How graduates can prepare to enter the world of work

Rebecca Fielding, managing director of Gradconsult, discusses what you can expect when graduating from university and entering the world of work, and how to get ready for this significant life change

The transition from education into employment is, and always has been, a massive shift for most graduates. Much of what has served you well in education will no longer do the same at work.

Key differences between education and the workplace

One easily relatable example is writing for university and writing in the professional environment:

• When you are assigned an essay in academia, it often has a lengthy word limit and is expected to be verbose, articulate and thoroughly well-referenced. It will also typically include an 'inconclusive' balanced conclusion. Discover how to write an essay.
• In work, report writing must often be as efficient and succinct as possible, written in clear and concise language that is easily understood and underpinned by infographics that bring data or information to life. Recommendations are expected to be confidently made, with a clear rationale, despite ambiguous or impartial data/information.

Naturally, there are always exceptions. If you go on to work in a field like law, policy, or academia, your academic writing style will remain highly relevant, but you will likely need to do it within much tighter time constraints.

But there are plenty of other key differences. For example, at university:

• you will likely spend most of your time with people with the same interests and views; they will have a similar educational background and often be close in age. At work, you will encounter people from all walks of life
• the structure is fairly simple. There are students and staff. In work, you will often be part of a complex structure, with various levels of seniority and responsibility, across teams, functions and sometimes global offices. Understanding who does what and why can be hard to work out
• you are given clear timetables and deadlines, which everyone receives in the same way, at the same time. Expectations are clear and visible to all. All of this rarely changes. At work, goals, deadlines, and priorities can change rapidly throughout a day and be interpreted by people in different ways
• and through education, the next steps and progression pathways are clear and straightforward, from GCSEs to college to the three years of a university degree. But at work, there is no curriculum for your career. What happens next is often varied and very different from one person to another.

Addressing the lack of career readiness

But what is interesting to know, as someone about to navigate these changes, is that the gap between student and professional mindsets appears to be widening in recent years.

The Institute of Student Employers (ISE) Graduate Development Survey 2024 revealed that only half (49%) of members reported graduates starting work with the expected levels of career readiness.

So, we decided to break down and demystify this mindset shift, aiming to help students better prepare for the professional world. We discovered nine big mindset shifts from student to professional life:

• pragmatism
• fortitude
• task navigation
• accountability
• professional interaction
• diverse collaboration
• self-assessment
• career navigation
• self-sufficiency.

Read more about the STP (Student To Professional) model.

In 2024, we conducted an extensive psychological study across 15 organisations with over 1,000 students and graduates. Those new to the world of work reported that the most challenging aspects are pragmatism and task navigation.

However, it is worth saying that everyone is different. What you might find an easy shift to make may be tricky for someone else. It's worth reflecting on the nine shifts above and identifying what might be more challenging for you.

As a generalisation, however, if you can develop your pragmatism and task navigation skills, you are more likely to find the transition into work easier than most. So, how can you do this? Here are three simple tips for each.

To develop pragmatism:

• Break down something you are working on into smaller tasks. Set a specific amount of time on each smaller task, and do not spend more than your allocated time. If you can go faster, do so.
• Reflect on how you approached the task differently by doing it in a limited period of time, rather than with the perfect outcome in mind.
• Explore books, articles and videos to discover how to overcome perfectionism as a behavioural trait and develop new habits to help you combat it. The Perfection Trap by Thomas Curran is a great place to start.

To develop task navigation:

• Normalise ambiguous tasks, changing deadlines and incomplete information as a characteristic of the world of work. Speak to (or listen to stories from) more experienced people about how this shows up for them at work and how they manage it.
• Note ideas and tactics that work for others and that you think could work for you, and try them.
• Read about the VUCA world (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity) and the behaviours you can develop to help you navigate a rapidly changing environment.

Reflecting on past experiences of change

The most important thing to remember as you navigate these shifts is that you have made many transitional shifts in your life to date, including:

• from GCSEs to A-levels/college
• moving away from home
• going to university
• doing a work placement.

From these experiences, you will know how challenging periods of change can be, but you have also learned a lot about yourself and how you respond to change. This can be very helpful for you to reflect on, ahead of this next key transition.

Write down what has helped or hindered you during significant periods of change in the past. We know from wellbeing specialist Robertson Cooper that there are typically four things that help us:

• adaptability
• confidence
• purposefulness
• the need for social support.

You can complete a free report on your levels of personal resilience by completing the online questionnaire at Good Day at Work - iResilience.

Looking after yourself during a period of significant change

Times of significant change, such as moving home or starting a new job, can be when we are at our most vulnerable in terms of our mental health, and starting your first graduate job is no different.

You may leave home and miss friends, family, community, faith or sports groups. It can also be challenging financially. Read more about looking after your mental health.

It is therefore important to take care of yourself and 'fill your well' with what keeps you happy and builds your personal resilience.

Knowing what to expect and preparing for some of these changes can ensure you hit the ground running during the first few months in your new role. And most importantly, if you start to struggle, know that it is perfectly normal to find the adjustment to work life a complex or challenging one. You are far from alone. Everyone in the world of work has navigated this situation and shared similar experiences.

Find out more

• Get the lowdown on how to find a job.
• Read our 7 ways to improve graduate employability.
• Discover more about Gradconsult and follow Rebecca on LinkedIn.