Are you a fresher, straight out of college? Dewy-eyed, hopeful, and full of zeal and passion? Wishing to carve a niche in this world?
The corporate world can be harsh and tests the abilities of the individual stringently. Unfortunately, not many have mentors or colleagues who guide them through their firsts in the corporate world. Hence, here’s a step-by-step corporate guide on not only the tactics to survive the corporate world but ways to thrive in it.
- Goal setting – Before starting any position in any company, you need to focus on your personal goals. Pen down your goals. Remember, the goals may be subject to alteration but having a defined target in mind will help you focus better on your work. Let the target be a motivating factor for you. Be careful to mention the details while setting your goals. For example – My goal is to be the head of the Marketing department in my organization in the next 3 years. To achieve my goal, I need to have the technical skills and relevant experience. Hence I need to upskill myself to become eligible for the post.
- Keep an open mind – Understand the gap between the theory you learn in class and its practical application of it. The way things run in an organization may not necessarily be like they are described in the textbooks. Hence keeping an open mind, and developing the skills of adaptability and quick thinking are essential. New challenges will crop up in your professional life but the rate and the attitude with which you convert them into opportunities decide your longevity.
- Career blueprint – Craft a blueprint of your career graph. Create a detailed plan of your career goals, skill requirements, and potential hurdles. Set performance standards for yourself and constantly evaluate your performance to check its alignment with your goals. If possible seek help or mentoring from your seniors, colleagues, or even manager. Chart out your career path and interact with your mentor to gain insights.
- SWOT analysis – Just like companies conduct a SWOT analysis to understand their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats; it is crucial to do so at the individual level. A holistic & unbiased SWOT analysis will help you overcome your weaknesses and convert them into opportunities. It will also help you clearly understand your skillsets and their relevance in the corporate world today. Thus enabling you to positively work on upskilling.
- Record your progress – Keep a journal of all your achievements, your accolades, and the tasks you have undertaken that have benefitted the organization. Make a list of any upskilling efforts, instances of leadership, and any volunteer work you may have done. This is a great way to over the imposter syndrome and motivates yourself to do better or keep up with your work.
- Analytics – Keeping a journal will also help you keep a track of your tasks, projects undertaken, and the results. These will give you data points that can be used to evaluate your performance and conduct a thorough analysis of yourself. These internal factors along with the external factors mapped in the SWOT analysis will help you analyse the potential career growth opportunities, risks involved and the benefits you will reap from it.
- Networking – Apart from self-analysis, networking and building contacts in the industry are of prime importance. A valuable yet difficult soft skill is networking. However, mastering this skill is essential for survival in the corporate world. Landscapes, environments, or situations change but your networking skills will help you get through any difficult situations. For this purpose, good communication skills are fundamental.
- Soft Skills – This brings us to important skills required for survival that one often forgets – soft skills. Soft skills such as communication, observation, and critical thinking form the basis of a holistic professional. Good communication skills go a long in creating an ever-lasting impression and networking. Critical thinking helps you to look at any situation unbiasedly and work out solutions practically. It is also beneficial in conducting self-analysis.
- Technological updation – In today’s changing world of digital disruption, updating your technical skills and knowledge will help you remain at the forefront of the competition.
- Upskilling – Peter Drucker, the father of management says, “Knowledge has to be improved, challenged, and increased constantly, or it vanishes.” Following this principle, constant knowledge & skill upgradation is crucial to stay relevant. You need to focus on the skills needed to achieve your goals and continually brush up on your knowledge.
How MITSDE can help you in holistic development to achieve career success?
MIT School of Distance Education (MITSDE) is one such institute that understands the current skills gap in the market and strives hard to reduce it. For this purpose, MITSDE brings to you PG Diploma in Management. The PGDM courses are online courses designed specifically for working professionals looking to upskill themselves without having to forego their job.
The PG management courses focus on technical and soft skills development to help individuals rise high on the career ladder.
MITSDE also offers a dedicated team of student success managers working day-in and day-out to bring to you a unique learning experience by assisting you in every step of your academic journey.
A placement cell and its offerings like resume-building and career-building sessions help you to secure a rewarding career.
Lastly, initiatives like MITSDE Labs and Harbour offer you a perfect blend of practical hands-on training and psychological counselling.
Thus, we offer you a complete package to thrive in your career.