1. Start the Job or Graduate School
PSY 251
Instructor: Dr. Emily Bullock

2. Presentation Overview
What about:
College-to-work transition issues?
Professional work-life adjustments?
Organizational culture
Personal life
Managing finances
First-year strategies?
Quitting?
A CIP perspective ?

3. A survey of 2,000 college graduates found that
things would have been easier if they had realized how hard it was going to be in the new job.
This finding sets the “gap” for action in chapter 15.

4. Other Survey Findings. . . Students:
Had insufficient information before accepting the job
Underestimated time on the job
Overestimated feedback on performance
Found that the last hired was first fired
Had difficulty adjusting to organizational politics and culture
Experienced harassment/discrimination (30% reported this and all but 2 were women)

5. Common Reasons for Termination
Poor attendance
Failure to follow instructions
Lack of initiative
All seem related to poor self-management and relationship skills
Findings from a study by Gardner et al. (1998)

6. College Culture vs. Job Culture
What are some differences?
1. Time 2. Schedules 3. Teamwork
4. Feedback 5. Holidays 6. Assignments
7. Work cycle 8. Directions 9. Attendance
Differences in Boss vs. Professor?
a. Class Assignments b. Work Assignments
c. Discussion d. Evaluation
The Learning Process?
At School At Work
The college and job cultures differ in many ways, including supervisory relationships, assignments, and learning processes.

7. Ten Areas of Adjustment: Can you give some practical illustrations?
10.Theory to Practice
8.Adjusting to new locations
7.Recognizing Inadequacies
4.Cooperative Attitude
6.Management Philosophy
5.Accepting Responsibility
3.Personal Expectations
2.Corporate Structure
1.Work Routines
9.Communication

8. Adjusting to the Organizational Culture
Clock and calendar management
Impression management
Managing the boss
Coworker relationships
Performance evaluations

9. Adjusting to a New Personal Life
Develop nonwork social relationships
Finding leisure interests
Healthy lifestyle
Managing stress

10. Financial Adjustments
Living arrangements
Wardrobe
Transportation
Food
Loans, credit, savings, taxes
Financial planning
Health insurance

11. Economic Realities Work-related injuries and health
Labor for pay—a fundamental reality
Worker as profit or cost item
Personal vs. economic relationship with employer

12. From Career Planning to Career Management
Finding mentors
Seeking excellence in job performance
Ethical behavior at work
Challenging your personal
status quo
Finding work/family balance

13. Graduate School Compared to the Undergraduate Experience
Similar environment and basic skill set utilized to be successful
More demanding in all arenas (e.g., academically, time management, faculty expectations)
You are a less anonymous student
Expected to dress and act more professionally (even outside of class)

14. Graduate School Compared to the Full-time Working World
You are often also paid as a Graduate Assistant making school take on a true work aspect
Graduate school often demands that you act like you are at work whenever you are at school
More likely to have multiple bosses and competing expectations in Grad School
Continue to have low pay in Grad School

15. A CIP Perspective
Self-Knowledge provides the criteria for evaluating job/graduate program satisfaction
Expand option knowledge of the program, industry, the organization, and/or your job
Use the CASVE Cycle to solve job-related problems and make strategic career decisions
Use positive metacognitions to think of yourself as the active designer and actor in your life/career