Hero lessons-for-young-professionals

Lessons for Young Professionals

Posted by Aidan McCrea
December 19th, 2016

Entering the workforce can be daunting, but keeping everything is one of the major keys to success. There’s a lot more to becoming an efficient and appreciated part of your new company then just being a hard-worker.

Unless you’re a surgeon or first-responder, you’re not saving lives at your job, so first of all calm down. Taking this attitude will go a long away to creating success for yourself. Just try relieving some of the self-imposed pressure from your work and see how things turn around.

Below are some other great ways to make a lasting impact in your new position.

Learn from Criticism

You learn quickly that you can take on every piece of criticism you receive at your job. Having said this, taking note of certain constructive criticisms can help you grow as a worker. Whether in a word document or just in a notebook, a few quick notes reviewed at the end of each week is all this needs to be.

As a bonus, try asking the person that criticized you to elaborate on their thoughts so you can grow even more.

Ask General and Specific Questions

This flows directly from the last point. Whether you’re receiving a compliment, criticism or just a tip, always ask for a quick explanation. This can even be done over email if the moment doesn’t feel right for a direct in-person question.

If it’s your first job out of school this is even more important. Just learn and take on as many tasks as possible.

Develop the Ability to Adapt

The office environment can be a difficult one to adapt to. Whether it’s the work, politics or something else you’re struggling with, adapting to your new job can be difficult. To help in this process put out extra effort to get to know every one you work with in a business context, as well as personally.

Try observing your own interactions and seeing what you can improve upon. Trust me, this will help you adapt much faster than you would otherwise.

Maintain your Personal Life

A key to being a productive worker is having a good attitude. While some people can live their lives without a personal life and still have a great attitude, most of us can’t do that. This is why maintaining an illustrious personal life is so very important. Do your best to keep up friendships and family relationships. Don’t let your work take over.

On top of your friendships, try picking up an activity if you don’t already have one. Getting some energy out after a long day’s work will help you be more productive the next day.