If you’re welcoming recent grads to your team, you might feel optimistic. You’ve hired smart, motivated people. They bring fresh energy, curiosity, and a strong work ethic. They’re excited to start—and on paper, they’re ready.
But what happens in the first few months off paper—in the meeting rooms, Slack channels, deadlines, and shifting expectations—will determine whether they stick, struggle, or silently underperform.
From Syllabi to Slack: Why the Transition Is So Tough
Most new grads have spent over 16 years in school. Even when it’s rigorous, school is structured. Expectations are explicit. Progress is measured frequently. There’s always someone tracking their performance. This clarity gives students the scaffolding they need to manage their time, their focus, and their priorities.
Workplaces, by contrast, speak a different language:
-
Expectations are embedded in culture, not spelled out in rubrics.
-
Feedback is sporadic or implied.
-
Deadlines can move—or exist only in someone’s head.
-
Success is based on perception, initiative, follow-through, and judgment.
-
And there’s rarely someone assigned to help unless something’s already going wrong.
The result? A massive translation gap. While seasoned professionals speak fluent “workplace,” your new grad might still be on Duolingo.
You’re Not Just Onboarding a Role. You’re Onboarding Self-Regulation
Early-career employees aren’t just learning a job. They’re learning how to show up in a new context. They’re expected to:
-
Adapt communication to audience and platform (concise on Slack, thorough in a proposal, tactful in meetings).
-
Move forward under ambiguity (even when the goalposts shift or feedback is MIA).
-
Navigate permission and power (who to ask, when to loop someone in, how to self-advocate without seeming insecure).
-
Work with accountability (not just compliance—owning outcomes, not checking boxes).
-
Create their own structure (because no one is assigning “study blocks” anymore).
These are executive function skills–not “soft skills.” They’re essential for thriving, and they often develop unevenly, especially in high achievers who’ve been rewarded for following directions more than for navigating complexity.
So What Can You Do?
You don’t need to be their advisor or therapist. But if you want to retain and develop early-career talent, act like a leader who knows that transitions require workplace support:
-
Make structures and norms visible. Don’t assume they’re obvious.
-
Name expectations clearly. “Follow up if you haven’t heard back in 24 hours” is far more useful than “Use your judgment.”
-
Offer feedback early and often. Don’t wait until a problem festers.
-
Be explicit about what success looks like. The absence of correction doesn’t always feel like approval to someone still learning the rules.
Think Like a Transition Coach
Ask yourself:
-
What am I assuming they’ll just “pick up”?
-
Where am I relying on cultural cues instead of clear communication?
-
Am I offering feedback early enough to matter—or only after trust is strained?
Some new hires will adjust with minimal support. Others will need help interpreting—and living into—the unspoken expectations of working life. If someone starts to wobble a few months in, it doesn’t mean they aren’t cut out for the job. It might mean they’re still learning how to work—not just harder, but effectively, in a new and unspoken system.
__________
