First jobs are always memorable, especially first jobs out of college. You wear your first serious office attire, learn break-room rules, and experience the death-by-deductions feeling of a paycheck.
But you can achieve a lot on the bottom rung of the ladder. The work may be low-risk paper pushing or frontline customer service, but it’s a good time to establish the brand of you so that in five years, you have some clout.
Amy Howell and Anne Deeter Gallaher are authors of the book “The Future Belongs to Students in High Gear.” With 21 million students in college in the US, they believe students should be networking from day one in college.
“They’re not just competing with baby boomers who are staying longer in the labor market; they’re competing with each other, the biggest generation ever,” says Howell.
Plan to stay in that job two or three years and learn instead of skipping around. “You’re not worth much to your next career until you’ve been in this job for three years,” says Howell.
As for what to expect to be paid, Amanda Augustine, career advice expert for résumé writing service TopResume, says first look up pay rates on Salary.com, PayScale and Glassdoor.
“When it comes to pay, you can expect a fairly wide range of salaries based upon your location, the company’s size and industry, and how much experience you’re bringing to the role. If you’ve already interned at a company, you are more valuable and can ask for a little more than the base rate.”
To win respect, remember, “Appearance matters. Being the youngest or least-experienced person on the team doesn’t give you permission to act unprofessionally. Pay attention to how your colleagues dress for the office, especially on casual days or ‘summer Fridays,’ and follow suit,” she says.
When they offer you grunt work, suck it up, she adds. You’ll laugh about it one day.
“Whatever assignment you’re handed, give it 100 percent,” she says. “Bosses notice. If you want to get ahead, show your manager you can handle the extra responsibility. And be proactive: Ask for additional work or volunteer to help another member of your team.”
Criticism is not a personal attack, either.
“Actively seek out feedback from your boss and consider it a gift,” says Augustine.
Steven Rothberg is president and founder of CollegeRecruiter.com, which connects graduates to Fortune 1000 and federal government agencies advertising their jobs to the site’s audience.
“The bottom line for any new employee — millennial or otherwise — is that everything that they do at work should be designed to increase the revenues of their employer, reduce the expenses of their employer, or some combination of the two.”
Even government agencies and nonprofits have budgets.
“So if the employee’s actions primarily increase expenses, then that employee is unlikely to survive, let alone thrive,” he says.
PULLOUT: The Class of 2016 is looking for a fun culture: 70 percent said they would rather work at a company that provides an employee experience built on a positive social atmosphere and receive a lower salary, up 10 percent from last year’s graduating class. Source: Accenture Strategy College Graduate Employment Study, 2016
To land a job, be careful in today’s all-seeing social media world
To make sure employers don’t pass you over, be aware of your social presence.
Clean up your “digital tattoo,” the trail of public posts you’ve left since middle school. Interested employers will skim them before making a final decision. Words and pictures are forever.
“Start building your brand as soon as you get a phone — your résumé is now 140 characters long,” says author Amy Howell. By that, she means keep your public posts sober, wholesome and intelligent.
“Use social media to bypass gatekeepers and connect with executives,” she adds. “A high school student could broker a meeting with a Fortune 500 exec by putting out the right content.”
“Penn State has rescinded football scholarships based on a tweet,” adds author Anne Deeter Gallaher.
Says Howell: “Good manners never go out of style. Texting a potential employer is still not an approved form of communication. Use the traditional channels: hard-copy résumé, cover letter and thank you, all grammatically correct.”
Be realistic about your first job
Salary: Most bachelor-level degree graduates can expect about a $45,000 to $50,000 salary range. “That salary could go as high as $65,000 for some STEM majors,” says Jacob McLean, professional development adviser at Monmouth College.
Office culture: Develop a bond with your co-workers, get together outside of work to unwind or start a team.
Hours: If you think it’s okay to work 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and go straight home every day, you shouldn’t expect to rise very quickly in your career.
Ambition: Be a lifelong learner. Subscribe to magazines or journals or join professional groups that highlight new developments in your industry so that you are always up to date on new information.
Role: Employers don’t expect you to be an expert, but they do expect you to be reliable and get the work done correctly.