Piyal's father Samantha realized that Piyal and his sister would soon graduate and enter the workforce. However, their school did not offer career counseling or guidance. Samantha decided to take actions to help Piyal develop skills needed for a successful transition into the workplace. Some challenges new graduates face include difficulties communicating and seeking guidance from managers, as well as completing tasks independently. It is important for graduates to build rapport with colleagues, have regular meetings with managers, and learn from mistakes in order to progress. Soft skills like communication, teamwork, and adaptability are highly valuable for any job.

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Career Counselling and Career
Guidance
For school leavers.
A case study
How to start your career with a bang!
There are some essential do’s and don’ts for managing your first job successfully.
The corporate environment can come as a shock to new entrants who are used to a
structured and supervised setting usually with exams and projects set to measure their
progress
When they enter a workplace, all that’s provided is a sketchy job description, an annual
performance review and less guidance and supervision than what they are used to.
It’s no wonder some find this transition difficult especially when dealing with the hierarchy
of power and authority takes time to understand.
Piyal’s father Samantha realized that his son and daughter would reach this phase of life one
day and the preparation has to happen whilst they are in the school. There was no teacher
assigned for career counselling and career guidance their schools. So he decided to take
some actions
What do you think Samantha actually did in this connection what do you suggest he do in
this scenario. List them
Common challenges
Communication is a major hurdle for in the workplace as they may be reluctant to approach
their managers for guidance; feeling over awed by them, and may struggle to complete
tasks on their own. We advise building a rapport with colleagues from whom guidance can
be sought first, and reserving the most important aspects for your manager. “Ensure you’re
having regular meetings with your manager to gauge your progress, ask questions, learn
from your mistakes and get feedback on how to improve so you get better outcomes in
future”. Often new entrants are in a hurry to complete their assigned tasks instead of taking
time to master the basics. “You need to do the small things well and take pride in the work
that you produce. We suggest learning from co-workers and applying different methods
based on their experiences and the corporate culture of the organisation – best practice

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methods learnt may not be the only way to complete tasks. Applying all these methods will
lead to the development of competencies required to successfully perform in the job.
Outlined above is what Piyal would face when he gets selected to do a job. Samantha
realized that his on Piyal acquire those skills whilst he is still schooling
List various actions Piyal could take in this regard, in school and outside the school?
Compensate for lack of experience
Every workplace has its own unique culture that you need to learn by observing others. It’s
easy to get it wrong and get on the back foot when you are new”. Spending as much time as
possible noting the way people do things and doing your best to fit in especially relevant for
those with no prior work experience.
A new entrant can add value to their employer by being involved in the cultural fabric of
the company, especially with corporate social responsibility making up a major part of a
company’s public image. Why not volunteer in their favourite charity? Other ways a new
recruit can add value include; providing help to team members during deadlines, having
lunch or networking with members of other departments to learn more about the company.
“Show initiative and volunteer to roll up your sleeves, don’t wait to be asked
Outlined above are some prerequisites for an entry level job. Recruiters would be looking
for those.
What could Samantha and Piyal do here?
Areas for success and recognition
There are five important things new entrants can do to achieve recognition and progress in
their chosen careers. Building a unique brand and standing out from the crowd; becoming
an expert in a certain area(s) so your advice is sought by co-workers, looking for ways to
continuously improve what the business does and ensure you are acknowledged and
recognised for it in some way, gaining visibility in the company and industry by joining
associations and organisations in your field of work, and building and maintaining a
powerful network.
Focusing on developing your technical skills and soft skills. While technical skills come with
time and experience, soft skills need to be improved upon constantly such as; being self-
aware, ability to engage with clients or co-workers, learning to be part of a team, good
listening skills, being culturally literate and lastly being adaptable to change and flexibility.
Soft skills set graduates apart from the average recruit – It’s how you do your job that adds
value to what you do.

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What are some of the common soft skills any job would demand?
List them and indicate how these become necessary based on what you have learned
Here are few Dos and Don’ts for a new entrant
Dos:
 Always go above and beyond what is expected of you and strive for excellence in all
that you do.
 Ask for regular feedback on what you are doing well and what you could improve
upon.
 Put your hand up for further training and look for other ways to improve yourself
personally and professionally.
 Nurture relationships with all stakeholders as any of these people could be the key to
your future success and you’ll enjoy your work more if you enjoy a good rapport with
co-workers.
Explain how Piyal can prepare himself whilst is school
Listed below are some values Piyal has to have. .Are there any difficulties to inculcate
these values in Priyal. It is always good to be aware of these values prior to taking up
a job
Don’ts:
 Earn your stripes before you tell people what to do – a higher qualification than what
your manager or supervisor is not a basis for throwing your weight around.
 Be friendly towards everyone regardless of job description (even the cleaners and
clerical staff) and don’t make enemies with a poor attitude.
 Be punctual and avoid unnecessary absenteeismas a new entrant. High absenteeism
is noticed and not valued because when you are not there, others have to pick up the
slack.
 Do not focus on your salary unless you have built your equity which takes time and
bring it up during your performance review only.
Who is a Mentor? How can Piyal be benefited by a Mentor?
Jayadeva de Silva for Humantalents International

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