4 tips working adults wish they knew before starting their first job

Congratulations on graduating after years of hard work! Transitioning from being a full-time student to a working adult may be exciting but nerve-wracking as well. Here are some tips to help you kickstart your journey.

1. Don’t be afraid to ask questions

As you step into the workforce for the first time, there are likely many things that you may not be familiar with. Your colleagues understand that and will likely not expect you to already be familiar with the processes and work, so go ahead and ask questions for anything you might be unsure of.

Asking questions allows you to understand and pick things up easier and faster. This enables you to ease into your new job quicker and allows you to better navigate this transition. You are only a first jobber once, so seize this opportunity to use it as a learning experience!

2. Get to know your colleagues and build your professional network

Entering a new job allows you to work with many different people from all walks of life. Seniors that you work with have accumulated more work and life experiences than you do, and they might be able to help you with your career decisions. Any of these connections that you build in your day-to-day work might also end up opening new opportunities for you.

Also, take the time to learn about the different roles that your colleagues have and how they fit into the company’s structure. An important part of having a successful career is about who you know and who knows you. Having a large professional network may even help you in advancing your career.

3. Know how to utilise and prioritise your time

Learning how to use and prioritise your time well is an essential skill that you will need to pick up as you embark on your career. Prioritising helps you decide what to work on first based on the importance of the task. You may feel overwhelmed by the amount of work that you have on-hand but you should be able cope well with proper planning and prioritising. Learning how to prioritise your time will allow you to be more productive and efficient and helps you to accomplish more work in a shorter amount of time.

To start off, prioritise your work by listing down all the tasks that you have on-hand and highlight the urgent tasks. This will ensure that you have a clearer overview of your tasks and deadlines and enables you to decide on the tasks to work on first.

4. Plan your finances well

One of the most exciting parts about starting work is getting your paychecks at the end of every month. While you may be tempted to go all out on a shopping spree, you should also keep in consideration the responsibilities and commitments you may have now that you’re a working adult. These include saving up for larger ticket items such as buying a house or planning for your wedding.

A good way to start planning your finances would be to create a budget and allocate your monthly salary into three different categories: needs, flexible spending and savings.

Another important thing that you should consider allocating your finances to is the purchase of life insurance. Within the first few years of working, there are plenty of new responsibilities and big-ticket items you can expect – getting your first home, caring for your elderly parents and perhaps paying off education loans. Getting a life insurance for yourself should be a top-of-mind purchase for you to focus on the important things in life while feeling secured. Consider purchasing life insurance as early as possible to get covered at a lower premium. With FWD Term Life Plus insurance, get a million-dollar life insurance cover from as low as S$1 a day¹. FWD allows you to purchase online with no medical check-up required².

Find out more about FWD Term Life Plus insurance and get a quote now.