Maximizing Entry-Level Opportunities: Building a Foundation for Career Success

Interested in learning how to maximize your new entry level job? Ready. Set. Go! Whether you’re new to the job market or you have held a few small jobs under your belt, you probably know that your job responsibilities normally are much more than what you saw in the job description. Often, recruiters and hiring managers provide the bare bones of what you can expect to do and learn on your new job as a starting point. What this means for you is there is plenty of opportunity to learn many more new and critical skills, build your experience and possibly make your role your own by adding more value to the organization while doing it. Wait! What does all this mean? You could not only train for the job you have but to also build critical foundational skills for your future career path.  Are you ready?

Ready

You are ready to start your new entry level job, whether it’s a customer service call center representative, tech start-up employee, server, virtual assistant, data entry professional, social media marketing assistant, construction worker, police officer or even an emergency medical technician you all have one thing in common, you are starting from ground zero in your field. You are ready to embark on learning the tools of the trade in a hands-on environment while also learning how to grow your impact in the role. At this stage you need to be open to communicating with your peers, your leaders, and other internal and external departments. Building solid communications skills will serve you well as you progress through your current role and future roles. Being able to communicate effectively verbally and in writing not only displays your ability to communicate within various levels of the company, but you are also able to show your commitment to growth, demonstrate comprehension of company needs and display the organization of your thoughts. It is time to set the foundation.

Set

Your foundation is set, and you are on a roll! Time to build on those communication skills working within a team and supporting a team environment. I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase teamwork makes the dream work. The reality is every company needs internal teams to work together to drive company initiatives, projects, and programs to satisfy customer needs, increase revenue and improve stakeholder relationships. But not only just working within a team will do, being able to appreciate the differences that each team member brings to the table is just as important. Displaying tolerance, inclusivity, diversity, and equitable behaviors will foster trust amongst your coworkers and will go the mile in enhancing your overall work environment. Setting this mindset will go the distance as you continue to build upon your career skill set. You are on a roll now, keep going!

Go

Go forth and be efficient! Learning how to be efficient can be a huge win early on in your career. Possessing the ability to save time in your job duties while increasing the quality of work you produce will not only impress your leaders, but it will also open opportunities for leaders to tackle more of the tough issues that your company may face. You may even be offered the chance to be a part of solving those tough issues too! Efficiency can take on many forms such as learning new systems, cross training in neighboring departments, showing interest to mentor new hires who need to learn the same basic skills that you need to learn and partnering with other teams are all displays of embodying efficient behaviors. In a nutshell, having great communications skills, the ability to display teamwork attributes and time efficiency are all critical skills to build upon in any job capacity, especially as an entry level employee. Are you inspired yet?

Inspiration

Are you inspired to learn more about building your career? Do you want to be part of an inclusive group of career seekers who are working to build their career skills? Join SkillUp’s Free Group Coaching sessions. To get more information and to register for an upcoming session, please visit Free Group Career Coaching sessions.