By Robyn Brooks
Campus Recruiter
New York, NY
Merriam
Webster defines 'transition' as the
following:
a: passage from one state, stage, subject, or place to another
b: a movement, development, or evolution from one form, stage, or style to
another
Often
in life we go through transitions, and some are more notable than others. In October, and again in January, our new
associates began their transition from school into the working world. In truth, this is a significant part of their
lives. Our associates have literally traveled through a passage from a place of summer vacations, no classes on Fridays,
and their routines, into a place of busy seasons, training and cubicles.
“Transitioning
into a new position at McGladrey gave me a heightened sense of excitement and
joy,” says Patrick O’Leary, Assurance Associate. “However, I also couldn’t help
but feel slightly overwhelmed and stressed.” The beginning stages of a
transition from school to work may seem both exciting and intimidating. Working
with your teams, relying on your new peers, discovering your relationship with
your Career Advisor are all in place to help through this time.
Melissa
Rutkowski, Consulting Associate has recently made a physical move from living
in Pennsylvania to New York City. “Moving into a big city without a core group
of NYC friends has also been harder than I had originally anticipated. It takes
time to cultivate new and true friends even in a city with over a million
people.”
I
think the most important aspect of the transition is explained in definition
“B”. This point in our associate’s lives is a period of development and
evolution. This is the very moment where one can take all the knowledge
obtained from five years of schooling, and apply it. This is the moment where
potential can begin to fulfill and where connections become relationships. It
is not as easy as it seems.
“You
constantly face challenges in regards to daily responsibilities, familiarity
with firm software, and meeting expectations. I have begun to tackle
these issues just as I have at any other new job or situation,” Patrick
relates. “At the risk of sounding
cliché, you must take it one step at a time, and learn in small doses.
Taking on a huge task is too daunting, and can make learning seem impossible. Once
you begin to conquer small obstacles, your confidence rises, and new tasks seem
much more manageable.”
Keep
in mind that everyone wants to see you succeed. If one person does well, then
so does everyone around them- in the office and out in the field. “McGladrey has been able to ease my
transition into the corporate world, by surrounding me with a team of employees
who have been more than willing to help me navigate the client sites and tasks
at hands,” Melissa explains. “Moreover, by taking my manager's advice, to take
advantage of travel assignments by visiting tourist attractions and enjoying
the local cuisine during off-time, has helped ease my transition into a
position which demands occasional out of state traveling.”
Azka
Abid, former tax intern recently started as a full time associate. “The
transition was a lot easier for me since I started out at McGladrey through the
extern pathways program,” she said, “and then continued as a part-time year
round intern. This gave me the opportunity to see my day to day work
environment, and meet people who were actually working in the positions that I
wanted to work in. Thankfully, having a little bit of direction about where I
was going to be placed within the company made me feel like I was already ahead
of the game.”
So
what can you do to ease your transition and ensure it is a time of positive
development? “I listen actively,” Patrick suggests, “ask relevant
questions, take good notes, and learn from my mistakes. When a certain
task isn’t going according to plan; I fend off frustration, understand what I
am currently doing incorrectly, and then retain the information necessary to
prevent such ineffective behavior in the future. Regardless of expertise level,
starting employment at a new firm is guaranteed to result in some hardships.”
“Reflecting
on my transition from a college grad to a new hire, I wish I had known earlier
that it's okay to make mistakes,” Melissa recalls, “as part of the learning
process and not be afraid to ask questions. As I have been told by my
coworkers, it is better to make mistakes proving that you are taking ownership
of tasks as opposed to having a spot free record and being completely reliant
on others to complete a task.”
Although
she was an intern prior to being an associate, Azka notes a different type of
transition. “It was important to make sure that I was transitioning forward in
my career and not sending the same image I did as an intern. I wanted people to
know that I had learned from my experiences and was capable of looking things
up on my own, and asking for help when it was actually needed. Transitioning
into a full time job can impact your life in many ways, and after finishing my
first forty hour work-week I knew the internship era was over, and I had to
balance my life and use my weekends wisely.”
Sometimes
an easier transition means flexibility of your every day schedule. “One item I
am still trying to figure out is matching my work schedule with an exercise
schedule,” Melissa noted. “I have been hesitant to join a gym while not
yet fully knowing what my week to week travel schedule will be. One thing
I do when traveling, is to take my gym apparel along so that I can take
advantage of any work-out equipment that may be in the hotel.”
If
you have a transition to make soon, know that it may be difficult, but this is
the time to develop as an individual and evolve as a professional.
