Corporations’ Expectations of College Graduates
Graduating from college and getting your first job is kind of like being pushed from the nest and being expected to fly without hitting the ground, or at least that’s the way it feels. For an early twenty-something, you’ve spent your entire life thus far honing your skills for the academic world only to be thrust into a new environment that requires a completely different set of skills.
Don’t worry, though, because corporations really don’t expect you to know everything. In fact, they know that you’re not even worth the money they’re paying you right out of school. Rather, they are making an investment in their future. You’re kind of like a baseball prospect starting out in single A ball.
So, let’s set the record straight. What is it that corporations actually expect of a new graduate? You might be surprised.
- Be open to constructive criticism. You need to be malleable and coachable. I know you spent the last 4-6 years of your life studying business, but that was text book, and you now have to learn reality. Don’t get upset if someone tells you how to do things, because they probably know better than you.
- Bring fresh ideas and concepts. You should be up to date on all the latest theory, so you might as well put it to use. Don’t be afraid to suggest something radical. You might sound dumb, but that’s OK, because you have plenty of time to recover. You’ll probably learn something useful in the process as well.
- Ask lots of questions. One of my favorite sayings is “There’s no such thing as a stupid question, only stupid silence.” The company won’t expect you to know everything, but they will expect you to ask if you don’t. If you don’t ask, you WILL make mistakes.
- Work hard. You won’t be nearly as efficient as your co-workers right out of the shoot, so you’ll have to work extra hard to make up for it. What you can’t do with your head, you must do with your legs. Your head will catch up eventually. Work hard and establish a good reputation while you’re young and before you have a family to worry about.
- Learn to cooperate with co-workers. One of the most challenging things out of school is to learn to interact effectively with people of all types. Up until now, everyone has basically been your same age as you, and you probably had a clique of like-minded friends that you clung to. Let that go, you need to work with everyone effectively.
- Become an adult. This is the time to make the transition to adulthood, which means working with adults and acting like an adult. Let your old fashions go. Lose the earrings, nose rings, tongue rings, etc. Cover your tattoos. Change your speech (e.g., don’t say “dude”, “man”, “like”, “seriously”, “oh my God”, etc.). I’m not trying to stifle your self expression, I’m just pointing out reality. When you get to work, there won’t be any employees that do these things. Also, you’ll lose interest in them yourself naturally over time as your priorities change.
If you haven’t picked up on the the theme here yet, I’ll sum it up for you in one word: metamorphosis. You, as a new college graduate, need to be ready to change the way you act, the way you dress, the way you speak, and your priorities in life. If you don’t like this, don’t go into business.
P.S. - It’s not as bad as it sounds. 
