Making the Most of Year One as a Young Professional

Graduates throwing caps and celebrating

Source: Photo by Pang Yuhao on Unsplash

You’ve graduated. You’ve stepped out into the world, ready to start your career and life. It’s what you have been working towards for 16-plus years, and certainly something to celebrate. And yet, you step across this threshold with a lot of unknowns ahead. Not only that, these unknowns can have a considerable impact on not only this first year but on what is to come after, as well. Because, while the first year after college isn’t the only year that matters, it is a critical time of growth and development for you as a young professional, and not to be taken lightly.

The first year of anything brings with it a mixture of emotions, challenges, opportunities, and experiences that are unrivaled by any other time. When you are new at something, you see it with the freshest eyes you will ever have. This first year post-college is the time to loosen your hold on what was known and familiar and to embrace something new and uncertain, which for some people is full of excitement and anticipation, and for others can contain moments of anxiety and dread.

How do you take ownership of this next stage of your life? It starts with an acknowledgment of where you are, now, identifying what you know and what you don’t know, and then committing to some intentional strategies to own what’s next.

What’s So Hard About Transition?

Change is hard, for many people, but not, perhaps, for the reasons you might think. I like to refer to a model created by the organizational development expert William Bridges, to explain what happens during times of change. Change, it turns out, is about external events or situations. It’s a thing that happens to you, like finishing college. Change is something you can point to or name.

Transition, on the other hand, “is the inner psychological process that people go through as they internalize and come to terms with the new situation that the change brings about.” There is something important that happens inside you during times of transition—emotionally, mentally, even sometimes physically—that must be honored. And it happens for each of us individually. Your process of transition may not look like or feel like anyone else’s, even though you are experiencing the same change event.

There are three critical stages to the transition process, according to Bridges. It starts with an ending. This is when you are asked to let go of something familiar, possibly something that feels safe and comfortable. You know the rules for behavior, you know the expectations, you know the people. Next, you pass through the neutral zone. This is when you’re in a bit of free-fall, no longer tied to the past but not yet attached to what is to come. For some, this feels like freedom, while for others, it’s incredibly uncomfortable. And finally, you reach a new beginning. You learn new rules and new expectations, you find new people.

We each go through these three stages of transition at different paces. It’s important to recognize where you are, why you’re there, and how you feel about it. Change itself isn’t so hard. But the process of transition can be challenging because transition is personal and it’s emotional.

You’ve Been Here Before

The good news is, while your new beginning may look and feel different from what you’re leaving behind, there is a lot about what’s happened up to this point that has been getting you ready for this moment, and you can draw upon this knowledge and everything you have learned about yourself over the past four years to be successful here.

Let’s be honest: The experience of full-time work and adulthood are structurally unlike anything else you’ve done previously as a student. For example, nothing about work and life, unless you work in education, is organized by semesters. There are no more course syllabi, no more grades. The rules for success are different and will be different depending on your organization and your role.

But the hidden secret to the educational process is that it has been structured to slowly, over time, give you a little more freedom, a little more control over your choices and decisions, to prepare you for this moment. You have had to figure out how to be successful in a new place before. You have had to figure out how to manage your time and competing priorities before. You have the tools and skills within you to be successful here. Remember that. And, if you felt like you didn’t fully fit into the place you’re leaving behind, the good news is: You have gained deep awareness about who you are and what you need to be successful. Now you get to put that wisdom to work for you.

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And You Still Have a Lot to Learn

And, let’s be clear, you were a college student just a short time ago. You haven’t figured out all there is to know about work and life in the time since you graduated. In fact, two of the best mindsets you can take into the workforce (as well as your life) at this moment are a bias towards curiosity and a bias towards learning. These are the mindsets that will lead you to ask questions of your new colleagues, to seek out new information when you need it, to learn about the industry, organization, and role that you are joining, and to stay in a place of adaptability and flexibility as you start to develop your career. And those are skills that will be critical to your success throughout your life.

Every few years the AACU does a survey of employers to assess perceptions of young professionals’ abilities and preparedness across a set of competencies deemed important for success in these early roles. Consistently, the employers identify a preparedness gap among their new employees. What does this mean for you? You might think of yourself as quite skilled in communication, critical thinking, and decision-making, but if your manager doesn’t see you the same way, you’re going to have some problems. Accurate or not, perception is reality. One of the best tools you have available to you in this first year is an awareness that you still have much to learn, and the willingness and humility to ask for help where you need it.

Strategies to Make the Most of This Year

How can you take steps now to make the most of this first year, navigate through these uncertain waters of transition, and own what’s next for you? There are many things you will need to do over the course of this next year, but I always point to these four strategies as your guidepost. Do these four things well, and consistently, and you’ll be well on your way to a successful year one.

• Build Intentional Relationships: Seek out relationships with your manager, colleagues, and people outside of your immediate team. Ask for coffee conversations to get to know these people and work to build these relationships over time. You don't have to be friends with everyone at work, but one of those people might end up being a mentor, a sponsor, or even a friend. The key is not to wait for them to come to you. Take ownership of your path by seeking out and building intentional, authentic relationships with your new colleagues.
• Set Goals: Hopefully, your manager will work with you to identify a set of goals for the next year. But even if they don't, recognize that you have the ability to set intentional learning goals for yourself. Where do you want to be at the end of this year? What do you want to have learned? If you can, share these goals with your manager or a mentor for feedback and guidance and engage them in your learning process.
• Seek Out Feedback: And on that note, get into a regular practice of asking for feedback on your work, your strengths, and your growth opportunities. Don’t just ask “how am I doing” types of questions. Ask for specific, targeted feedback that is connected to your goals. A bias towards curiosity and learning means staying open to the growth you have in front of you.
• Reflect on Learning: No one is ever going to care as much about your path and your development as you are. Build in time for reflective practices and grow your self-awareness muscles. Use your goals and your feedback conversations as opportunities to build these muscles over time. Remember: Everything is a learning opportunity, with the right mindset.