Starting your professional journey can bring a mix of excitement and uncertainty even for the most prepared new grad.
The transition from campus to career comes with challenges, but insights from McKinsey Health Institute’s Working Nine to Thrive report reveal how individuals and employers can create healthier, more productive workplaces to help new grads — and all employees — thrive.
5 Keys to Thrive as an Early-Career Professional
- Foster strong social connections
- Cultivate a positive mindset
- Balance stress and recovery
- Prioritize sleep and wellness
- Address economic insecurity
Finding a role that encourages these practices can be the key to long-term success, especially for new grads looking to build a sustainable career for themselves from the beginning.
According to McKinsey, these qualities do more than make work and life more compatible, they prepare employees to bring their best selves to the job.
Feeling connected to colleagues is linked to greater engagement, innovation and job satisfaction. Seek out opportunities to build relationships — whether through team lunches, project collaborations or networking events.
Embracing a growth mindset encourages resilience and adaptability. While some stress can drive performance, excessive demands without recovery can lead to burnout. Manageable workloads and recovery strategies like exercise, mindfulness or hobbies can help employees recharge and feel motivated without feeling overwhelmed.
New graduates have the power to shape their early-career experiences, and employers who invest in these areas reap the benefits of a more engaged, innovative and resilient workforce — proving that when employees thrive, organizations flourish.
New grads looking for an opportunity to thrive can explore the collaborative, innovative culture at Formlabs. Built In Boston heard more about the company’s recruiting efforts for new grads, robust benefits including relocation assistance, friendly culture and how to excel in the company’s interview process.
Formlabs manufactures professional-grade 3D printers, specializing in high-quality resin and SLS printing solutions for industries ranging from healthcare to engineering.
How does Formlabs approach recruiting new college grads? What roles or teams are highest-priority this recruiting cycle?
We start considering new college grads, including intern alumni, as early as the summer before they graduate. We encourage upcoming grads to apply for any open position which aligns with their interests and experience, even if it isn’t specifically marked as a “new grad” position.
This recruiting cycle, we’re especially excited about our technical sales position. The team is looking for December 2024 and May 2025 grads with a technical or STEM background who are interested in exploring the customer-facing side of Formlabs. No prior sales experience is required for this role — it’s all about how candidates approach engineering problems and communicating complex technical concepts. New hires will start together in cohorts with a robust training program that includes hands-on experience with our SLA and SLS printing technology.
What supports, structures or benefits does Formlabs offer early-career hires?
One of my favorite perks for new grads is our catered lunches three days a week. Not only do you get free lunch, but it makes lunchtime a big part of the Formlabs office culture. We line up to eat as soon as it’s delivered, vote on our favorites via Slack and, most importantly, we sit and eat together in the kitchen. This gives new hires an opportunity to meet other Formlings and get to know their colleagues better as they adjust to their new workplace.
Beyond the fun stuff (including unlimited 3D printing!), we offer relocation assistance to help new grads get settled and a structured performance evaluation process to help new grads adjust to the expectations of their full-time role.
What advice do you have for a recent or upcoming grad for the job search and interview process?
For engineering roles at Formlabs, the most important thing new grads can leverage to stand out in their application is a strong engineering portfolio. Show us what you’ve worked on during your academic career and internships! We want to see pictures, videos, sketches and screenshots of what you did, how you did it and why you did it that way. Our hiring teams review every single application, and your portfolio helps to bring the skills and experience listed on your resume to life.
For both engineering and non-engineering roles, we want to know that you’re excited about what we do, even if you don’t know much about it (yet!). Explore our Youtube and TikTok channels to learn more about our technology and customers. We will give you time in every interview to ask questions — use that opportunity to demonstrate curiosity and dive deeper into our products and culture. Great questions will help you stand out!
