Corporate Survival Guide: What They Don't Teach in College

Sanjeevani: Welcome to the Vantage HR Influencers Podcast. This podcast is sponsored by Vantage Circle, the simple and AI-powered rewards and recognition platform for employee engagement.

Sanjeevani: You know that feeling when you step into your first job, excited and ready to take on the world? Only to realize that things aren't exactly how you imagined. The rules aren't always written down, success isn't just about how good you are at your work, and handling feedback can sometimes feel more personal than professional. And let's not even get started on work-life balance, because honestly, does anyone really figure it out early on? I don't think so. And that's why I strongly feel conversations like these matter. Instead of learning all of this the hard way, what if we could get a head start, what if someone could guide us through the ups and downs of the corporate world? With that in mind, we bring you this episode, "Corporate Survival Guide: What They Don't Teach in College." And to help us unpack it all, we have Kriti Sarna, Senior Associate Consultant, Human Capital Solutions at AON.

Sanjeevani: Hi Kriti, thank you so much for joining in.

Kriti Sarna: Hi Sanjeevani, the pleasure is all mine, thank you for having me.

Sanjeevani: It's our pleasure as well. Before we start today's episode, our listeners would love to hear about your professional journey so far, how has your corporate journey been?

Kriti Sarna: I'll keep it short. I'm currently working at a consulting firm as a Senior Associate Consultant for the EMEA region. Before that, I started my career journey with the Aditya Birla Group back in India, where I spent about two and a half years across a few different domains, learning and development, talent management, rewards, recognition, engagement. It sounds like a lot, but it was all within that two and a half years, before I moved to Dubai in 2022. I worked at another conglomerate there before moving into consulting a year back. So it's been a good five, six years, very rewarding, and a big learning experience. I'm also pursuing my doctorate now, to push my career journey further. That's me in brief.

Sanjeevani: Incredible, Kriti, thank you for sharing your journey, it's great to know how this whole experience has shaped you. With your permission, I'd like to begin today's conversation.

Sanjeevani: When we're fresh out of college, we step into the corporate world with a certain mindset, shaped by the theories and frameworks we've learned. But very quickly we realize success isn't just about knowledge, it's about understanding workplace dynamics, pace, pressure, and how success is even measured, which can feel drastically different. Looking back, there's usually one realization that could have saved a lot of struggle. So Kriti, what's one hard truth about corporate life you wish you'd known before your first job?

Kriti Sarna: It's true, Sanjeevani. When we finish our studies, bachelor's or master's, we all have that one moment where we feel we've "made it," this sense of accomplishment, thinking our education has prepared us for everything ahead. Then you move into the corporate world and realize you're actually back to square one. You have to start everything again, because it's all new, a new universe, nobody knows you, you don't know anyone, and more importantly, you don't yet know what the actual work even is. The biggest shift is realizing that what you've learned in books, the concepts and frameworks, gives you a foundation, which is necessary, but actual execution looks completely different. It's really a 360-degree change. Three things I'd highlight: first, you learn to work in ambiguity. Mentally prepare yourself that you won't always get clear instructions, we're used to professors who are there to answer our questions endlessly, but that doesn't happen in the corporate world. You're working with multiple stakeholders, often with conflicting priorities, and most of the time, in my experience, you won't be handed all the answers. You have to learn to navigate that ambiguity, make decisions with limited information, and pivot quickly.

The second is communication. Especially early in your career, it plays a massive role. You have to be assertive, respectful, mindful of your tone, aware of your body language. How you communicate, both in writing and in person, especially early on, can genuinely make or break things, because people aren't just evaluating your technical work, they're assessing how you express your ideas, how you handle feedback, how confidently you engage with people around you. And last, managing expectations. As a new person, you have your own expectations, but so does everyone around you, your manager, your colleagues, your stakeholders. Proactively understanding what's expected of you, clarifying anything that's unclear, and delivering accordingly matters enormously over the long run. I think these three should be enough to get anyone through their first few years.

Sanjeevani: You mentioned communication as the second point, tone, assertiveness, body language, all of it counting. Could you expand on that? I've heard younger professionals often struggle specifically with communication, they mean to express one thing and end up expressing something else entirely.

Kriti Sarna: I'm a millennial, and we're seeing more and more Gen Z coming into workplaces now. Everyone has a different communication style, and honestly, the Gen Z communication style isn't wrong, it's just different from the generations before it. It doesn't take much effort from managers or people already established, but let's be real, it's usually us, the ones entering the corporate world, who have to make more of the effort, since the people already there are already established. If you find people who genuinely try to understand what you mean beyond how you're communicating it, you're lucky. If not, you have to make that conscious effort yourself. Whether you like it or not, you need an assertive tone, mindfulness about how you present yourself, what you write, how you write it, how you talk. Early on, you often have to meet people where they are, which doesn't mean losing your own voice or flavor, but a bit of pivoting rarely hurts anyone.

Sanjeevani: There have always been unspoken rules in the corporate world, rules that influence promotions, working relationships, even reputation. Unfortunately, a lot of people learn these the hard way, sometimes damaging relationships in the process. What workplace rules can make or break someone's career?

Kriti Sarna: I understand we all come from different backgrounds, with a lot of theoretical knowledge, jargon, theories, frameworks from our education. But we have to enter the workplace understanding that's just your launch pad, a way to land the job, not enough to sustain you there. I'd say it's maybe 5% of what you'll actually do. Execution, its speed and quality, matters far more than knowledge, meaning the theories and concepts from college. The real differentiator between you and everyone else is how well, and how quickly, you execute. Employers value knowledge, but they value the people who actually get things done even more, because that's what keeps things moving. So focus on delivering on time or ahead of time, taking real ownership of your tasks, and adapting quickly to situations. Which brings me to another point: be proactive. Executing the tasks you're given is good, but what actually moves you to the next role is proactively seeking opportunities yourself. Completing assignments is fine, but nobody's going to hand-hold you into your next role, you need to take initiative, ask for challenging work when you feel stagnant. I'll say this from personal experience: getting comfortable in your first few years is one of the most dangerous things you can do to yourself. Don't do it. Keep asking how you can add value beyond your defined role, and how proactively you can seek out learning.

One more thing I'd add: balance is genuinely powerful. Some might think I'm just telling you to say yes to everything and be proactive constantly, but I want to draw a clear line here too: there will be moments early in your career where part of you wants to say no, but your mindset pushes you toward yes because it feels like it'll help you more. Don't push yourself to the point of burnout or compromised mental health. Balance is what's actually going to make or break your career, because I'd never encourage over-promising and under-delivering. Promise what you can deliver, and learn to draw the line when you feel you're stretched to your limit.

Sanjeevani: My biggest takeaway from that is "a balanced no." People often tell us to just say no and stick to boundaries, but I think saying no is genuinely an art in itself, we can end up losing real opportunities if we just say no to everything and stay rigidly within our job description. That's a really interesting point.

Sanjeevani: Moving on, no matter how good someone is at their job, they'll eventually face negative feedback, and that can feel demotivating. How should young professionals navigate criticism without taking it personally or losing confidence?

Kriti Sarna: I consider feedback a double-edged sword, you can't progress without it, but when it comes in the form of criticism, it's not comfortable either. You need it, but a part of you doesn't want it. I'd say: understand that feedback is about your work, not you. Don't take it personally, this is your professional space, nobody is personally attacking you. Most of the time, the problem starts when someone gives feedback about our work and we take it so personally that we assume we're being targeted, when really, someone is just talking about the work, which is bound to happen because you can't please everyone all the time. You have to develop a bit of thick skin, whether you like it or not, and understand that feedback is about the work and how to improve it, because you will make mistakes, not just early in your career, at any point in your career. Sometimes you'll get feedback not even because you made a mistake, but because someone wanted a different approach and you both arrived at the same result differently, that difference in preference can itself become feedback. That's just part of the game. The faster you shed any shame around being corrected, the faster you grow.

One thing I've learned, and this was one of the biggest lessons from my mentor early in my career: never let people see that criticism has affected you. Showing that vulnerability in the wrong place can mean some people exploit it. I'm lucky to have had a mentor teach me that, but even without one, you can design your own path and learn this early. You'll meet people during your career who are genuine blessings, but you'll also encounter feedback that isn't constructive at all. You have to draw a line, use your judgment, and figure out which feedback is genuinely constructive, even if it sounds harsh, and act on it if there's real merit, and let go of feedback that's pure, non-constructive criticism. That judgment is something only you can really develop. And whether it's constructive feedback or pure criticism, respond, don't react. Learn the difference: respond in a measured, professional way, don't counter-attack the person, which I've seen happen, and don't get emotionally wrapped up in feeling personally targeted. The faster you take feedback at face value, purely from a professional perspective, the faster you'll grow.

Sanjeevani: I recently came across an analysis, I think in AON or Medium, noting that while people say workplace relationships matter a lot, when you look at the top factors that actually affect someone at work, workplace relationships weren't among them, which felt contradictory. Do you think workplace relationships genuinely matter, especially for Gen Z, who often say they want to keep things strictly professional, colleagues rather than friends?

Kriti Sarna: That's a great point about Gen Z, you've studied them accurately, they really are like that. I actually have a Gen Z brother, so I understand that mindset. And then there are millennials like us, for whom professional relationships do matter, so there's a bit of that conflict even inside my own house. But whether we like it or not, networking and building meaningful professional relationships really are important. Personally, I've always been closer to an introvert than an extrovert, but over the years my role and the people around me have shifted that, my role now demands more extroversion of me, even though at a personal level I've always leaned introverted. So the networking and relationship-building side is something I genuinely had to work at, to push myself to talk to people, because no matter how you look at it, it's non-negotiable for career growth. I know today there's a preference, especially with Gen Z, for social media and virtual connection over in-person networking, but it's genuinely important, at any point in your career, to build that network. It's how you brand yourself, because nobody else is going to brand you the way you can brand yourself, and it opens doors for your future, you never know where today's connection clicks into place later. The goal isn't to talk to absolutely everyone, it's to make a real effort to build a few strong bonds you carry through your professional journey, not just limited to your current workplace, and not just limited to peers either, engage with senior leadership too, they've grown that way as well. One of the biggest mistakes young professionals make is thinking, "I'm too new, I don't have anything valuable to say or ask." There's no such thing as valuable or invaluable input, every input is unique, because you are unique. You're already there, in that role, because someone saw potential in you. So talk to the people around you, share what your generation is thinking, and take something back from their experience too. It really is a non-negotiable that we stay open to networking at every stage.

Sanjeevani: I agree, long-term workplace relationships matter to some extent, if not a huge amount.

Sanjeevani: Moving on, many professionals in their first few years feel pressure to always be available, to say yes to everything, and to constantly push harder, and eventually admit it's not sustainable, since it can lead to burnout before they even realize it. That's where setting boundaries comes in. What advice would you give listeners for setting boundaries and avoiding burnout early in their careers?

Kriti Sarna: This question actually weaves together a lot of what we've discussed already. First, as I said, balance is a powerful tool. Define your goals clearly, and draw your own line the moment you feel something is affecting your physical or mental health, or compromising your work-life balance, or your own time. I'd never encourage prolonged working hours, everything in life needs to be felt in a balanced way. Second, the networking piece we discussed matters here too, because strong professional relationships give you mentorship and guidance through exactly these kinds of early struggles. I'd also say: never hesitate to ask for help. There's no harm in it. People sometimes assume "I'm too new" or "I'm not capable enough" if they ask, but that's not true. What consumes us more than what people actually think is what we imagine they're thinking, that's just how the human brain works, we play out scenarios in our heads. Trust me, most people are far too busy with their own lives to judge you as much as you imagine. So use "I'm new here and I don't fully understand how this works yet, please help me" as an actual advantage, nobody will mind that. Build a strong internal network, managers, colleagues, who are willing to guide you and give you the shortcuts they've learned from experience. Once you learn to balance a "no," ask for help, and build those professional relationships, you'll protect yourself from burnout. And as for the goals you've set, you can absolutely show you're ready for more responsibility, but taking on more at the cost of your physical or mental health isn't worth it. Learn to draw that line early, it pays off long-term, because I promise you, at 22 you might not feel physical burnout much, but your body won't allow the same at 30, and definitely not at 40. Your mind gets so used to pushing that you end up causing real harm, physically and mentally. So: never let burnout win, ask for help.

Sanjeevani: Great advice. We've all heard about the power of networking, LinkedIn is full of posts underscoring it, but a lot of people find it awkward and transactional, reaching out, making small talk doesn't come naturally to everyone. How can young professionals build meaningful relationships without it feeling forced?

Kriti Sarna: It's true, this was genuinely one of the areas where I had to make a very conscious effort myself. But as I said, it's non-negotiable, you have to do it. One tip: preparation. Whenever you're new, or entering any meeting, be genuinely prepared, and I don't just mean formal professional meetings, any person you meet who's going to be part of your professional journey. Show curiosity about the place you're in. Honestly, nothing about that feels forced if you approach it willingly, if you've chosen to join an organization, you should naturally be curious about what the business actually does. Being genuinely curious, about the place, about people, keeps your brain alive in a way. Don't just let the days pass thinking "it's fine even if I don't network." Make real efforts to talk to people, and you don't always need a topic ready. I don't even remember having a specific topic in mind during my first couple of years at my first workplace, but those random conversations built relationships that, six years later, I'm still in touch with, like it's an everyday thing. Find your kind of people at work, but don't restrict yourself to not talking to anyone, it won't serve you well long-term.

Sanjeevani: I'm sure you'd agree a career is rarely a straight path, there'll be setbacks, missed promotions, difficult managers, the unexpected. But the people who succeed aren't the ones who never fail, they're the ones who know how to bounce back and pivot when needed. How can someone develop resilience and pivot when things don't go as planned?

Kriti Sarna: This one makes me think of the people in my life, my mother, and my mentor, who've guided me through exactly these kinds of setbacks, because they happen to everyone, myself included. One piece of advice my mother gave me very early, even before my bachelor's, was that people will question your choices, and then once things are going well, those same people will applaud the same choices later. So my advice: if you're sure of the choice you're making for your career, if you're confident in it, go for it, because nobody else truly knows your journey or your thought process. You will have people questioning your choices, that's been true throughout my own education and career decisions, and I've had people question me and then later applaud the exact same choice once they saw it work out. I'm used to it enough now that whatever I choose will probably be questioned, so I go with what feels right and what I'm confident I can do well.

The second piece, from my mentor, is that there's no harm in taking a detour. There's no single straight path to success, nobody's decoded that yet. You'll always hit cross paths, and sometimes you'll need to step back and take a different route, but it can still lead to success if you're determined. At one point I was genuinely confused about my next career move, and that's when he told me there's no harm in a detour. Opportunities rarely arrive in a straight line, and sometimes you're forced into certain choices because the situation demands it, nobody else will fully understand why you made that choice, but you'll know, because it was the best option available to you at that moment. Take the decision that feels right for you then, and stay clear on what you actually want from your career. Don't get stuck on "are you sure, is this the right move." The only real harm you can do to yourself is being left with "what if" later. Let other people carry their own opinions of you, that's fine, but work from your own conviction, that's what matters most. Whether that means taking a completely different path than what you're doing now, we've seen countless success stories built that way. Or if staying in the same role for five years genuinely satisfies you, that's valid too, it really is a matter of what's right for you. Just don't leave yourself with "what if," the rest tends to fall into place, that's true from my own experience as well.

Sanjeevani: Kriti, the topic of this episode was Corporate Survival Guide, and honestly, you've done it justice. This has been one of the most insightful conversations I've had, and I agree with pretty much everything you've shared. As we wrap up, any final thoughts or message for our listeners, and how can people stay connected with you after this episode?

Kriti Sarna: My final line would be: do what your heart says, the rest will fall into place, at least you'll sleep peacefully at night, and that's what matters most. Anyone who wants to connect with me can find me on LinkedIn, my full name is Kriti Sarna, and it's not too common a name, so I'm easy to locate. Thank you, Sanjeevani, and thank you to the whole Vantage Circle team. This topic is genuinely close to my heart, and I hope young professionals can take something from what I've experienced in my own career journey. Everyone has their own set of challenges, but I hope this helps in some way.

Sanjeevani: Wonderful, thank you so much, Kriti, for joining us today, it was a pleasure to have you on the show.

Kriti Sarna: Thank you so much, take care.