How do you survive in a corporate environment?

Students after completing their studies start to look for a job unaware of what lies ahead for them. They feel they learned everything they could and are ready for a new life. After putting their profile on various job searching platforms, they get a proposal and get excited. They are finally ready to face the moment that they have been thinking of since their school days and often feel anxious about - “facing a job interview”. After completing the interview rounds, the time comes for a salary discussion. Freshers often have little negotiating power and often have to accept whatever the recruiter is offering them for a particular profile. So, the time comes for the first day for a fresher in the office.

Scenarios that can make any fresher feel intimidated

If a fresher steps into the corporate world for the first time, here are certain scenarios that can make them feel intimidated that are:

Whenever a fresher joins the office for the first time, they face an uphill task of how they will be treated on their first day and how they will handle their first assigned task without any error and put a good impression on their superiors.

Freshers may feel intimidated by employees from different teams, as they are accustomed to a school or college environment where everyone is of similar age and is on the same path. They may feel everyone is on a whole different level and it would be very difficult to even greet them.

They could get anxious after getting their first task or assignment and feel fear when they don’t know how to do that particular task. They may feel fear of seeking guidance or advice from approaching seniors, team leaders, or managers.

They may also feel if they behave unprofessionally either accidentally or for other reasons, it might give a wrong impression. They might also fear if someone behaves rudely or unprofessionally to them, they might not be able to handle it professionally or calmly.

They may also fear if they make any mistake it could give a bad impression to their team leaders or managers and their jobs could be at serious risk which can hinder their confidence that they might not get any other job opportunities in the future and they won’t be able to perform properly somewhere else.

Freshers also face problems in understanding work culture, company policies, and standards that can put unnecessary pressure which can lead them to make mistakes in basic things as these kinds of situations require them to act patiently without showing any little sign of frustration.

Things every fresher must do in their first job

Well, the above-mentioned problems may make any fresher intimidated, but some solutions might help them to succeed in their first job. Here they are:

Freshers often have more energy and enthusiasm when they get into their first job and might look to give their 100% percent on any task they are assigned. However, they should prioritize acquiring relevant knowledge before attempting to make an impression because they need to learn things from scratch and any mistake, ignorance, or avoidance of things can lead to mistakes that can affect them in the future.

They need to behave appropriately with senior colleagues and not show any sign of rudeness or arrogance in their way of talking as there is a sign that they could take it personally and there may be a sign that they won’t help you or talk positively when you need them for guidance or other things.

Freshers should take the initiative to socialize with colleagues during lunch breaks, fostering workplace relationships and gaining insights into the work culture of the company. Through this, they can learn a lot of things from them.

They should show interest in others rather than focusing only on themselves. It is also important for them to hear people's discussions to understand the social dynamics of that office so that it would be helpful for them.

They need to act very efficiently in the given nine hours in the office(excluding lunch) if they have to perform according to the company’s expectations. They need to be very proactive in approaching the tasks so that the business operations from their side remain error-free.

They need to discuss with their team members if they have any issues, perform with good focus and concentration, and collaborate with members of other teams to perform tasks smoothly.

They shouldn’t feel shy to say no to their superiors if they feel they can’t complete any other tasks in a given time. They should avoid procrastinating whenever they feel they are getting in a comfortable space because the environment often tests them to see if they remain active during that time and perform diligently.

Fresher employees shouldn’t sit silently and ask for feedback or wait for managers to see if their work is getting noticed or not. They should constantly show their tasks to their respective team leaders or managers so that the managers get to know about their progress. These acts will help them to present a case for their appraisal in the future.

Freshers should constantly update themselves according to the changing industry trends that correlate with their jobs so that it makes them motivated enough to upgrade their skills and remain competitive in their respective fields.

A fresher should constantly act happy whenever the HR or management performs certain celebrations or occasions to make them feel they are part of the team and company’s culture as companies usually do this to post good things or achievements about themselves on their social media handle.

A fresher must never indulge themselves in office politics as social dynamics usually change in the office and a lot of times innocent people have to suffer due to lack of proper social and emotional support.

A huge learning experience

After transitioning from college to the corporate world, freshers must use the above-mentioned strategies to explore whatever comes in their journey so that they adapt quickly to the different situations that are thrown their way.