Thursday 9 May 2013

Step 16 - 5 Tips to Transition from Student to Professional

Start off on the Right Foot

Today I want to talk about how students can transition to full-time work. Any student knows that student life is very different from working life, as they differ in some of the following ways:

Class times are in blocks vs. Word days are 8 hours straight
Classes teach and you learn vs. You are require to perform on the job
When in school you work after hours vs. Leaving your work at the office (maybe)
Paying to work hard vs. Getting paid for hard work


Life after graduation

So straight away transitioning can be difficult. But whether you are a grad starting your career or a student starting a summer job until you go back to school in September, there are some tips to make this transition as  smooth as possible.

1. Start on a Positive Note - Even if you just wrote the hardest exam of your life, if you start work the next day you need to be poised, positive and ready to work. So make sure you are rested the night before your first day at work.

2. Learn by Doing - Leave the notebooks at home. Come to work ready to learn by doing. This means you might have to act on the spot or teach yourself a task on-the-job. Don't be afraid that you don't know the theory behind it, work is very hands on, even office work.

3. Act your Age, Except More Mature - It can be hard starting a job at a company where you are the only grad or student. You might feel out of place or intimidated. Don't be afraid to own your age. be proud of what you can do at a young age. Just remember your colleagues have different interests and expectations than the average student.

4. Don't Slack Off - Even straight-A students get side-tracked or procrastinate. This is understandable. But on the job you can't slack off on company time. This can be hard if you aren't giving things to do to keep you busy. But at least use your time to learn something about the company and advance your professional life.

Quote About Work5. Come Prepared - One of he best ways to make a good first impression on the job is to show up prepared. This means being groomed, well-dressed in respect to the type of job, having a general idea of what the company does, bringing documents to fill-out paperwork and showing up on time. Coming prepared will allow you to get started on the job sooner.

These are just some of the simplest ways to mentally prepare yourself for the jump from textbooks to briefcase. In PR especially, you need to be read for a fast-paced learning-curve. You need to be a sponge and soak in as much as fast as possible if you want to succeed. I would love to show some examples of what I mean by this which is why in my next post I will talk about my first two weeks in my first full-time job out of school as a Marketing & Communications Specialist.

So stay tuned! And let me know what you think is the hardest part of transitioning from student to employee by commenting below.

P.S. I  Love PR