Top 4 Things to Look Out for in a First Job

The right first job can kickstart a successful journey ahead.

You are just about to finish your final semester in university. Your parents have been pressuring you to start job hunting, and your friends are knee-deep in churning out multiple job applications. And you have decided that it is time to think about what you want for your first job.

But where should you even start? Getting your first job right, without knowing what to expect, can be daunting. So, make it a point to start your job search with a clear mind. Otherwise, you might find yourself approaching your job search the wrong way. Do not panic and take your time to really think about what you want.

To help you get started, here are three considerations you should keep in mind when taking your first step into the professional world:

1. Future opportunities

“Where will this career path or job lead me?” is a question that you should ask yourself before you decide to apply for a job.

Your first job is a stepping stone and how it pans out may pave the way for your career ahead. It is crucial that your first job can lead you to more opportunities in the future and help you achieve your long-term career goals. This usually means career advancement opportunities and higher levels of responsibilities offered to you as your career progresses within your company. You can start by researching the typical career progression pathways for the job you want to pursue and the specific field you want to work in.

If you already have a specific employer in mind, you can do some background research on employees that currently work, or have worked, in the company. One way to do this is to go on the company’s LinkedIn page and check out employee profiles. Take a look at their career history. You may be able to see their progression pathways and get an idea of the kind of opportunities that lie ahead if you do land a job there.

Alternatively, during the interview stage, you can ask the recruiter about career advancement routes offered internally.

2. Professional growth and training

Another thing to consider is how the job or your prospective employer can help you grow professionally. Your first job should be a chance for you to learn as much as you can, so you might want to look for a company that provides training or mentorship to graduates and newcomers. You can ask about training opportunities straight off the bat during the job interview with your prospective employer.

Does your employer believe in spending time and effort to show and teach newcomers how to succeed at what they do? Or do they think that it is more effective for fresh recruits to learn on-the-job by throwing them into the deep end and letting them swim on their own?

Although some may prefer the former way of learning, you must first figure out which method you prefer. Whatever your inclination, it is still important to understand the initiatives the employer practises to ensure that their employees continue to learn and grow professionally.

3. Work arrangements

Working in the office was the norm up until a few years ago, when the global Covid-19 pandemic prompted widespread adoption of work from home (WFH) and hybrid arrangements.

Working in the office translates into employees sharing a physical space, allowing in-person interaction and collaboration. However, employees need to commute from home to their workplace. Some companies have fully enforced working in the office, now that global economies are emerging and recovering from the global pandemic.

WFH is when you do not go down to an office space at all, and instead collaborate and communicate with coworkers using a range of technology platforms, rather than in-person. However, WFH does not necessarily mean that you can only work from your bedroom or even a dedicated home office! Instead, you can work from anywhere, such as coffee houses or even a park, so long as you can connect to the internet.

Take note, though, that WFH does not always mean flexible hours! Prospective employers may need you to be available for certain hours, to ensure employee time alignment and productivity.

Most companies do not offer full WFH models any longer, preferring hybrid arrangements instead.

The most popular work model, hybrid arrangements are a combination of both working in the office and WFH. Employees typically have to be in the office on certain days or weeks, and are free to work from home, or elsewhere, on others. Collaboration tends to be occasional, and intentionally set up for days co-workers are together in the office.

When looking for your first role, you should take into consideration which work arrangements, and even human engagement, you prefer, as work arrangements affect your productivity and efficiency the most!

4. Other skill sets

Your course of study may have equipped you with a specific skill set, such as search engine marketing (SEM) skills for marketing, or programming languages for software engineering.

While it is beneficial for you to expand on your existing skill set on-the-job, it is also crucial to think about building other transferable skills. Such skills include communication skills and the ability to work in a team.

As mentioned before, your first job is your golden opportunity to gain as much knowledge and skills as you can. You also need to think about diversifying your skills, especially transferable ones, so that you can become a more well-rounded and marketable individual. This is especially important if you are looking to join another company in the future.

One way to find out if your prospective employer or role will allow you to pick up other competencies outside your current skill set is to ask about how teams work in the company. Do departments work independently or together as a collaborative effort? Will your role involve interacting and working with other departments?

Exposure to cross-departmental tasks will allow you to learn different skills while routine tasks may limit you to only one specific skill set. Hence, it is crucial to have a good understanding of the role on offer.