Back 
Three days. That’s all it took for me to go from “What did I sign up for!” to feeling like part of a team. After graduating university, juggling a world of hospitality and applying for graduate jobs, I had finally hit gold! I landed a job in recruitment marketing; a world I knew nothing about beyond a lecture hall.
Three days in, I’ve learnt a lot.
This is what my onboarding process looked like and how it mattered more than I had expected.
The help of a buddy
From the beginning, I was paired with a “buddy.” A previous graduate, from the last cohort. She helped me get adjusted to this new working environment. It was nice being able to express my concerns, worries and hopes with someone who was in the same position as me last year. That relatability aspect helped me feel understood and not just like another graduate being funnelled through the system. Small skills, like being shown how to organise my emails, notes and even booking meetings were valuable. It gave me the confidence to perform these actions by myself.
It was also useful that they shared the history behind the company and what each rotation would entail.
This gave me a much deeper understanding of what was expected of me during the graduation scheme. They didn’t just tell me what to do, they explained why things are done a specific way. So, I understood the reasoning behind it rather than just a surface level understanding. It created a foundation based on trust and security.
The need for validation
I feel like when you’re going into a new company there’s this fear that they’ll rescind your offer and realise, you’re a fraud and that you never really deserved this opportunity – a form of imposter syndrome!
I know it’s not an uncommon feeling.
Speaking to my fellow graduates, it’s a complete culture shock going from an environment where you’re fuelled on academic validation. An institution that prides itself on whether you’re right or wrong, and everything and anything you’ve ever done is all determined by a single grade.
It’s a huge shift being in a space where you aren’t being graded on your ability. If you make a mistake, your whole world isn’t going to crumble. So long as you’re honest when you don’t understand something, all is well.
So, what exactly did I sign up for?
My favourite experience is when I got to experience my first ever Outthink Thursday. It’s where everyone in the team comes together and we watch someone present great work, a trending topic or something of interest.
They’ve had presentations on bad poetry day, Dolly Parton and a new business win and we’ll (us graduates) get to do our own Outthink Thursday in October.
On this day we had it on a Wednesday because the CEO had come to visit. I genuinely had so much fun! I was on a team with my other fellow graduates and some other members of the team like David and Amy. We came joint second, unfortunately I can’t take all the credit for our success. It was definitely a team effort.
I had never been a part of anything like this before, so it was great to experience what these next two years had to offer me!
I was now part of a team that would rather I ask a question than pretend I already knew the answer. This is a beginning, that I can’t wait to see what’s next!
