Skip to main content
Claire profile image

Claire Brnjac

SFU Student Undergraduate
Communication, Art + Technology › Communication
Co-operative Education › Local Co-op

2 people sitting at a table and looking at their laptops
Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash
Beating your anxiety is more easily said than done, but time will allow you relax a little bit. Take criticism as what it is — necessary, even if it feels uncomfortable at the time. I believe in you!

Welcome to your first Co-op job! You showed your stuff at your interview and wowed your future employers with your knowledge and experience. You come into your first day and that’s when you realize: you don’t know anyone at all, and everyone looks more knowledgeable and more mature than you. Your outfit, which was trendy and professional at home, looks somehow juvenile and grandmotherly at the same time. You wonder if you can somehow go back home and go under your covers again.

That was me when I started my first Co-op. Imposter syndrome was telling me that I didn’t know anything and that I had conned my way into the organization. That wasn’t true of course; I had the skills and experience necessary to do my job well. In order to beat that perception, I had to learn several skills that made me go from shy and worried about messing up to being confident and sure of my skills.

1. Listen and Make Notes

In your first weeks at your role, you may be trained by someone who knows the role and what the company expects from you. Depend on them for the first few days and do not be shy about taking notes — I must have gone through several pads of sticky notes and a notebook or two trying to get everything down. Being comfortable in your role will come easier if you know what you’re doing and what you’re responsible for!

2. Talk to Your Boss

More likely than not, you’ll have to talk to your boss about assignments and other aspects of your job. This might be scary during the first few days, but you will soon learn their conversation style and how they give feedback. Don’t forget to be open to suggestions, be positive, and remind yourself that they hired you for a reason. A positive attitude and a willingness to learn will go a long way in their perception of you.

3. Make Connections

It might feel like you’re all alone in your role, but there are many working parts at a company! As terrifying as it might feel at first, reaching out and talking to your coworkers will make you realise that having friends and acquaintances can make working your first job less scary. At my job, we had weekly check-in meetings with our entire team and played a couple of games after our briefings. It helped create a light-hearted mood amongst the team, especially during stressful or busy times.

4. Don’t Put Too Much Pressure on Yourself

As much as you might feel like you have to get everything immediately, remind yourself that this is (most likely) your first professional job. You will not know everything immediately, and that’s okay! As much as receiving constructive feedback might feel like you’re a failure, you need it in order to get more adept at what you do. You won’t know how to write the perfect tweet the first time — let yourself make mistakes and don’t feel bad for asking for help. If you let things fester, it’ll only get worse. Address a gap or an area of confusion as quickly as possible. Everyone wants you to succeed. If these feelings persist, SFU Health and Counselling has great resources on their website, as well as counsellors available to talk.

Those are my tips that allowed me to beat my imposter syndrome around my job and helped me succeed during my first Co-op. Beating your anxiety is more easily said than done, but time will allow you relax a little bit. Take criticism as what it is — necessary, even if it feels uncomfortable at the time. I believe in you!

Author

Claire profile image

Claire Brnjac

SFU Student Undergraduate
Communication, Art + Technology › Communication
Co-operative Education › Local Co-op
visibility  175
Apr 13, 2022

You Might Like These... Co-op Reflections, Professional Development, Career Exploration, Seeking, Work Term Extension

author, courtney, smiling
A Second Term in Government: More of the Same?

Having completed my first work term for Health Canada as a Communications Officer Intern, I was eager to try something new, and the government was not where I believed that was going to happen. That is until I was offered a position at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada...

picture of glichelle pondering a though
Surviving Workplace Politics

Ever been peeved with workplace politics? Have you ever been a victim of office politics? One student shares her experiences from the workplace with tips on how to survive.

 

person with their head in a book
Responsibility and Success

One of the most memorable parts of my time in co-op was the collection of accidents, errors, mistakes, and mix-ups that happened in the course of working in the laboratory.

 

You Might Like These... Co-op Reflections

Dog standing next to basket with ducks in it
Misconceived Perceptions About India

We all have our own sets of biases and preconceived notions, but unless we experience things first hand, they are merely based on conjecture and not facts. Martyna is here to break down some common misconceived perceptions about India by providing a comparison between horror stories she's heard from friends before leaving and the true reality of living in India. 

Girl smiling
How Working in the Health Care Sector during a Pandemic Rekindled My Passion for Communication Work

Communication? What do you do in Communication? It wasn't until my Co-op term with Fraser Health that I started to gain a solid understanding of what a career in Communication could really encompass. Keep reading to learn about how working in the healthcare sector during a pandemic rekindled my passion for Communication work. 

the author with her colleagues during work
Why Work At a Start-Up? My Co-op Term at Tradable Bits

After doing a co-op for a start-up, Margaret Leong shares 6 reasons why you should do it too! Read the article and find out why working at a start-up can be so rewarding.