What Every Graduate Should Know Before Starting Work

College graduations are around the corner.

In my 26 years in the corporate world, I’ve seen too many young professionals sabotage their career start. They fail to recognize new pitfalls. To the Class of 2026, here are a few things to keep in mind:

• If you grew up sharing your Netflix and Disney+ passwords with friends, please be warned: you will likely get fired if you share any work passwords with anyone, inside or outside of the organization. This is true even if your supervisor asks you to share your password with a colleague while you are on vacation (true story).
• Think before posting pictures of your colleagues or work environment on social media. Even though you grew up doing this at school and at camp and at Starbucks, many organizations have policies prohibiting such posts.
• Chances are you will also have to add a disclaimer to all of your online profiles (LinkedIn, Instagram, X, etc.), reading something like “Any views expressed are solely mine and not those of my employer.” And that disclaimer doesn’t give you permission to post anything you want. A racist post will bring discredit to your employer and can be cause for termination. I recall the story of an employee disciplined for posting a picture of himself holding a Confederate flag on his private Facebook page. A “friend” was rightfully offended and forwarded the post to the company’s hotline.

I could provide other examples but my point is that some of the behaviors your parents and teachers found acceptable or tolerated during your teenage years won’t fly in the workplace. It’s not always intuitive. Ask HR for your company’s policy manual on your first day and read it, especially the sections on social media, intellectual property, and conflicts of interests.

This is an exciting time for any young adult. Make sure your first work experience is a positive one by reevaluating your everyday behaviors through this new filter of the workplace.