From the very first college class to the day of graduation, students are preparing themselves for “the real world.” We study, take tests, complete projects, and go to school events, all for the greater goal of feeling prepared. We have this idea that when we graduate, we’ll be ready to take on the world. 

Well, I have some news for you. The minute you step into college, you aren’t preparing for the real world. You’re already in it. 

There’s one word that hangs over every student’s head: networking. We learn to take advantage of every opportunity we have to meet new people. As we get further into our degree, we get so caught up in the industry we’re in, many students forget that networking is happening every single day. The relationships made with professors, classmates, and organizations, are relationships that will last after college. Every day, we’re making an impression on our future connections. These individuals can serve as future references for jobs, endorsements, and impact our overall reputation. 

The choices you make now can forever impact your colleague’s impression of you. These are Indeed.com’s 10 Ways To Demonstrate Professional Behavior at Work, and some ideas for how you can start applying them right now. 

1. Be on time

“Arriving late was a way of saying that your own time was more valuable than the time of the person who waited for you.” – Karen Joy Fowler, author of The Jane Austen Book Club.

This one seems incredibly simple. However, showing up to class late or not at all on a routine basis will do more than affect your grade, it will also become part of your professional reputation. Be proactive. Set more than one alarm to ensure you don’t sleep too late. Leave early in case you have to park further away than normal. 

“What you wear is how you present yourself to the world, especially today, when human contacts are so quick. Fashion is instant language.” — Miuccia Prada, head designer of Prada.

In college, people have multiple majors, minors, activities, and so on. While the college norm is wearing comfy clothes to class, chances are, your program will offer opportunities to meet with professionals. Whether this is in a class, a program event, or another opportunity, looking like a professional is vital in these times. When a student takes time to dress professionally, it shows other professionals that they care. You will be perceived as intentional and open to learning. The professional will also be much more open to having a conversation with you, thus beginning industry networking. 

“Facts from paper are not the same as facts from people. The reliability of the people giving you the facts is as important as the facts themselves”. – Harold Geneen, president and CEO of International Telephone and Telegraph Corp (now ITT Inc.).

Among your peers, reliability is a quality people will remember the most. Nobody likes group projects when teammates aren’t reliable. That said, group projects are the most telling situations that demonstrate a person’s commitment to teamwork and a strong work ethic. In a full-time job, you will almost always have to collaborate and communicate with several other people. If you decide to slack off on a team project, that is something your classmates will remember. By stepping up and taking on responsibilities, your classmates will be glad to cross paths with you in the future or put in a good word for you. Having a team-minded reputation from the beginning is also important. When that reputation is damaged, it is tough to rebuild. 

In conclusion, remember that hard skills can be taught, but soft skills such as reliability, dressing professionally, and punctuality must be demonstrated. While you may have learned even the most complex systems in college, companies will always choose someone easy to work with who also exhibits these traits. Building these soft skills through college makes you much more likely to receive positive feedback and reference letters for your first big job.