From a Student to an Employee: How to handle the transition?

“Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment.”- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Attending lectures, submitting projects, enduring sleepless nights during exam days, partying hard, asking for grace marks during innumerable instances and what not! Seriously, time at college was a different phase of life altogether. Having spent majority of years as a student till now, there are some changes you’ll have to adapt yourself to, while moving ahead.

Getting a job was a feat you achieved as a student. But, making a successful transition from being a student to a productive and efficient employee is the next milestone in queue.

So, how should you go about it?

What are the things you should keep in mind?

What are the things you need to work on?

No need to get confused, the discussion to follow will answer these questions and will guide you through the path to being a successful employee.

• Keep an Optimistic Outlook:

This definitely is the need of the hour and the foremost requirement of making an efficacious transition from college to work. The thing that matters the most, is the way you handle it without getting stressed. If things aren’t coming along the way you planned them to be, instead of panicking and getting finicky with the situation, adopt a pragmatic approach to solve problems. Try finding out what possibly went wrong and make amends accordingly. Yes, it is that easy!

• Start Valuing your Time:

It is when you enter the work sphere, you see the old saying- ‘time and tide, wait for none’ coming to life. Maybe you managed to pass all your exams without studying the whole year, but it’ll not be a cake walk at work if you continue to splurge your time on fruitless things.

Devote your time to things that are lucrative, be it the workplace or anywhere else. People often have the propensity to be a ‘couch potato’ once they are home from work. Avoid falling into habits like these. Maintain a schedule to keep a track of time and start prioritizing things.

• Feel the Tinge of Professionalism and Start Adapting:

It’s a known fact that college life makes a person try numerous things, even at the cost of being crazy, irresponsible and casual. It might have resulted in a silly punishment, a bad grade or professors snapping at you in college, but it’s quite different once you enter the office gates. Unprofessionalism might actually get you fired, which obviously will have negative implications on your career.

Professionalism encompasses the rudimentary essentials like being sincere towards work, being dependable and being a self-starter to take initiatives. You need to be a team player who your colleagues find reliable and trustworthy enough.

Deadlines will be critical, much more than college. You definitely won’t be able to schmooze your boss into him cutting you some slack. It’ll be a fast paced business environment where missing deadlines would be unacceptable. Make sure all your work stays on top of your priority list. However, there is perfectly no need to feel nervous about it either. Keeping high self-confidence is equally necessary at the same point of time.

• Make Sure you Continue to Learn:

As a new-joinee in the company, you’ll get acquainted with a zillion things during the initial few days of your job. Right from the pros and cons of your job to the pettiest things like the meal preferences of your colleagues, you’ll have to remember a lot of things. But, make sure you continue the same way and learn whenever you get an opportunity, without taking into account your experience in the company.

There’ll be things you’ll find hard to comprehend with, so ask questions. This is your chance to grasp as much as you can from the co-workers with a substantial amount of experience in your field. Keep up with the latest news and current affairs to remain updated.

• Adapt to the Company’s Culture:

It is one of the most significant steps to ensure a smooth work life in the company you have recently joined. Things like dressing aptly, understanding the kind of behavior that is acceptable or unacceptable and abstaining from discussions pertaining to religion, cast, sex and politics have to be kept in mind during all times.

Are work-hours strictly enforced or is there some leeway? Are you expected to chip in during birthdays, marriages and other events? Understanding these minute details will help you to adjust easily and feel comfortable with other employees.

The discussion above clearly indicates the things you need to keep in mind while moving ahead towards the phase, work brings into your life. Your success is determined by your attitude and approach towards the job. So, all you need is to draw inspiration from your surroundings and keep at it. True efforts will surely pay!

Author Bio: Anshuman Kukreti is a professional writer and a keen follower of the global job market. An engineer by qualification and an artist at heart, he writes on various topics relating to employment across the globe. Reach him at LinkedIn , Twitter