With winter convocations coming up soon, I thought this would be a good time to pen down some things I wish I knew as a fresh grad going into her first job to make my life easier. The transition from student to working adult is very exciting but also very challenging.
If you are reading this and are about to start your first job out of university, congratulations! I know you’ve worked hard for this and you are going to do great things in the coming year. If you are still looking for your first job, do not worry. November happens to be a very popular recruiting season. Do not lose hope, you will get there!
More on the recruitment later but here are a few things I recommend every new working woman should do to make their life easier:
Just a disclaimer, I’m not sponsored by any of the companies I’m listing below. There are no referral links in here!
Open Up a High-Interest Savings Account
I will admit, I delayed this for a long, long time and regretted letting my money sit stale in my account. Open a high-interest savings account where you can start depositing a part of your paycheque, no matter how small the amount is, to get interest on it and grow your savings. For my Canadian girls, EQ Bank and Simplii are great options to get started. Taking charge of your financial health early on is one of the best ways to set yourself up for success.
Write Down EVERYTHING
This may sound like silly advice but do not sleep on it. When I first started working, I would sometimes fall into the habit of just trying to remember things without writing them down but overshot my memory. It got too awkward to go back to my seniors and ask for the same things again. Have a pen and paper on hand or your Word document open and take diligent notes. This documentation will help you immensely!
Master Your Calendar and Emails
No matter what your role is, you will likely be using your calendar and emails a decent amount. Find out what kind of calendar and email app your company uses early on, familiarize yourself with its features and set up your signatures. Being organized in this area always leaves a good impression on people and makes your life a lot easier when you have to jump into learning the more difficult, technical aspects of your job. Learn how to file your emails. Categorize, colour code, label, archive. Keep it clean and simple. This will make your life a lot less frustrating, trust me. If you work in a corporate environment, it is very important to document every email and have a digital or paper trail of your conversations for your own safety and HR purposes.
Set Up Touchpoints with Your Supervisors/Managers
A lot of us struggle with asking questions and hesitate to reach out when we have busy managers who are always swamped with meetings and tasks. You might even end up feeling like a burden. This is normal and trust me, you have every right to ask questions for your growth and learning. To make it easier for both parties, set up calendar invites for you and your manager on a weekly or bi-weekly basis to catch up and ask any questions. This would also be a good way to bond and build a rapport with them which can already be difficult if you are working in a virtual environment. Your manager will appreciate your proactiveness.
Refer to the above links to learn how to set up calendar invitations!
Plan Your Day, Every Day
No matter how structured your daily tasks are, writing them down in a physical or virtual planner will always be useful. Ticking off the tasks on my planner helps me feel accomplished at the end of the day. I also use my planner in my touchpoints with my manager to show them what I am working on and my capacity for the day.
If you like stationery like me, I have a list of some great options you can use at your work desk to take notes and plan your day:
That’s all for now. I hope this helps anyone out there going into their first big girl job. Good luck!
