8 Pieces of Advice for New Beginnings

New beginnings can be exciting yet nerve-wracking. When I began my current position as an admissions counselor at a state-related research university, I was excited for a fresh start in a new place, where I could grow. However, I was initially concerned about how I would fit in, how long would it take me to learn and excel in my responsibilities, etc. In my first week of training, I met with different leaders of the department, who provided me with useful advice for my transition.Their words of wisdom were inspiring and applicable to different areas of life. Whether you are moving away to college, starting a new leadership role, or starting a new job, here are the tips that were given to me that can help you as you experience a new beginning.

What impression are you making? 

"You never get a second chance to make a good first impression"

There is so many things that can go into this from conversation to appearance. However, make sure when you're first meeting someone they're getting a good impression of who you are.

"There's great power in saying 'I Don't Know'" 
This can be a difficult concept to understand when you're in a role and the expectation is to know everything about the organization that you're representing. However, pretending to know an answer is not going to reflect well on you (or the organization) if the information is incorrect.  It's much more powerful to say 'I don't know, but I will find out and get back to you.' This concept will also save you time when trying to figure things out for yourself.

"Feedback is a gift, I hope you embrace it." 
Constructive criticism is vital for growth. There will always be things that you can improve upon. It's important to the person delivering the feedback to do it in a respectful and genuine manner. However, don't let feedback affect your self-esteem, but use it as encouragement to do better for yourself. Whether it is a faculty member critiquing a paper you worked hard to write or a colleague commenting on a presentation that you did, appreciate that someone took the time to help make you better.

"One of the best gifts you can give yourself is figuring out who you are."
The best way to do this is to put yourself in a position or a place where you can be exposed to new and different things. This will help you figure out what you like, love, have a passion for, and/or hate. College is a great time to experience new things, whether it be living in a new city, studying abroad, or making friends with people of different backgrounds. Take advantage of it.

"Sometimes to grow, you need to go"  
When you enter your career, you may be working hard and it may be noticed, but you're not getting promoted. It may not be because of what you're doing, but due to the organization. Maybe there's already someone in your desired position or someone else that they have in mind. It's OK to move on to a better opportunity at another company/organization. This quote can also be used in friendships/relationships. When you enter college, you might lose some of your high school friends and even the friends that you made freshman year. However, it's not a bad thing. You'll out grow people and develop other meaningful friendships/relationships as you progress in your life.

"With every organization the culture should be to evolve" 

Prime example of what happens when you don't evolve

This should be something you look for in organizations that you join and companies that you apply for. Things will change in society, from technology to policies, and it's important that you're apart of something that is open to your ideas and not stagnant. If you're apart of an organization with a rich history, you should respect those traditions, but do not let those traditions stunt progress.

"Do your core responsibilities well, then put in the extra effort"
It is imperative to take initiative and get involved outside of your classroom or office.  However, don't let that distract you from your main responsibility. At college, your first role is to be a student . Extra curricula activities, such a leadership roles and internships, are important to your college experience, but those experiences are not more important than graduating. The same concept applies for work.  Do not let additional projects put your main tasks on the back burner because it will reflect poorly on you.

My boss ended our meeting with one of my favorite quotes from Maya Angelou. When you interact with people on a day to day basis make sure that you are treating them the way that you would want to be treated. This world is smaller than you think and that same classmate could help you get a job. I'm not saying that you should become a people-pleaser, but always try to be respectful and courteous to others.  The 8 pieces of advice given to me has helped me transition in my new role and I hope it will help you transition to yours. If there's any piece of advice that you feel you should add, please comment below. 

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