How to Succeed in Your Very First Job

Entering the workforce comes with a healthy mix of agita, excitement and pressure. “Starting your first job is going to cause discomfort, even if it’s the most perfect environment,” says Aileen Dresner, a career development and executive leadership coach in New York City. It can be jarring to transition from college, where you learned how to succeed in a specific ecosystem and exited at the top of the food chain, to the working world, where you’re back at zero.

Discomfort doesn’t necessarily equal imposter syndrome, though—it often just means you’re doing something new. The key is embracing a beginner’s mindset and taking advantage of its intrinsic benefits. “There’s this fallacy, ‘I’ve got to come in and prove value fast.’ But people give you a lot of grace. They don’t expect you to know everything,” says Sean Twersky, senior vice president for operations at legal tech company Steno, who has managed and mentored countless entry-level workers and early-career hires. “This is your opportunity to truly be a sponge.”