You Graduated—Now What? New Grad Tips from Our Team of Experts

You Graduated—Now What? New Grad Tips from Our Team of Experts

The confetti’s fallen, the degree has been conferred, and you’re left wondering: Where do you go from here? 

Moving your tassel to the other side of your cap felt like pure euphoria. The current job market, though? That feels like pure panic. Welcome to the post-grad limbo—where your degree contradicts what you feel inside and imposter syndrome starts to rear its ugly head.

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If you're left questioning your skills, sanity, or next step after walking down that diploma lineup, you're not alone. Our experts put together a list of new grad tips to help you get on your feet and get your first post-college job—fast. 

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Meet Your New Roomie: Imposter Syndrome

"You're faking it."

"You have no idea what you're doing."

"Everyone knows what a fraud you are."

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Yikes.

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Sound familiar?

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If so, you've met imposter syndrome, your unwelcome post-graduation companion. About 70% of the population deals with imposter syndrome on the daily—so if you're dealing with pre-meeting anxiety, analysis paralysis, and over-preparation for the simplest tasks on your list, take a deep breath. 

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You're not alone. 

You CAN overcome this. 

But you have to put a name on it to do that.

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The cruel irony? High achievers are especially susceptible to imposter syndrome—a phenomenon that many experts believe is tied to constant recognition of mastery in a structured environment, like school.

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The minute that goes away, the feeling of security does too—and you're left spiraling over your next day at work instead of living your life to the fullest. 

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Tips from Our Team 

We've all been there at one point—hiding in the work bathroom stall on lunch break having a crisis about the last email you sent, your first on-the-job mistake, or what you're going to do as a second-, third-, and fourth-string career if that voice in your head ends up being right.

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Instead of just telling you "everyone feels that way, stay positive" (which is true, I guess, but completely unhelpful), our team put together actual tactics to shut down imposter syndrome—for good: 

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• Acknowledge your achievements (even if you feel like they don't matter.) No, "anyone" could not do what you do. Stop talking down to yourself and start tracking what you accomplish—you'll amaze yourself both with your productivity and your capability. Plus, actual numbers are great to silence the "I'm faking it/I got here by a windfall" line of thinking that makes imposter syndrome worse.
• Find your “support squad.” As you start your career, you should focus on building relationships with two types of people: seasoned pros who remember being a newbie, and fellow rookies experiencing the same doubts. The veterans give you the perspective you need, and your peer group normalizes the struggle without toxic positivity. 
• Embrace the "I don't know (yet)" mindset. When you add "yet" to your vocabulary, your mental outlook gets brighter. "I don't understand this process" turns into  "I don't understand this process yet." 

(Other) New Grad Tips to Start Your Career Off Strong 

Done dealing with imposter syndrome? Here are a few other new grad tips to consider if the struggle is getting real: 

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• Build systems, not goals: You could reach your next step so much more efficiently by creating a system that aligns you with what success looks like, instead of simply setting a goal. Your system can be as simple as a set of daily habits to a structured flow that changes in phases—and anything goes—so long as it grows with your goals and stays flexible enough to be realistically usable. 
• Learn to be uncomfortable: It’s stressful to be in an uncomfortable position, either personally or professionally. But that’s often where the greatest growth happens. Work to put yourself in challenging situations where possible, giving yourself an allowance for failure and the natural learning process. An example of this would be cross-training for a new role at work. 
• Build resilience as you go: No one likes to know that they failed. But learning how to fail and bounce back is key to your professional success. Embrace the mistakes, build a recovery routine, and practice, practice, practice. 

Takeaway 

Post-graduation life hits like a freight train—but that doesn't mean you have to flounder. Imposter syndrome and challenges will come—that's a promise—but the tips we offer in this piece give you the exact steps you need to climb out of uncertainty and forge your way forward.