First job? Do these things

To start your career off on the right foot, follow these tips.

Wahoo! You made it. There were some late nights and tired days, but now your internship is over, and you’re off to your next grand adventure: your first full-time job. But wait. If you’re thinking of your first job as just an extension of your internship, you’re in for a rocky ride. While some expectations remain the same, many others do not. Here are some full-time job tips you should follow for a strong entry to the workforce.

Take on challenging projects

Certain companies involve interns in high-profile projects, but that’s not always the case. Whether you liked it or not, chances are you got stuck doing a bunch of grunt work. Let’s just hope you didn’t get used to it!

Full-time employees — even entry-level ones — are expected to do more than just follow orders.

“At permanent positions, you’re expected to have more than a superficial under- standing of the work topic and be a bit more indepen- dent,” says Dr. Luz Claudio, professor of environ- mental medicine and pub- lic health at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.

At your internship, you might not have had the time to get invested in long-term projects. But at a full-time job, there is no “end date,” and you’ll be expected to get involved or even lead long- term projects that require significant strategic thinking. So raise your hand when the big assignments come up. And raise your voice, too. Contribute whenever, wher- ever and however you can.

Don’t treat your job like a dress rehearsal

One of the perks of an internship is that it lets you dip your toe into a particular job or industry, sometimes just so you can see if it’s the right fit for you. That’s not so in the real world.

Once you’re working full time at your first job, not only have you made a com- mitment to your employer to give your professional best, you also need to start look- ing at each post-internship job you take as a stepping- stone on your career path. Carefully consider how each might affect the trajectory of your career.

“When you have a summer internship, you can work normal 9-to-5 hours and have a perspective that this may or may not be what you want to do as a career,” says John Crossman, president and CEO of Orlando-based real estate firm Crossman & Co. “But when you start your first real job, your workday begins when you open your eyes. Your work becomes much more about who you are.”

Take initiative

At full-time jobs, there is much more of an expectation to work autonomously and independently than in internships where you may have had a bit more hand hold- ing from your supervisor.

“You have to be able to make your own choices, see where improvements can be made, and jump at any chance to be innovative,” says Sarah Walsh, writer and social media specialist in the Philadelphia area.

Be proactive by taking the initiative to set up key meet- ings with others in the com- pany, or making phone calls to move a project along.

Firm up your desk etiquette

Here’s one of the most important first full-time job tips: Be a gracious co-worker. Books and papers piled up on your desk? Music cranking out of your headphones? Taking a few too many breaks to text your friends? While your boss may have let these things slide during your internship, he or she likely won’t during a full-time job.

“In the real world, with open and shared spaces, respect for your area, co-workers and the company is important,” says Jill Tipograph, co-founder of Early Stage Careers, a New York City-based company that helps students and recent grads transition into the right internship or first job.

Avoid small — but sloppy — mistakes

“Nobody’s perfect” and “everyone makes mistakes” — those phrases were probably first said with interns in mind.

The great thing about interning is that you’re often encouraged to make mistakes. Careless slip-ups are never awesome, even in an internship, but they’re more permissible when you’re learning the ropes.

In your full-time job? Not as much. “Don’t develop the habit of not double-checking your work,” says Eden Amans, former associate marketing manager at Betts Recruiting, a San Francisco-based recruitment firm.

“Sending a sloppy email, misquoting a potential client, or underrepresenting a company’s interest can seriously hurt your reputation.”

MONSTER.COM As you move from an internship to a full-time job, be sure to show initiative and avoid careless mistakes.