Journey from ACADEMIC TO CORPORATE

                                                                                                                Prof Om Teraiya

                                                                                                                Department of Mathematics

Background

In today’s world, it is expected that a person who completes his/her education should be equipped and ready to join the workspace and excel almost on immediate basis. While the education system has improved considerably and does train the youth for the world of business and industry, the training imparted in the classrooms is not complete to make the transition from Academic to Corporate. Over and above the lessons learnt inside the four walls of a classroom and through the textbooks, it is necessary to consider the steps of the journey from Academic to Corporate and ready oneself accordingly.

The following is a sample list of the steps for the Journey from Academic to Corporate

1. Have an objective and set goals for yourself

2. Know your job well

3. Get out of college

4. Be punctual

5. Act Responsibly

6. Ensure discipline and be organised

7. Don’t carry casual body language.

8. Wear formal clothes, look sharp.

9. Acclimatise yourself with the office environment

10. Your real education starts now, so keep learning

HAVE AN OBJECTIVE

Before you take up a job, be very clear about what you're expecting out of job, where you are and where you need to be. You should know your strengths and weaknesses. You should work on your weaknesses till you get better at them. For freshers, the first job is signed up because they find money to be good. But it need not be the only factor. It is like almost launching yourself in corporate arena. You should build on your capabilities which will fetch you better monetary rewards in long run.

KNOW YOUR JOB WELL

You should understand your job profile better. You should know what exactly is expected out of you, understand hierarchies better. You should know who your manager or reporting officer is. You should communicate to them on a regular basis. You should also establish cordial communication with your colleagues who are in similar profile. You should familiarize yourself with the kind of challenges that they face. You should reflect well on each day and be your productive best. You should try to gain optimum knowledge of the REAL world.

GET OUT OF COLLEGE

You should understand that you are no longer in college, wherein you will be judged by your performances in all the exams that you have CRAMMED for. You are now in a zone that could determine how far you could go in life. Each and every day is important and you are being observed every single day. You should be prepared for putting in longer working hours at work. You should never be in a hurry to rush home and meet friends.

BE PUNCTUAL

Your first way of creating an impression at work is to be punctual. You should make sure you start off early. You should learn to respect your time and others’. In the world defined by deadlines, punctuality is your lifeline.

ACT RESPONSIBLY

While a graduate is out of college, he still has the old mindset of having fun all the time, which even trickles down to his work as well. The usage of fancy phones, connected to social media etc typically keeps a fresher engaged even while in office. All the work suddenly becomes secondary.  While at work, be focused on work n tasks on hand. The company does not look for carefree, easy-going individual but a responsible employee who will do the work of the company with utter seriousness and sincerity. In all circumstances, you should act responsibly and lead the way.

ENSURE DISCIPLINE AND BE ORGANISED.

While on job, you should ensure that you follow all the rules and regulations laid down by the company. You should never be associated with misconduct of any sort. You should always maintain a positive attitude towards things. Negative and less-than-professional behaviour can spoil the office environment, demoralise others as well.
Manage your time well. While previous college life offered luxury of time, professional life is all about adherence to deadlines. As a professional, you should know the difference between the two well. You should start your day early so that you have enough time to plan your day and complete the activities that have been assigned to you, sparing enough time for breaks, so that you don't have to overwork and overstretch yourself.  You should see to it that you take time off from work for that lunch, coffee breaks, which will get you charged up.

You should make your own to-do-list and take activities off your list once they are completed.

DO NOT CARRY CASUAL BODY LANGUAGE

Your body language speaks volumes about you as a person. You should be constantly aware of your body language, especially because you're now in a formal setting. You cannot talk loudly nor slouch on your seat, just because no one is watching. You should have a cool and a composed look on your face and carry a smile. You should maintain a positive eye contact as avoiding eye contact could mean disrespect to the other person. You should walk and sit up straight as sloppy postures portray low-confidence. You should not lean on to the things around you while you are at your desk. While meeting new people at work, let your handshake be a firm one and not a bone crushing one

WEAR FORMAL CLOTHES, LOOK SHARP

As a professional, dressing up in formal attire is a must, unless the company allows you to wear casuals. You should leave behind old ways of dressing up in a rugged old, torn jeans and t-shirts, revealing or too tight clothes. You should stick to formal shirts and trousers and elegant salwar kameez or sarees. The clothes should be clean and ironed. You should stick to light shades, avoiding loud ones. You should ensure that your accessories such as belt, shoes, bags etc are in sync with what you're wearing. You should also make sure you are well groomed, clean nails, neatly combed hair and shaven face.

ACCLIMATISE YOURSELF WITH OFFICE ENVIRONMENT

You should start off with knowing your office infrastructure well. You should get to know your seniors, colleagues n other staffers, better. You should always remember that it is this office environment and its people, you are going to work with for a pretty longer period of time. You should adjust and adapt to this environment. You should accept it as it is and you should not indulge in complaining about any shortcomings.

YOUR REAL EDUCATION STARTS NOW, SO KEEP LEARNING

You should bear in mind that your workplace is your own little learning room. You should make the most of every single opportunity available. You should learn from every single activity, and person. You should monitor your mistakes, and make sure to rectify them and not to repeat. You should also ensure that you focus on  skills required  for self development. You should be in touch with the latest findings in your industry and IT sector to know the current trends to keep yourself updated.

Best Wishes..............................!!!

Deepali Agravat