9 Ways To Leap From Student to A Professional

9 Ways To Leap From Student to A Professional How do you jump into the scary world of work after studying in the safe world of education in your teenage years? You may have had a taster through holiday jobs and volunteering or even a work placement and internship. The leap from student to a professional can still be daunting.Here are 9 ways to make the leap from student to professional a softer landing:1. Shift your MindsetevalYou only need to be concerned with yourself as a student. You don’t tend to have responsibilities for other people. Your deliverables are assignments for your course and studying is a personal activity, albeit alongside other individuals.evalThat changes when you get a job and work with others. Then you become part of a teamCheck out the typical dress code and fit in. Find out if it changes according to different situations.6. What You Say and Don’t SayYou are surrounded by people your own age at college. You will find different generations in the workplace with different motivations for being there. D on’t try and be the office comedian until you’ve proved yourself. Don’t be a know-it-all. If you don’t know how to do something, don’t say “I don’t know”. Say, “I’ll find out”. Accept tough love if you get things wrong.7. What You Do and Don’t DoFacebooking, Instagramming and Snapchatting when you’re bored are no-nos. Leave outside arranging your social life and Internet surfing. Unless you’re online for specific work purposes. Do not bitch online about colleagues, your job or the company. Check out the work ethic of your colleagues. How hard and smart do they work? How do they communicate? Take your lead from them. Be resourceful. Be sociable, join in and build your network. Go the extra mile, get your hands dirty. Don’t let people down, do what you say you are going to do. Be confident but without the right attitude.8. Be CuriousevalAbsorb. See yourself as a reporter. Capture what being professional means working for your employer. Observe how people talk, dress and behave. Look out for what is and isn’t acceptable around here â€" using the phone, emails, at meetings. Discover the stories that people like to tell about the company. What is not being said? What clues do they give about what is important to people who work here? Watch out for the latest news about the company, the sector or field. Show interest, have an opinion.9. Take the InitiativeDo things without being asked. Offer your ideas to help the business. Ask intelligent questions that get your colleagues thinking. Make a customer happy. Be a team player and help your colleagues. If you want feedback, ask for it (and avoid being defensive).What would you do or avoid doing?