With the graduation season nearly at its end there is now a fresh crop of young graduates flooding the already anxious job market. Those fortunate enough to have good internships translating into full-time job offers for them are fortunate to be starting a new chapter in their exciting lives. Others are determined to pursue jobs that they have already in mind with specific target companies compiled in an Excel spreadsheet looking to land job interviews. Many may still be confused on in which direction to go and what jobs would give them the best career advantage, long-term. In any case here are some tips I’d like to offer this year’s graduates for them to consider as they navigate through their next transition:

1. Find your passion and strengths and look for jobs that leverage those attributes. Do NOT go for jobs that offer enticing salaries and perks, but which do not feed your true love for doing something meaningful. Many often tell you to go find what the world needs and you’ll find a way to deliver it. But, here is a more meaningful quote that may disabuse that advice: “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” – Howard Thurman
2. If you have not yet uncovered your passion, it’s OK. Most people do not discover it until very late in life and many others never do, just plodding through life making a living. This quote by George Bernard Shaw may be your inspiration as you struggles through what to do next with your freshly-minted diploma: “Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”
3. Going from the campus life to working life is one of the biggest and most difficult transitions. The reasons for this are many-fold, but one of them is the reality that if your high IQ got you all those As on your transcripts it is not enough to get an “A” on your first-year performance review. Studies have shown that the correlation between professional success and IQ is only about 20% (not the near 100% that you expected in your college!). So, to do well in your career focus on all the other “Qs” that drive your success (Emotional Intelligence, EQ; Political Intelligence, PQ; Cultural Intelligence, CQ; Contextual Intelligence, XQ are the other four Qs that are worth knowing about).
4. Learn how to work in teams and contribute in a leadership role. It is normal during your college years to study alone and to get ready for exams and ace them. Not much focus is on teamwork in college, except perhaps in some sports.
5. Shift your focus from pulling all-nighters before your exam to working diligently every day and accomplishing something worthwhile. In a new job it is all right to ask someone more experienced for help. This is a good way to leverage the resources around you to get things done. In your work life it is about getting things done and not about having ideas that outshine others’ ideas.
6. Learning how the place works and what is rewarded. Asking your boss how you will be measured during your first year is critical to know what to focus on to get an “A” on your first performance review. In the process find yourself a good mentor to help you navigate through the maze of working a job.
7. In my coaching practice I find that nearly 75% of my clients come to me with problems that are based on soured or deteriorating relationships with people around them, including their boss. So, as you start your first full-time job invest your time and energy in understanding those around you and building solid relationships with them.
8. In your new job it is common to not have all the answers and to make mistakes in your assignments. The best strategy is to learn how to quickly own your mistakes, learn from them, and to not repeat the same ones.
9. Build trust with those who work with you. A trusted relationship can help you get things done faster. Once people trust you then they know that when you approach them with a proposal of any kind that you do not have a hidden agenda.
10. Learn how to communicate effectively. Most fresh graduates do not realize that good and effective communication is a very important part of how they will be perceived in their roles. This is a learned skill and working on improving your oral and verbal power is a fundamental skill that will serve you throughout your career and life.

These are just a few tips that I can think of right off the bat. The list can be quite long, but getting started on these as your first order of business and having the right mindset to get going as you launch your next chapter in your life can help you succeed.

Good luck!