College Habits To Avoid In The Workplace

College Habits To Avoid In The Workplace Because You Want To Make A Good Impression

When you’re transitioning from college to the workplace, it can be both an really exciting and overwhelming experience. Although there are some similarities between the full-time workforce and school, there are still plenty of college habits you should avoid in the workplace — because some things you could get away with as a student won’t fly in the professional world. Everyone makes mistakes, and adjusting to a new environment takes some time; as such, if you some habits lingering from college as you transition into full-fledged working adult status, don’t beat yourself up over it. Still, though — it never hurts to arm yourself with some useful knowledge in advance.

Being a student can feel like a lifestyle in and of itself, especially if you lived on campus or didn’t have a lot of jobs separate from your college experience. It’s normal to get into certain habits or become comfortable in certain environments, and we don’t always have an “off” or “on” switch for them when you’re transitioning into a new role.

The fact of the matter is, however, when you transition into the workplace, you are being paid to fill a role. Whether you’re an intern, entry-level employee, or someone’s boss, your employer and the people around you have certain expectations for you, and it’s important you fulfill them. It’s good, too, to remember that not only do you need to fulfill your basic job requirements, but you generally need to abide by certain company standards and policies, too; even things that can feel a little more unofficial, like company culture, are worth getting accustomed to following.

Some of this you will learn through trial and error, but to make it a little easier from the get-go, let’s break down some of the most common college habits to leave out of the workplace below:

1. Talking About Your Personal Life

When you’re in college, it’s easy to get used to talking about sensitive subjects that may not be considered OK to discuss in the workplace. Whether that’s your political leanings, your recent date, or something hilarious that your roommate did this morning, be very, very cautious about how appropriate your message is for the work.

As Chelsea Fagan shares at The Financial Diet, “Personally speaking, I’ve definitely spoken about topics that should be off-limits at work (things like politics and religion come to mind), because I naively thought that’s just what educated people did. I didn’t realize how much keeping a neutral environment was important at work, and how awkward it would be to talk about personal stuff.” Even if it feels a little boring or superficial, it’s important to remember that you’re there as an employee, not to make friends or share your life story.