Being a fresher at a new job can be intimidating. You are surrounded by seniors with decades of experience, you don’t know how to navigate the professional world, and you are scared of making a fool of yourself. If this is the case, then maybe you are stressing yourself unnecessarily. If you recall well, then there might be many things that you have picked up in your college life, that could easily be transferred to working life.
Apart from the core subject knowledge and technical skills, college prepares you in many other ways. There are many skills you develop through different facets of student life, like communication, leadership, delegation, team work, and other people skills, that can make life in the office smoother.
Here are three basic things that college prepares you for your first job.
Working With A Team For College Events
Have you ever been a part of a group assignment? Or been in the committee for some college fest? Or been in the team of inter-college sport competition? Or participated in any event? If so, then you already know how to work with a team. Everyone has a special role, and how you should fulfil your part, in coordination with others. Something similar happens on team projects at work. So, the skills you developed working with different people will be helpful, even at work.
Jasmine Pereira, Personal Branding Consultant, says, “College provides ample opportunities like associations, clubs, team assignments, college fetes or events. Being part of assignments and events gives a huge confidence boost to students to develop their communication, leadership and delegation skills. Communication with strangers, convincing them their responsibilities at the club, negotiating what work can get done or not are great life skills used for professional networking.”
When Professors And Professionals Are Mentors
Every college has professors, some which we like, and some which we don’t. And yet, we have to attend classes, submit assignments, give exams, and interact with all of them. Those whom you like, you develop a good rapport with them. You learn to study under professors you don’t like. Similarly, at work, you have bosses. You develop mentor-mentee relations with the seniors whose working style you prefer. With others, you learn to develop a decent rapport, that facilitates your performance.
Image Credit: Movie – Tamasha
College Develops A Good Research Skill
Submitting assignments and giving exams in college innately prepare us with good research skills. And this skill can help you a long way at work. Whether it is upgrading your skill, or preparing for a conference or a networking event, submitting a report, or planning a presentation, research skills are very helpful. Especially, when things are changing at an exponential rate in all fields of work.
So, if you think you are completely new to a professional set up, think again. You might already have some soft skills to your advantage.
