes to make adjustments in your work style, values, and behaviors that will align with the company culture.
Be sure to seek constructive feedback from your fellow employees and higher-ups, too, regarding your integration into the corporate culture. You should be open-minded when learning the culture, as well as strike a balance between maintaining your sense of individuality and becoming assimilated.
3. Build and Maintain Relationships
People move policies, processes, and procedures! It then makes sense to build and maintain relationships with the people in your new post-graduate job – therein lies potential and power waiting to be harnessed. Building and maintaining new relationships obviously demands soft skills, particularly interpersonal skills combined with charm.
But don’t despair if your extensive academic training didn’t result in a charming personality either! You can keep these effective tips in mind when building and maintaining relationships in your new post-graduate job.
- Take the time to introduce yourself to your new supervisors and colleagues, even when your introverted self rebels against the idea. Now’s the time to be more extroverted because building positive relationships boosts professional success.
- Be approachable by smiling, making eye contact, and adopting open body language (i.e., relaxed posture). You can, after all, attract more people with honey than vinegar.
- Take a genuine and sincere interest in your colleagues and supervisors, but avoid being a nosy busybody. Your active listening skills are just as important as your interpersonal skills in this matter.
- Ask questions when you’re in doubt about a work-related matter because it demonstrates your willingness to learn and eliminates the mistakes due to second-guessing.
- Engage in collaborative projects or, at least be open for collaborations with your colleagues. You will not only share your knowledge and learn from them but also foster stronger relationships.
- Attend social events, team-building activities, and informal gatherings where you and your colleagues can get to know each other in casual settings. These socialization activities boost professional relationships, too, because there’s a better understanding of the person behind the suit.
Most importantly, adopt an attitude of gratitude, be respectful and courteous toward others regardless of their position in the corporate hierarchy, and be a positive person, particularly during challenging times.
4. Seek Mentorship
According to the CNBC/SurveyMonkey Workplace Happiness Survey, mentorship has a huge impact on a worker’s job-related happiness and career! Workers with mentors are more likely to assert that they are well-paid and feel valued for their contributions to the organization.
These benefits aren’t surprising, considering that mentors provide valuable guidance in getting ahead in your career, maximizing available resources, and accessing untapped resources to your advantage.
The bottom line: You must seek a mentor or participate in a mentorship program if the company offers it to its employees! Like all the tips discussed here, you must be deliberate about the decisions and actions you make in relation to seeking mentorship.
- Identify potential mentors or ask about a mentorship program. Many companies, such as Time Warner Cable, Caterpillar, and Intel, offer excellent employee mentorship programs. If the company doesn’t have a mentorship program, you can look for experienced supervisors or colleagues with extensive knowledge and skills in your line of work. Being an approachable person with a willingness to mentor is are foremost quality among exceptional mentors.
- Ask for recommendations from the human resources department or from your immediate supervisor in finding a suitable mentor. You may also directly approach prospective mentors, an alternative that demands assertiveness but pays well.
- Set SMART goals in relation to the mentorship so your mentor will also have guideposts in the mentee-mentor relationship. What do you want from the relationship? When do you want to achieve them? How do you propose achieving them?
- Prepare relevant questions and topics before coming into mentorship meetings. Doing so means demonstrating your respect for their time, effort and expertise, as well as your commitment to making the mentee-mentor relationship a success. Be sure to respect their time, too, by scheduling meetings based on their convenience, showing up on time, and respecting time-related limitations.
You must also practice your communication skills, particularly active listening skills (e.g., carefully listen and take notes, if necessary). Being open to constructive feedback, showing initiative in learning and applying your mentor’s guidance, and expressing your gratitude is a must, too, in maintaining an effective mentee-mentor relationship.
In time, you can also become a sought-after mentor!
5. Practice Effective Time Management Skills
The ability to fulfill your roles and meet your responsibilities in your new job demands effective time management skills. These soft skills are also essential in making a good impression among your colleagues and supervisors and in maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
Fortunately, practicing effective time management skills shouldn’t be a big deal in your case! You survived, perhaps even thrived, during your graduate school years, so it isn’t a stretch to apply your time management skills in your new post-grad job. But, of course, there are specific aspects of starting your new post-grad job that make these tips useful.
- Start by understanding your job-related roles and responsibilities, as well as the priorities that come with it. This way, you can set clear boundaries about the time, effort and energy you’re willing to give for job-related priorities. While it’s essential to meet your job-related obligations, perhaps even impress your colleagues and supervisors by going over and beyond, you must also learn to say “no” when necessary.
- Create a to-do list every day. Your list should ideally organize your tasks based on their priority and deadlines, meaning you can stay focused on what needs to be done and feel accomplished at the end of the workday. You may want to consider using task prioritization apps, such as Todoist, Trello and Notion, as well as techniques like time blocking.
- Delegate tasks according to your position in the corporate hierarchy. You can focus on more critical tasks.
- Avoid procrastination and distractions, both of which are significant wastes of time. You should consider adopting the Two-Minute Rule (i.e., do tasks that require less than two minutes to accomplish) and the Pomodoro Technique (i.e., focus on work and then take regular but short breaks in between). You must also consider setting up website blockers, creating a dedicated workspace, and staying organized so you can reduce distractions.
Over time, you will reap the benefits of being determined and disciplined in your time management.
6. Ask for and Be Open to Feedback
Feedback in the workplace context is the process of providing employees and managers with constructive comments, observations and information about their work-related performance and behaviors. This is a vital mechanism for performance improvement, recognition and motivation, and conflict resolution, as well as personal and professional development.
While feedback takes formal forms, such as performance reviews, one-on-one and group meetings, and project-specific feedback, you should also seek informal feedback. Your colleagues and supervisors can provide constructive feedback about your performance and contributions, as well as the areas that need improvement.
Your willingness to ask for feedback and be open to suggestions demonstrate your willingness to learn and improve, a crucial trait for professional success even with your graduate degree and extensive work experience.
Here are a few tips to keep in mind about feedback in the workplace.
- Find a suitable time for requesting feedback from your colleagues and supervisors. Meetings are a great venue, as are during a performance review and after a task or project completion.
- Pay attention to the suggestions that your colleagues and supervisors give regarding your tasks and performance. You can gain useful insights into these suggestions even when you don’t specifically ask for their feedback.
- Be specific when requesting feedback, whether it’s your communication skills or your specific performance on a project.
- Frame your request for feedback in a positive manner. (I’m willing to improve in my role, and I’d appreciate your feedback on it). However, be sure to request both constructive (i.e., areas of improvement) and positive feedback (i.e., areas where you’re doing well).
- Ask for specific examples, if possible, so that you can apply them to your work immediately. Indeed, taking appropriate action on feedback is a must if you’re committed to excellence! You should also consider sharing your progress, but stop short of blowing your own horn. Don’t forget to follow up, too, so you know where you stand.
Being open-minded about feedback is vital in this ongoing process, too. Becoming defensive, particularly in the face of critical feedback, will backfire. And don’t forget to express your thanks to your colleagues and supervisors for their feedback.
In all these steps in starting a new post-graduate job, you must be adaptable, confident and positive! Even with your advanced degree, you will likely still be introduced to new tools and technologies, as well as challenges that will put your knowledge and skills to the test. Your flexible and adaptable mindset will become a valuable asset in the ever-changing 21st-century workplace, and it will boost your confidence in your skills to excel in your new job.