For those about to graduate, put that tallboy down and listen up: Those years spent screwing around in art history classes are over.
It’s time to get a real job.
A daunting proposition, to be sure. So to help you, @work asked a phalanx of business leaders and career experts for their best advice for securing a job out of college — and what do once you’ve found one. Read on, and prosper.
ON FINDING WORK
Trade money for experience
“Lower your financial sights and pick a place where you’ll get the most hands-on experience. Think about where you want to be in five years rather than how much money you want to make today.”
— James Kuhn, president of the real estate services firm Newmark Knight Frank
Be open-minded
“Don’t be scared to take a job different than what you thought you were looking for. Skill sets transfer between jobs and even between careers. That means you won’t be stuck in the first job forever, and it can lead to something altogether different.”
— Kenneth Jedding, career counselor and author of “Higher Education: On Life, Landing a Job, and Everything Else They Didn’t Teach You in College.”
Take what you can get
“Learn how to say, ‘Do you want fries with that?’ Given the economy, finding any job is going to be difficult. Don’t be choosy. You can learn from every job that you take, no matter what. If you get a job as a messenger, you’ll learn how to walk around the streets.”
— Jerry Della Femina, veteran ad man and restaurateur
Show and tell
“Provide a link to something that you’ve made — a system, something you’re selling online. Or a physical thing, like a cool robot. Something that demonstrates your ability to think about both the big picture and the details. To execute an idea. To be resourceful. And to be fun to work with.”
— Mark Frauenfelder, founder of the blog Boing Boing and author of “Made by Hand: Searching for Meaning in a Throwaway World”
Less is more
“Think small. Many graduates focus on large companies with strong brand identity, but small and midsized companies are doing the most hiring right now. Their hiring managers often are more available, they make hiring decisions more quickly than larger companies, and they offer solid career growth.”
— Janice Bryant Howroyd, CEO, ACT-1 Group
Show passion
“Ask for the job. Briefly and honestly make your case for why you’re the one, and are 100 percent committed to the team’s success. Passion counts, but only so long as it is believable.”
— Barry Salzberg, CEO, Deloitte LLP
Don’t shun nepotism
“Be at peace with nepotism. People are just opening the door — you have to walk through, based on your qualifications, your skills, your talent. No one is going to give you something in this economy that you shouldn’t have.”
— Steve Langerud, director of career
development, DePauw University
Join!
“Get involved with a professional association. Newcomers can meet professionals, find mentors or opportunities for job shadowing and volunteering — even working part-time on special projects.”
— Sandra Richtermeyer, Institute of
Management Accountants
ON THE JOB
Put others first
“Remember that you’re there to be a servant and make those around you better. Even if you’re the CEO, your job is to serve. Be inspired to give and forget what you’re getting.”
— entrepreneur Russell Simmons
Keep your mouth shut
“Never speak first unless asked a direct question. I don’t think you necessarily know enough about what the other fellow wants to hear. If the boss comes to you and says, ‘Hey I’ve got no idea how to solve this problem. Give me some thoughts,’ that’s different. He’s asking for it. But if he’s not asking for it, don’t volunteer it.
And unless you’re Dustin Hoffman, stay away from the boss’s girlfriend.”
— Wayne Rogers, entrepreneur and actor
Stress your intangibles
“Mind your –ilities, as I like to call them. Since you’re completely unproven, your boss and colleagues can’t judge you on the quality of your work. They’ll be judging you on things like punctuality, dependability, likability, accountability and so on. First impressions are absolutely critical.”
— Emily Bennington, co-author of “Effective Immediately: How To Fit In, Stand Out and Move Up at Your First Real Job”
Explore your options
“After you start, spend some of your leisure hours preparing for your next job: going to lectures, volunteering in other fields that interest you, seeking informational interviews. You should always be in the job market when you’re just starting out.”
— Dan Biederman, president of the 34th Street Partnership
Always be networking
“Make creating long-term, mutually beneficial relationships a priority. If you wait until you get laid off or hate your current job, it’s too late. It takes years to create the type of friendships that become a pipeline of opportunities.”
— Thom Singer, author of “Some Assembly Required: A Networking Guide for Graduates”
Take an (appropriate) attitude
“Employers have a justifiable opinion of young workers being entitled. The best thing you can do on the front end is say, ‘I know I need to work to get where I want to be. I’m prepared to work. I obviously have things that are important to me and I’d like you to know what those are, but I’m not expecting to get everything from you without giving you what you want.’ It would eliminate a lot of the friction that occurs between employees and employers.”
— Corporate lecturer Jeff Havens, author of the grad’s advice book “How To Get Fired!”
Soldier on
“There are going to be bumps in the road in any new job. In order to make progress, learn to detach emotionally from those setbacks. When a fast-growing start-up she had founded failed, Trudy Sullivan, the CEO and president of The Talbots, felt like it would define her forever more. So in her letter to her younger self, her advice was: ‘You can’t take failure personally.’”
— Ellyn Spragins, editor, “What I Know Now About Myself: Letters From Extraordinary Women to Their Younger Selves”
Lend an ear
“Listen more. No one is listened to enough at work, and if you listen it marks you out from the crowd. Tilt your head slightly to one side, smile gently and nod your head to show how engaged you are in others. This action actually improves your active listening skill.”
— Mark Bowden, expert in nonverbal communication and author of “Winning Body Language.”