National Careers Week 2015 - The Digital Guide | Page 8

Five big fears when starting your first job, and how to overcome them of everything you have The first time you will be able to see the value you’ll begin to understand developed during your time in education, and late (a boss may not let why your school was so fussy about you being get to work on time). you get away with just a detention if you can’t 1. “Help, I’m shy!” Entering an environment where everyone else already knows each other may Remember, everyone has been a new person at some point, and will make the How do you know if you’ve never had a job before? The school and education effort to ensure you feel welcome. You may be worried about voicing issues system is designed to give you all the skills necessary to succeed in whatever with your manager, or asking for holiday days and time off. Whatever your query, it is your managers job to ensure his staff are happy, as happy staff work better, so don’t be scared to approach them and ask for help when you need it. Always be on your best behaviour when you start a job, it may be that others in the office are slacking off a bit, but don’t fall into getting too comfortable too quickly! 2. “I don’t have any skills that are useful in the work place” seem like a nightmare for shy people, but it’s important to keep yourself relaxed. industry and role suits you. As well as this, it’s in an employer’s interest to give their new employers all the necessary training required to ensure their staff are prepared and comfortable within their role, so anything you don’t know before you start will be explained to 4. “I don’t know what’s expected of me” This fear is not unique to your first job. In any role you start you will have an initial period of getting to grips with what you are expected to do, and how you will positively contribute to the company, which is why it is important to meet with your line manager when you start to properly go through your role and set some objectives for you you in training. Top tip! 3. “I don’t have any experience” This is another classic catch, but it is not something you should worry about. Everyone has to start somewhere, and if this is your first role, the employer has hired you because they are confident in your abilities and feel you can sit well within their team. You may not know how to do everything at first but that will come over time, and you can use academic experiences to help along the way. 5. “I don’t know how to dress/behave/speak in a work environment” ssed than The best way to tackle is by sticking to the motto “It’s better to be overdre wearing when you went underdressed”. If you can’t remember what people in the office were and they will let you in for an interview, definitely go for a smart as you can on your first day, all suited and booted, know if you can be more casual on the second day. You may feel silly crisp work wear. Similarly, but you’ll feel sillier if you turned up in jeans and everyone else is in others in the office are always be on your best behaviour when you start a job, it may be that you want to seem