Starting as a Guppy

When we enter the workforce we all start as guppies, fresh new fishes in the pond.

Some of us have sharper teeth, a more graceful way of swimming, or a shiny color, and we all come in different shapes and sizes.

But knowing who you are and your place is crucial before you step into the pond.  

Emily Bennington, an expert from Professional Studio 365, who helps college graduates transition from college to the work force, advises if you are going to be successful in your job, you have to make sure you are a cultural fit within the organization.

In order for you to find the place that feels right when you make a decision about a job, Emily says you must get a strong sense of the organization you’re going to work at.  

One of the ways of doing that is figuring out whether or not you can work with your boss well.

A second would be figuring out what the organization’s main purpose is. What is the thing they strive to do the most at this organization, and ask yourself, do I agree with that purpose?

The final and the most important factor to ask yourself in this process: can I be happy here?

Once you answer these questions, weigh your answers with what is important to you, and if it’s a positive result, say yes to it.

Of course, you won’t have leverage to make demands of your environment, Emily also says, but your qualifications are just as important as theirs.

Even though the unemployment rate might force some of us to think to forget the qualifications and just say yes because you’re lucky to be holding a job, that should not be the case.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate for college graduates with a bachelor’s degree was 5.1 percent in November of this year.

But just because you might be scared that it will be awhile until you get the job that makes you happy, the unemployment rate is not the sole reason to say yes to a job.

You have plenty of time to decide what you really want to do during the time being you are searching for a job.

“There is and will be improvement for the job market within the next year to eighteen months,” Emily says.  

So take Emily’s advise, and evaluate the jobs before you make a decision.

Who knows? In a matter of fifteen to twenty years, you could be the next Walter of the lake.