7 Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting My First Job

By Lilian Wamaitha
Transitioning from school to employment involves a lot of challenges in any young adult’s life and I can tell you for sure that I’ve had my own share of troubles when it comes to this. This is my first job since I graduated and in as much as I’m thankful for this opportunity that most people are not so lucky to get, there are a few thing that I wish I knew before I started out.
With so many graduates and about to be graduates looking to start out, maybe my experience will help shed light when you get that offer.
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1. Start out knowing where you want to be in the future
I know that getting a job is your first priority right now and that you think that you can craft your future when you are in the job but this rarely happens. Think about what matters to you and what success means to you. Is this job you are about to accept going to fulfill all that? Do you have the slightest idea where you want to be five, 10 or 20 years to come?
Start out a new job with you future already planned out. Know where you want to be and only then can you focus your energy in the new job to get to that future you want. And if that job is not giving you that satisfaction to realize your dreams, find another.
2. Find means of getting there
Once you have an end in sight, it’s time to focus on how you can make it there. It’s time to get to know people and know things happening around you. Look for those important contacts, someone who has invested a lot to get you to where you are now and arrange for a meet up.
Keep them in your radar and keep them informed about what is going on in your life so that when the time comes when you need to change things or get a new job, they will be the first people you go to for referral.
On the other hand, keep yourself up to date with what is happening in the corporate world. Who is flourishing and who is going down? Keep yourself abreast with the trends in the market.
3. The interview is a two way street
When you finally land that interview, remember that they are not just interviewing you. This is also your time to interview them and ask them questions related to things that matter to you, your future and your career.
Don’t just accept an offer because it is handed to you and don’t leave that interview room without saying everything you would want then to know about you that could get you that job.
It’s not just a matter of you sitting on the other end of the table and answering questions.
4. Almost everything is negotiable
I know that you are just starting out and you don’t think that you have much choice but that’s not always the case. Don’t just jump at an offer because you think that you need it and that you can make due with whatever they are offering you.
Any candidate who knows their worth is willing to negotiate and cast their nets wider because they know they are good. Show your employer that you are indispensable and argue your case. Know what you want and negotiate for a better offer. Having a job won’t make you happy but feeling comfortable and satisfied with the job will.
5. People will have confidence in you as long as you have it in yourself
While we wish to wade through life with people cheering us on in everything we do well, the corporate world is not like that, you have to be confident if people are to have confidence in you.
You have to seek their approval and attention and the only way you can do that is to demonstrate that you believe in yourself and your ideas first.
6. The road to success is filled with blind curves and potholes
While you may think that getting your first job means that you have finally made it, well, it doesn’t. Success takes more than you waking up every morning to go to the office. It is not going to be easy. You will meet people who will make you feel like you are worth less and others who will not like you.
You will have good days and bad ones with your boss and there will be moments when you wish to quit. That is normal. Ask anyone who is in a career. Nobody likes working under someone else. It is up you you to hold on to the rails because the journey is going to be a bumpy one.
7. Bad jobs also create good opportunities
I did an article earlier on a young man who went from being a security guard to starting his own security company. When Tilas Onyango applied for his first job as a security officer, with an education is security management and forensics, he thought that he would sit in an office formulating security policies only to be handed a pair of boots and uniform and asked to stand at the gate of a refugee consortium.
Well, he took this as a chance to excel and used the knowledge he had learned in school to suggest policies and measures to do with security. Right now he is 24 years old and owns his own security company making Sh400,000 a month.
Why am I telling you about a security guard turned CEO? Well, your first job will always not be the best one but better days are ahead. Use that as a stepping stone to gunner experience and move on to where you have always wanted to be in life.
It’s hard enough being a young adult expected to have life all figured out but it’s even harder getting your first job and realizing that its nothing like you have always imagined. I hope these lessons will help you make better decisions about your first job.
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Lilian is a Communications & Digital Marketing Officer at Career Point Kenya. Contact her via lilian@www.careerpointkenya.co.ke. Got any comments on the article? Leave them below.