For most recent graduates, the prospect of starting a job after university is exciting yet onerous. Exciting because after facing several rounds of interviews, tests and — usually — rejections, successful trainees can finally breathe a sigh of relief. Onerous, however, because of the daunting breadth of what there is to learn in the world of work. This mix of emotions is normal, but the pandemic has amplified them.
对于大多数新近毕业的大学生而言，离开学校走上工作岗位的前景虽然令人激动，但也让人焦虑。激动是因为在经历数轮面试、测试、通常还有拒绝之后，成功被录取的培训生终于可以松一口气。焦虑则是因为在工作中有大量需要学习的东西，这令人望而生畏。如此复杂的感觉是正常的，但疫情把这些感受放大了。
I started my graduate scheme in communications and advocacy at BP in September 2020, with my first rotation in corporate reporting. Given a precarious graduate jobs market, I consider myself lucky — BP went to lengths to reassure new recruits that the programme would proceed. According to research by Milkround, a graduate careers site, only 18 per cent of 2020 graduates had been able to secure jobs before graduating, compared with 60 per cent usually doing so before the pandemic.
我于2020年9月开始参加英国石油(BP)的传播和宣传岗位毕业生培养计划，我的第一个轮岗工作是企业报道。考虑到充满不确定性的毕业生就业市场，我认为自己很幸运——英国石油竭力向新人保证，这个培养计划会持续进行下去。根据毕业生就业网站Milkround的调查，2020届毕业生只有18%能在毕业之前找到工作，相比之下疫情前通常有60%的毕业生可以提前找到工作。
Once they get stuck into the job, graduates battle anxieties and fears that come from not yet understanding corporate etiquette — a state compounded by working from home. I felt paranoid: was it best to try to figure things out alone as much as possible? Should I check in with the team to actively show that I am working? What if I am not able to complete something in time because I have to prioritise another task?
一旦毕业生们找到工作，他们要应对因为还不懂公司的规矩而产生的焦虑和担忧——在家办公使得这种情况更加复杂。我会思前想后：尽量尝试独自解决问题，这是最好的办法吗？我是否应该积极和团队沟通，以显示我在努力工作？假如我必须优先处理一件任务，而无法及时完成另外一项工作，该怎么办？
