The Wackerle Corner:
Surviving the first year on the job

By: Andrea Emery
News Editor

As seniors graduate, one chapter will close and another will open. Some are attending graduate school and many others are entering the professional world. Surviving the first year after college is the next big step following graduation.

Beginning work in an organization is a very unique, new and important time for graduates to develop special perspectives and strategies. According to Ed Holton of JobWeb.com, your first year on the job is much different than college. Holton says, “You need to recognize that the first year on a new job is a separate and distinct transition stage.” During this time period, you are not a college student anymore, but not yet a professional. It is important to differentiate this stage and work to transition from college student to professional throughout the first year.

Because you will be the “new kid on the block” in any position you take, it is important to be aware that people will treat you differently, have different expectations and work with you differently. You are being graded the minute you begin your first job. Research suggests that the way in which you approach your first job may have a major connection with your future salary, advancement, job satisfaction and your ability to move within the organization. It may also be linked to your own feelings and commitment to the job.

Many times, new professionals struggle with their first year on the job due to an unwillingness to transition from the college mentality. When you graduate, apart from the lessons learned inside and outside the classroom, all you know is school. It is what you have been doing for the past 17 years. Things are bound to be different upon entering the professional world. It is your job to adapt to those changes.

The following are several examples of how college life and work life during the first year are totally different:

• In college you receive a lot of direction about what to do and how to do it. On the job you are expected to accomplish tasks with little direction.

• In college, you receive a lot of feedback on your work and your progress. In the working world, performance appraisal is generally done semi-annually or annually.

So what is really important in the first year? Your employer hired you with the confidence you will have the ability to do the tasks at hand. It is now your turn to shine. It is important to show your employers you are capable of the non-task components of your job they expect without telling you, including the willingness and ability to learn new things, the ability to fit into the company culture and the ability to build effective working relationships.

Make it your goal during the first year of your job to do more than just perform. You should strive to gain acceptance, respect and credibility. You can survive. It is also important to stay open-minded. You will not be automatically respected, but with time and willingness to transition from student to professional, you can be successful during the first year on the job.