Adjust your Expectations

• Everything will change, and it is crucial to not confine yourself to how you think or perceive things that should be progressing in your life. Doing so could impede opportunities that come your way. Be open to change and give yourself some grace. Everything you have outlined for your life may not happen or may take some significant time to achieve.

 Understand how entry-level positions work.

 Entry-level positions are now more competitive than ever. They are harder to fill, and the candidates applying for them have up to a master's degree or higher (Chang, 2022; Employment, Wages, and Projected Change in Employment by Typical Entry-Level Education: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2021).

•  Regardless of if you have just graduated with your degree, chances are you may only qualify for an entry-level position.

  • When your professors discussed potential earnings for making more than those who did not attend school, they referred to this being over time. For example, you may have to start in an entry-level position. However, once you obtain relevant work experience, your degree can put you ahead of others to qualify for promotions and better opportunities more quickly.

  • Please try not to get discouraged by the low pay and high job responsibilities if you only get calls for interviews for entry-level positions and also if the entry-level position is not willing to negotiate payment. This is only temporary for you, and for some career fields, you have to earn your stripes to know what it is like to work in a lower position to manage a team and meet their needs effectively.

Develop your soft and hard skills.

• Take time early on to enhance your skills. This will lead to you having the opportunity to move forward more quickly in your career.

  • Soft Skills = communication, teamwork, self-motivation, problem-solving, time management, attitude, adaptability, or perseverance.

  • Hard Skills = computer skills, technical, applications, and job-specific skills.

    • For Example:

      • If you struggle with public speaking, take on tasks that require you to work on this skill or take additional training.

 Begin networking and creating relationships.

An estimated 85% of jobs become filled through networking (25+ Important Networking Statistics [2022]: The Power of Connections In The Workplace – Zippia, 2022; Bradshaw, 2022).

•  It is imperative to create meaningful relationships this time in your life, whether with a roommate, the person taking your order at a restaurant, your coworkers, your supervisor, individuals in other departments, community members, or anyone you meet. You never know who is connected to whom, and it is easier to get ahead when individuals in your life have nothing but positive things to say.

Time management and organization look different in the workplace

• Understand that if you previously struggled with attending class on time, meeting deadlines without receiving an extension, or staying organized, this needs your attention immediately. Your image and potential career opportunities can be damaged early on if you are an employee who is not reliable.

  • Creating a to-do list is a common time management technique (T, 2022)

  • Multi-tasking can reduce your productivity as working on multiple tasks at a time requires you to switch your focus and concentration to the current job you are working on (Reed, 2021)

Develop your work ethic

• If you do not have any connections or letters of recommendation, you must allow your work ethic to speak volumes and account for this. Do this when you can showcase your reliability, diligence, and productivity. Even if you are not in the desired position, it is crucial to do the job well because you never know who is keeping tabs on you.

Compete only with yourself & be kind.

• Set goals for yourself and not based on anyone else's expectations. It may take some time to achieve your goals, and as long as you have done better than yesterday, you are on the right track.

Make mistakes, learn, and grow.

• Do not strive for perfection; instead, aim for growth and development—growing means you will make errors along the way, which is okay. Take ownership, learn from it, and move on.

Edit your social media.

• Yes, there is freedom of speech. At the same time, organizations have specific limitations or restrictions on items to be discussed on social media, as working for them reflects their company. For some career fields, your social media can impact your future opportunities.

  • Careers known to implement consequences, including laying an employee off for social media deemed to be a negative reflection of their organization, are law enforcement officers, teachers, medical professionals, hospitality and service workers, and government workers (Graf, 2022).