I’m going to assume you clicked to read this article because either you have recently entered the workforce or you will be shortly. If that’s you, congratulations! If you’re reading this and thinking about going back to the workforce, hopefully this will be just as helpful.
Starting a new job can be very exciting — new responsibilities, new leaders, maybe a new location. But sometimes it can also feel very overwhelming adjusting to this new role in your life.
The good news is you are not alone. Everyone who has a job was a beginner at some point, so don’t put too much pressure on yourself and remember to give yourself some grace when you need it.
I jumped into the workforce two years ago after graduating college to work for a large Christian nonprofit organization. You may be thinking, ‘What can I learn from this guy who is so young?’ or ‘He’s in a different field than me. What does he know?’
I sympathize with that and would be asking the same things if I were in your shoes. But I promise this advice is well-intended, as I genuinely want to share what I have learned from my experience to see you and others succeed.
Find Your Why
First the most important thing is you have to answer the question: What is it that gets you out of bed every morning? What’s your motivation to leave your comfortable home to report to a boss for eight hours a day five days a week?
Your answer to that question is your why.
You may already know. It may be to provide for your family, to achieve financial success, to get that promotion at your organization, or just because you really enjoy the work you do. And those are all great reasons.
If you don’t know what your why is yet, I encourage you to take some time to think about it. Are you just clocking in because you are scheduled to work, or do you genuinely want to be there?
As you try to figure that out, I’ll leave you with this recommendation that has helped me — don’t make your why about you. Make it about other people. I’m blessed that I came to realize this at the end of my college years and that led me to work for a nonprofit ministry where I know my work will have an impact on other people.
Find Community
After you find out your why, next you need to try and spend time with people who have a similar why as you.
Humans are social beings. We aren’t meant to go through life alone, and that’s especially true in the workplace. Just think through the history of mankind and look at some of the incredible results achieved from people working together — landing on the moon, advances in medicine, creating electronic devices.
One thing I did when I moved to a new town where I did not know anyone for my job was say yes to as many outings with people as I could. If I was invited, I was going. It was a great way to not just meet people, but to continue to build my relationship with them outside of the office.
Another thing I’ve found to be helpful is inviting people to lunch. If you want to get the attention of your new boss, get lunch with them and ask about their leadership style and how you can best support them. If you’re working at home and can’t meet with someone in person, take the initiative to ask if they’d like to speak over a Zoom call.
I’m a pretty introverted person, so it took some time for me to find my community and the people I want to spend time with. I’m still working on it almost two years later, but I know for a fact I’m better off for it.
Find Ways to Challenge Yourself
Helen Keller once said, “He who is content with what has been done is an obstacle in the path of progress.” One of the saddest things we see so often in workplaces today is people growing complacent with what they do. They lose their drive. They lose their motivation. Worst of all, they lose their why.
In order to stop your work from becoming nothing more than a series of inputs and outputs, you’ve got to find unique ways to challenge yourself. If you don’t try to keep moving forward, you will just stay still. That sounds so obvious that I’m having second thoughts about including it in this article, but so many people miss this today.
Look for problems at work you can solve. Once your tasks for the day are completed, ask your manager if there is anything else you can do to help. Seek advice from people who are smarter than you. A big one for me is reading books that are useful for personal growth or help me in my field.
I’d also recommend learning from experts and looking for professional development tools that can help you in the workplace. The good news there is you don’t have to look far — Open Gate Consulting has plenty of ways we can help you in your workplace. Visit this page to learn more.
Good Luck!
Those are just three important pieces of advice I would give someone as they prepare to enter into the workforce. Finding my why, finding my community, and finding new challenges have definitely helped me get to where I am today. I hope they help you on your career path too.
As you enter this new season of life, you’ll probably hear a lot of advice or tips and tricks from lots of different people. That can be a lot to keep up with, so I’d like to give you an easy way to stay up to date with the best practices in workplaces today. Sign up for the Open Gate Consulting monthly newsletter, and you’ll receive insights every month from our team with years of experience for FREE. It’s a no-brainer.
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Luke graduated from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, in 2019 and joined the Open Gate Consulting team on a part-time basis shortly after. He currently lives in Boone, North Carolina, where he works in social media for Samaritan’s Purse, a Christian organization providing spiritual and physical aid to hurting people around the world. Follow him on LinkedIn.