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3 Ways to Prepare to Start your Graduate Job

Msc In Life
Sep 2, 2018 · 4 min read

With most British undergraduate degree’s finishing up in May, it can be easy to forget you have a job to go to in the Autumn. After 3+ months of having nothing in particular to focus on, the time has come for you to start your graduate scheme. Try these tips to get ready.

Look the part

When I do pre-joining calls to new hires, they tend to follow a set pattern. The new hire enthusiastically expresses how they can’t wait to get started and I try my best to match their enthusiasm, knowing they are going to hang up and get back to Netflix, whereas I am going to…..call another 10 people and have the same discussion. I digress….

One question that pops up surprisingly often in these pre-joining calls is “What should I wear” and it’s actually a very good question. Putting together a snazzy new work wardrobe will help you feel more prepared, and as this may be your first job where you’ve had to wear anything other than a branded polo shirt, is also very essential.

A great source of inspiration can be to think back to when you visited the offices for your interviews. Don’t think too much about your interviewers, as they likely dressed up a little, but what about the people sitting at desks? What were they wearing?

If you are in a position to ask questions, 2 very simple ones you can ask which tell you a lot about the dress code are:

“Do people wear Jeans?”

“Do people wear Ties?”

These are important, as regardless of gender preference, you can ascertain a lot from this.

If you have no opportunity to ask questions about dress code but want a safe option, remember that most people dress for their first day of work more formally than they would for a regular day. Therefore, if it’s a toss up between “Jeans or Trousers”, take the Trousers option. If you’re thinking “Casual Summer Dress” or “Tailored Dress”, take the tailored one. After a whole day of people watching, you can then go and buy your work wardrobe which works for you and fits with the culture of the company you have joined. Whatever you do, don’t make the mistake of buying a whole work wardrobe full of outfits only to find that your office is more casual than you thought and suddenly you have 7 outfits you’ll never wear.


Think about your tech

Most graduate schemes will provide you with a work laptop, and potentially also a work phone. Before you join, think about how you could use this as an opportunity to consolidate some of your tech and save yourself some money. If your future employer provides a work phone, you may want to hold off signing a 24month contract for the latest iPhone at £45 a month as many employers allow “reasonable personal use” on a work phone. How about just using your work phone? I know many people who started out in the “no way. I want to keep work and personal separate” camp and quickly drifted to the “carrying 2 phones is really annoying and paying for a personal phone is a waste of money” camp.

Laptops can be a similar situation. If you only use your laptop for browsing the internet, consider if you even need a personal laptop anymore. Would your phone or a tablet suffice? You could always use your work laptop to do anything that requires PowerPoint or a Word document.


Research Gym Memberships

A lot of companies offer benefits associated with fitness, and you should have pre-joining information about if this is offered in your company. Starting a graduate scheme can often involve relocation, so be wary of entering into long contracts, or check and see if has a branch locally in the city you’re moving to. If your employer offers Private Healthcare, you may also get a gym discount as part of this. For example, Vitality offer 50% off Virgin Active memberships for employees with Vitality Private Healthcare.

Life events can often trigger behaviour changes and make it easier to stick to habits, such as going to the gym. If you start a new job, a new routine, with new friends, in a new city, why not add a new gym habit in there too?


Are you excited to start your graduate job? What other questions do you have?

Msc In Life

Written by

Sharing honest, practical advice and guidance to those graduating or recently graduated uni as they begin their careers. Written by a Brit. No “College” here.

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