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13 tips for the transition from student life to working life
10 minute read | Sandra Henke | Article | | General
Sandra Henke, Global Head of People and Culture, offers advice on how to leave student life behind and start your career on the right path.
Have you recently finished education? Are you grieving the loss of your old student life? Are you wondering what it will be like to be a fully-fledged member of the working world?
I hate to break it to you, and as patronising as it might sound, you really are about to enter the ‘real world’ – one that will bring a whole load of new lessons. So, remember, just because the relentless exam process has finally stopped for you, your learning hasn’t. Far from it.
So, in this blog, I want to share with you how you can successfully transition from university, college or school to working life. Here’s what you need to know at the start of your career.
From now on, your life is going to be different in pretty much every way. You’ll have to get used to early mornings and possibly commuting, which might mean your social life isn’t perhaps as fun or wild as it once was – during the weekdays, anyway. If you’ve been in further education, you may well have moved back in with your parents or even moved to a new city, meaning your home life will change too. Try to see this change as an opportunity for personal growth and learning.
You’ve managed to deal with the unsettling feelings that come with change in the past. Adjusting to the changes that come when you start your job is no different. Understand these changes are only temporarily unsettling, and you will quickly form new habits, schedules and rituals, and importantly, start to enjoy your new life.
Maybe you’ve wondered what the ‘corporate world’ is really like. You’ve probably formed some strong assumptions over the years – both good and bad – from family, friends, teachers, careers advisors, even TV programmes and films. Try to keep an open mind as you embark on your first job, free from preconceived ideas about what it will be like.
If you’re about to start your first ‘proper’ job, some of your responsibilities might be relatively admin-based, at least to begin with. This won’t be the case forever, so try not to feel unmotivated or dejected. As you climb your career ladder and become more senior, your responsibilities and tasks will become more interesting and advanced.
It’s important to understand, too, that your first job won’t be your last. We’re all living, and working, for longer than we have ever done in the past. So, if your first job isn’t everything you thought it would be, don’t worry too much. This is just the start of your career journey – take as much as you can from your current role, and then move on.
Remember that social media can be deeply deceptive, as people only tend to share the things on their social media profiles that they wish others to see. Instead of scrolling through their social feeds, talk directly to your friends (ideally in person) about how they are transitioning from student life to working life. You will find that most of them will be in the same boat as you, which can be reassuring and can also give you a sense of perspective.
You’ll almost certainly come across people who are much older than you, and in much more senior positions – possibly positions that you might aspire to be in one day. Try not to feel intimidated by this – instead, see it as an opportunity to learn. Remember that even the most senior person in the company was once in a similar position to the one you’re in right now. In any case, it’s very likely that one day, you’ll be in their shoes!
You will almost certainly be expected to get to grips with the responsibilities of your new role relatively quickly. Of course, your new employer will help you do this, but it’s also important that you personally commit to proactively learning and working hard. Remember, it will typically take you three to six months to feel truly settled and adept in your role, so don’t put unnecessary pressure on yourself either.
You’ll soon realise you don’t know everything. In fact, you’ll sometimes feel like you don’t know anything. Again, though, this is no reason to allow your confidence to be battered down. Quite the opposite, in fact – employers appreciate young employees for their curiosity, energy and eagerness to learn, not to mention the fresh and new perspectives they often bring. So, if you do find yourself bubbling with exciting ideas when you join a business, don’t be afraid to suggest them.
This might seem like an obvious point, but you’ll be expected to adjust the way you communicate when in a corporate working environment. It’s therefore a good idea to familiarise yourself in advance with the key points of professional etiquette, such as the importance of introducing yourself if you haven’t spoken to or emailed that person before, and responding to stakeholders in a professional and timely manner.
While your income is likely to go up as a result of your first job, the amount of free time you have will almost certainly go down. For starters, you’ll no longer have those long ‘summer holidays’. However, the commencement of this new chapter of your life is also a great opportunity to start using your time more wisely - you’ll soon realise there’s a lot that can be done after 5pm and during the weekends.
This isn’t something that should scare you – it is actually a good thing. You might not expect to become good friends with someone who is 10 years older than you, but you’ll soon realise that you have a lot more in common with your co-workers than you first think. Bear in mind, too, that the contacts you make now will probably stay with you throughout your career and will therefore be fundamental to your success both now and in the future.
When you start your career, it can be so easy to fall into less-than-healthy habits during your first weeks and months. Be sure to embed good habits from the beginning, including eating well, exercising, resting and relaxing. Doing this will help you establish and maintain a healthy work-life balance, and also perform at your best in your first job.
The transition from student life to the world of work can understandably feel intimidating and overwhelming – but it really doesn’t have to be this way. By following these 13 steps, you can ensure that you start your career in the best way possible, whilst laying the foundations for your future success.
Sandra Henke is the Group Head of People and Culture at Hays. She is a member of the Management Board with responsibility for leading People and Culture strategy and best practice. Her key area of focus is to continue to evolve our culture and people practices, with a specific focus on Diversity and Inclusion, Change Management, Leadership and Talent Development, Succession, Management Skills and Employee Engagement.
She has a long-standing passion for the role that leadership and cultural development play in shaping organisational and human success.
Born and bred in New Zealand, Sandra has worked for Hays for the past 20 years, originally in Australia where her last role was as HR Director for the Asia Pacific region. She moved to London in 2012 to take up a role in the UK&I and was promoted to the Group Management Board in 2017.
