Originally published in Inc. Magazine

My twins, Jacob and Sophie, graduated from college last May and made a big shift from the world of full-time school to the world of work. This wasn't just a shift in how they spent time, it was a shift in behavioral expectations. Like so many early career professionals, they didn't know what the expectations were for professional behavior in an office, but their managers would likely assume they did.

My kids, like so many other college students, aren't new to the world of work. They'd both had part-jobs throughout college -- food service work, administrative roles, driving for Instacart, and even a few congressional internships. And while these opportunities contributed to their foundational understanding of the importance of showing up on time, dressing for success, and being polite (all of which they already knew, of course) they still needed the inside scoop on how work really works -- beyond what a standard company onboarding provides.

I gave my kids advice on what early career professionals may not know about their first job, only partially against their will. But I know they're not alone in being new to navigating this. My coaching clients, who are seasoned leaders, often share that they're surprised that they must tell early career professionals how to do "basic things." Like what? Like asking for help when they don't know how to do a task they've been assigned. Like keeping their voice down during conversations if they're working in an open office. Like offering to stay late if someone else on the team could use a hand.

But those things aren't basic to someone who has not had to use those mindsets and skills before in the workplace. And they aren't basic to someone who hasn't been asked or told to do these things.

As a leader, you're better off assuming your early career professionals don't know some things rather than getting frustrated that you have to tell them. Think of it this way: You have a unique opportunity to educate, motivate, and inspire your early career employees to start their professional journeys on the right foot.

Along with sharing information about company benefits, standard working hours, and how to log into the computer system, here are three things to share with employees who are new to the world of work.

1. "It's OK to ask for help."

In school, students were encouraged to attend their professor's office hours for help with an assignment, to rely on their classmates for help in preparing for a test, or even to hire a tutor for additional support. But that scaffolding isn't as evident in the workplace. "If I ask for help," we think, "people will believe that I am incapable/lazy/unintelligent/etc."

Nobody wants that to be the first impression they make in a new job. Many early career professionals don't ask for help and take on tasks, projects, and assignments without having the necessary skills, guidance, resources, tools, etc. The irony is that messing up early and often at work has a higher reputational risk than asking for help does.

Let your new employees know that asking for help is how everyone gets better at their jobs and how team members leverage each other's strengths, and that nobody is expected to know how to do everything. You can make suggestions more credible by sharing a story of when you didn't ask for help but should have, or a recent example of team members helping each other that led to a successful outcome.

2. "Expect to be given feedback, and to give feedback too."

Early career professionals may have spent nearly two decades getting graded on their schoolwork, which is not the same as getting regular performance feedback. One key difference is that a graded paper or test tends to reflect the quality of the outcome but doesn't address their working style, communication skills, or other behaviors and habits. Let your employees know how often formal performance feedback is given in your organization, as well as how to get informal "just-in-time" feedback.

Let them know that their feedback is welcome too. Just because they're new doesn't mean they don't know what's working for them and what isn't. Then, plan to make giving and asking for feedback a regular part of one-on-one meetings -- and make sure you give them feedback on their feedback skills. Otherwise, they won't know how they're doing and they won't get better at this important skill.

3. "You'll learn more by listening than talking."

A new professional may feel like they were hired because of what they learned in school, whether it's computer engineering, political science, or organic chemistry. In school, they were likely rewarded for knowing the answers and contributing frequently to class conversations. But this isn't school.

Chances are, they were hired partially for what they know -- but also for their potential to learn and grow. And they won't learn or grow if they feel pressured to prove their expertise by over-contributing to conversations. Let them know that there's much they can learn by really listening during meetings and in conversations, including cultural norms, what your priorities are, whose opinions matter most, what gets discussed and what doesn't, and how things get done around here. Make this message stick by meeting with your new employee after meetings and asking, "So what did you learn?"

Early career professionals can contribute new ideas and fresh energy to your team and organization. You can help them start on the right foot by giving them a few unexpected but necessary tools for success.