First of all, well done! You’ve ‘made it’ and you’re on your way to starting your new career with all the excitement and trepidation that comes with it! However, how do you translate that energy and enthusiasm into a positive impact once you do start?
What this article hopes to do is provide those starting a graduate scheme with some objective advice and some experience on how to win over your managers and colleagues and create that all important great first impression. So here we go:
- Begin the ‘Brand Me’ Campaign…
Your personal brand is what you want to be known for. Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room. Your brand underpins you as a person and should be a reflection of your natural assets. So when you start your new job, think about what you want people to know you for and try to stay committed to building and protecting that brand. You might not know what that is yet, but don’t worry, your personal brand is not static. It is not set in stone and once you have figured out what you want to be known for, your personal brand can be transformed into what we aspire it to be. See every interaction as an opportunity to reinforce and enhance this transformation.
- It’s not a competition…
It is likely that you will be starting as part of a large cohort of individuals who have also begun their graduate career. Instead of seeing these individuals as competition, it is more advisable to see them as equals or even peers who you can learn from and share experiences with. They should be used as a safe forum to discuss your concerns and your thoughts. They may even be a window to new opportunities as they go off and make their own networks within the business. A degree of competition can always push you to go further and perform, but remember, burning bridges with colleagues often leads to more pain than it’s worth – you would be surprised how quickly news spreads (even to your managers). A network of friends will always do more for you than a network of colleagues.
- You’re not expected to know everything…
Inevitably the business will ask a lot from you as a bright new graduate and ‘future leader’ and this may seem overwhelming initially as you are confronted with lots of new information, people and processes. Remember however, that you are not expected to know everything. You may be thrown in the deep-end, but the only way you can perform is to keep asking questions, learn from those around you and try to assimilate that information as quickly as possible. No-one can blame you for asking questions, but you can certainly get yourself into trouble by promising something you can’t deliver. If someone gives you a deadline for a piece of work, don’t be afraid to touch in with them at periodic points before that deadline to make sure you are working in line with their expectations; otherwise you might find that when your deadline is due you have failed to meet their expectations and wasted a lot of effort in the process.
- Going above and beyond…
A lot will be expected of you, but in order to impress you must go above and beyond what is expected. Whenever you have an opportunity to take on responsibility you should grab it with both hands. You might be given that opportunity within the remit of your normal job or even better within the wider organisation; for example as a social coordinator for your office, helping with the next round of recruitment or as a graduate representative for your business division. Taking on this responsibility will allow you to demonstrate different skills and allows you the platform to extend your network further into the business at a different level. Furthermore, if there is a professional qualification or training course which you think would benefit from, don't be afraid to propose this to your employer.
Without even realising it we form opinions of our colleagues; coming across well in those early months of your graduate scheme can greatly impact your future professional career. Having a strong brand from the outset will create career progressing opportunities for you, whilst having a strong reputation can lead to career changing opportunities. Your FIRST impression is your key to success, therefore it pays to get it right FIRST time.
Written by Daniel Lee-Jacobs, Junior Consultant at Atkins, as part of the Young MCA Update.