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0:00
Good day everyone. I'm Dr. Kyra Leigh Sutton.
I'm a faculty member at Rutgers University of New Jersey in the United States.
Welcome to transitioning from school to work,
leveraging academic strengths at work.
0:16
I've studied the transition of young adults into the workplace more than 12 years.
Something significant to me is for young adults
to remember you have agency over your career.
It means that your career choices matter,
and you should select opportunities that give you the best chance to learn and grow.
It also means that it is the responsibility of those like myself,
who have transitioned from school to work to help the next generation.
Overall, if we send young adults into
the real-world without specific evidence-based guidance,
we fail you each time.
This series is intended to fill that void and lessen
the uncertainty young adults experience
as they transition to their first permanent roles.
Many young adults have benefited from courses or guidance focus on how to get the job.
In contrast, less emphasis is given to what
happens during the first few years after young adults start working.
This part of the series is focused on helping you perform on the job.
1:17
One of the most common questions I get when I speak to
people transitioning into their first roles is,
how do I improve my confidence?
Arguably, there are many ways to improve confidence.
However, I'll share some advice that's worked for me throughout my career.
I'm a lot more confident when I acknowledged what I bring to the table.
That is, my confidence increases when I'm aware of
the skills I can contribute during the first day on the job.
I'll use a basketball analogy as that's my favorite sport.
When basketball players, first leave
college or high school enter the NBA,
they will not have the same skill set as my favorite player, Lebron James.
Lebron has been in the NBA for over 15 years.
Although they may not have his skill set,
they may have the fact that they made it to the NBA means something.
It suggests that they have the skills they can contribute during the very first game.
Perhaps they have a nice jump shot or they're good at defense.
Over time, they will continue to improve their basketball game.
But what gives players confidence just entering
the NBA is they are aware of their initial skill set.
The same holds for working,
you will not have the same capabilities as more experienced employees.
But that doesn't negate the fact that you have something to offer.
You were hired for a reason.
Organizations recruited you because you have
specific skills that you can immediately contribute,
you have the potential also to grow within the organization.
To help you figure out your strengths,
I did some research.
I think you'll be pleasantly surprised to learn about
the contributions employers believe young adults can make to the work environment.
