If you’re a recent uni grad and are in your first proper post-degree job, there is a lot to get to grips with. For those who have graduated over the past few years, the coronavirus pandemic likely put a spanner in the works too.
Official data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) found that 67% of third year or higher students said that Covid-19 had a significant impact on their academic performance. The figures also identified that 43% of third-year or higher students said they felt unprepared for their next step.
For some students, that next step will be postgraduate studies, but for many more, it’ll mean finding a job and getting stuck into the world of work.
5 early career roles to discover across the UK
- Graduate Applications Engineer, Arrow Electronics, Inc., United Kingdom
- Claims Handler (Spanish Speaking), GRe, Ipswich
- Graduate Engineering Manager, Amazon TA, Birmingham
- Trainee Project Administrator Placement Programme, ITonlinelearning Recruitment, Coventry
- Customer Service Advisor, EE, Barnard Castle
For those graduates who have entered the workforce recently, the challenges can seem pretty daunting. Of course, there’s lots to enjoy about starting your first job, from meeting new people and developing a fresh social circle, to taking on challenges––and crucially, earning your first real money.
But it can be an equally intimidating time as you try to get to grips with the tasks and responsibilities of your new role, on top of attempting to understand the unspoken rules of office etiquette.
As you place your focus on learning about your job, things like professionalism, building relationships, and growing your career might not even be registering on your radar. For new grads who may have experienced a lot of their university coursework on-line, the move to an office-based job may be jarring and unnerving all on its own.
Employers don’t understand Gen-Z
Adding to that sense of disconnectedness is the fact that many employers simply don’t really understand Gen Z very well. This generation is the most diverse and connected ever, and as a result, sees and feels things differently from their older colleagues.
For example, Gen-Z workers are known to want to work for companies with purposeful missions and for companies where their values align. They’re also a bit dubious about AI, unlike their older counterparts, and they’re not into fully-remote work. Instead, they prefer having hybrid flexibility.
While many younger workers worry that being remote during their uni days is a disadvantage as they enter the workforce, there are a load of positives to take from that experience. From developing key skills around resilience, agility, and adaptability, the pandemic also promoted self-efficacy. Additionally, Gen-Z workers are generally tech savvy, and find it easy to get to grips with new technologies.
Having these pieces of the puzzle in place is a huge advantage for younger workers. What’s next on your agenda, then, is getting an understanding of the mores and office etiquette in the team and company you’re working with.
This matters, because good etiquette can help avoid misunderstandings and conflict, and it also greases the wheels of your day-to-day interactions with your colleagues.
Uncovering office etiquette
Firstly, ask about the dress code. There may be particular things (like shorts or bare legs) that are frowned upon, depending on where you work. Essentially, being neat and presentable matters. You should also make a point of arriving on time for work, meetings, and deadlines. Not only does this indicate professionalism, but it shows that you respect others’ time.
Think about your communication style too, using appropriate language in emails and conversations. Look at how your manager and other colleagues communicate, and emulate them. If you don’t see slang, abbreviations or emojis, then those are the rules to follow. In video or face-to-face meetings, aim to practice active listening and being respectful in discussions.
Every office or workplace has its own particular quirks too. Yours might have an outright ban on reheating fish in the microwave (understandable) or asking that you turn your camera on in remote meetings.
And while there’s lots of stuff you can do to be a good colleague, there are many things that will mark you out as a bit of a pain at work. Those can include things like gossiping or spreading rumours, getting a name as the office complainer or over-stepping others’ boundaries, asking them personal or nosy questions.
Booking taxis on the work account, printing out your return labels or taking home handfuls of pens aren’t too likely to be looked on with too much favour either.
But take heart: if you’ve done any of those without realising, give yourself some grace. Everyone makes mistakes at work, and that includes your boss. Learning from your errors is the most important thing. If you can demonstrate that you’re open to feedback and will adapt your approach based on it, you’ll get on just fine in your first, and all subsequent jobs.
Look for a great graduate job on the Metro Job Board, which has thousands of roles all across the UK.
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