Is it normal for me to feel afraid for not knowing the things to do the job I was hired for?

Hi Evan,

It's very normal to be nervous about starting any job and this goes for a college student or someone with 10+ years of experience. New jobs mean new territory and you're always allowed to be nervous. I will tell you that while I was in college, I had a number of internships and co-ops where I was constantly starting on a new program so nerves were expected. However, when you are hired for any position, people expect there to be a learning curve, a period of time where you will be learning the ins and out of the job. Even after I graduated college, I quickly realized that my degree only meant that I was able to think and learn. So when you start a position, any position, focus on how to do your job for the beginning. Don't focus on the why's or what's, they will come later. Figure out exactly what your responsibilities are, listen to absolutely everything, take a massive amount of notes, and then find out how to best do your responsibilities only. Things that make up the bigger picture, that are outside of your actual tasks, listen, write them down and save them for later to brush up on. It will help you ensure you pick up what you need and don't confuse yourself anymore than you have to, in the beginning. Good luck.

Of course it's normal to wonder whether you'll be able to do the job. But, don't worry about it.

Your first company won't hire you because you have a Nobel Prize, a Turing Prize, and seventeen patents in their area. (That comes later in your career :-) They won't demand magical expertise from you. They won't put you in a position where their business will suffer if you make a rookie mistake or two. They all made rookie mistakes too.

They'll hire you because you're smart and you know how to get things done.

Many companies are used to hiring people who need to learn a lot. In fact, everybody they hire needs to learn how THEIR business works. By hiring you, they're choosing to invest in training you. So, listen, learn, ask "why?" a lot, and do good work.

Hi Evan,
Great question. It is absolutely normal to wonder about this. Any new job, whether you have experience or not will be a good learning experience. Going in with an attitude of being eager to learn and passionate about doing a great job will be appreciated by the employer hiring you. Once you are in a new position, that is where you are able to learn and figure out the best way to do your role. You may even find parts of the job you didn't know about, and end up really liking it! Be open to new experiences and open to always learning - and you will do great!

Hello there,

This is a very normal question you find yourself asking when you are starting off a new journey, even if you've previously occupied a similar position. what is not good however is to let this fear stop you from acheiving your goals. My advice is simple; don't be afraid to express your curiosity and eagerness to learn, ask as many questions as you can to clarify the ambiguities and have the readiness to step out of your comfort zone to discover the environment you'll be put in.
Good luck !

Hi Evan,

That is a great question and you should know that you are not alone in having this concern. I remember feeling so nervous about starting the first day of my new job straight out of college. I was worried about not knowing enough about the industry, the products, and services we offered. I was worried about if I would be able to quickly grasp all of this information and be able to complete the job I was hired for. My mind was quickly put at ease when I realized that there were several other people there in the same shoes as me. (Not to mention all of the people in the past that had been as well.) Starting on day one of my job I was put through extensive training, given great mentors, and had assistance whenever I had questions. The best piece of advice I can give is to go in there with a great attitude, express a eagerness to learn, and do not be afraid about making a mistake because it will happen throughout your career. You always want to take those mistakes and understand how you can improve and grow from them. I hope this helps answer your question and best of luck in starting your career!

-Christine

Hi Evan,

we all have been there. When starting your job career we can have many doubts. Please do not listen to it. Follow your dreams, be honest in your CV and during interview and search for junior positions that can give you required skills. Also there are many training programs for graduates in companies.

For example my Cisco company has CSAP training that takes 2 years. We hire graduates from IT majors and teach them to do their roles.

https://ciscocsappsa.wordpress.com/tag/csap/

Hope this helps!

Yes, it is. In fact, I think this is a proper way to do it.

You shouldn't have all the skills for your current job. That is because you want to have space to learn at your job. If you know everything at your current position it will become a) boring very fast b) your career will stagnate.

There is some ratio (it's very personal) of things you know/don't know for the current position. 

My advice is also not worried about not knowing something. Embrace it. Ask questions if you don't understand something.

Its absolutely normal to feel afraid. EVERYONE feels afraid in the beginning. Even people with loads of experience. But companies hiring you generally dont throw you in the deep end of the pool with training you. You will be trained for the role they put you into, but the fear is normal. Only thing to do is learn. Learn as much as you can everyday especially while you are in the initial days, because thats the only time mistakes are going to be swept under the rug.