What every millennial woman should do before entering the workplace

Question:

Dear AFETT. I am about to finish my education and begin my working life / professional career. How do I prepare for this important next step to ensure that I am successful?

Unsure Where to Begin

Dear Unsure Where to Begin,

As a professional woman in leadership, I’ve taken a particular interest in understanding the perception of women in the workplace. Throughout my career, I’ve attempted to identify and emulate how women overcome obstacles in their careers. That’s why I’ve formed a number of important relationships outside of my work environment.

In my capacity as Immediate Past President of the The Association of Female Executives of Trinidad and Tobago (AFETT) I have, among other things, been working with various ministries, businesses and several other civil society organisations, developing programmes for female students geared towards addressing issues that women face in workplace.

Now, I believe it is important to prepare our young women for a career and this is a lot more than just taking classes. How therefore do you prepare for this important transition?

As I look back, I think there are four key things every female student seeking a career in any industry must do to get ready for her professional life:

Practice Confidence and Build your Leadership skills by Asserting Yourself:

Your academic institution offers the perfect opportunity to learn from your mistakes without affecting work performance. By volunteering for leadership positions in various groups and societies and getting involved in projects that force you to use skills you’re less experienced with, you start to develop a certain level of comfort and confidence that will prepare you for the world of work.

Form Connections with Classmates and Teachers:

It’s especially helpful if the classmates are women, because this is the beginning of your personal network moving forward. As students, we learn that our careers will often be driven by our relationships with the people in our company and industry.

At this stage, you are building your network. Your generation will eventually become the future leaders, so learn to connect from now. Your teachers can also refer you for future internships and job opportunities, so do not be afraid to form lasting relationships with them.

Make the Most of Student Events:

The best events usually bring in speakers at conferences and symposiums. Listening to the experiences of successful leaders prepares you for the current business environment. Do not miss out on the opportunities to learn from confident, charismatic leaders, as they can potentially motivate and inspire you.

Get involved in an internship:

Starting out as a millennial in the workforce can be scary, however, interning is a good way to get one foot in the door and puts you on the right path to success. Research done by The Huffington Post shows that people who complete at least one internship during their university or college years are 13% more likely to find full-time employment as compared to those who did not have an internship. Not only does having an internship look great on your resume, it also gives an advantage in the hiring process, and will help you determine if you like a specific area of work.

Internships/vacation programmes are not difficult to find. Most universities and organisations provide students with internship opportunities during the vacation periods. Visit their websites and read the daily newspapers to apply for these programmes.

Word of mouth can also be utilized to help find an internship – talk to friends, family members, neighbours and tell them what kind of experiences you are looking for, and who knows, they may have a great connection for you! And don’t be afraid to send in your resume to see if companies have any internship opportunities available. Many companies will be impressed by your “go-getter” spirit.

In closing, I believe that the above tips will certainly help you to build your confidence and prepare you for the world of work. Remember, you are currently developing a wonderful set of skills inside the classroom, so let’s get you ready for the workforce.

AFETT is a not-for-profit organization formed in 2002 with the goal of bringing together professional women and engaging in networking opportunities, professional training and business ideas. ASK AFETT is a column meant to address issues and concerns of professionals seeking advice to assist in progressing in their careers. Today’s response was written by Cavelle Joseph, Human Resource Practitioner and AFETT’s Immediate Past President. Learn more about AFETT at www. afett.com or by contacting the Secretariat at admin.afett@