I Got the Job!Now What??

J. David McMahon ’69

Associate Director

Texas A&M Career Center

How Do Employers “Grade” A&M Students

Resumes Cover let-ters

Interview preparation

Ability to articulate

skills

Company knowledge

Career di-rection

Professional demeanor

Maturity Realistic expectations

F 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

D 0 0 2 1 0 1 0 0 3

C 2 5 5 7 18 13 1 2 9

B 19 23 25 19 21 22 20 24 22

A 24 13 12 18 5 8 23 18 9

2.57.5

12.517.522.527.532.537.542.547.5

Do You Have a Career Plan?¨ 39% of college graduates do not have any

career plan¨ 69% lack knowledge to make an informed

career plan“If you don’t know where you are going,

any path will get you there.” – Alice in Wonderland

¨ What can you do with your major?¨ What do you really want to accomplish with

your major and career?“Jobs are owned by the company, you own

your career” – Earl Nightingale

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Four Generations

Generations Born Between….¨ Matures 1922 – 1943/46

¨ Baby Boomers 1943/46 – 1960/64

¨ Generation Xers 1960/64 – 1980

¨ Millennials 1980 - 2000

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Generation DifferencesMatures Boomers Gen X'ers Millennials

Successbecause…

Fought hard & won

Born into it andshould have it Have 2 jobs Teanacity

Style is ….Team player Self-absorbed Entrepreneur Team player

Leisure is …..Reward forhard work Point of life Relief Part of life

Education is… A dream A birthrightA way to get

ahead Life long

Managingmoney… Save Spend Hedge

Spend parentsmoney

Phone is…. Rotary Touch tone Cellular Wireless

Technology Slide rule CalculatorsSpreadsheets Nintendo

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Matures on the Job

Assets¨ Stable¨ Detail oriented¨ Thorough¨ Loyal¨ Hard working

Liabilities¨ Inept with ambiguity & change¨ Reluctant to buck system¨ Uncomfortable with conflict¨ Reticent when they disagree

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Baby Boomers on the JobAssets

¨ Service oriented¨ Driven¨ Willing to go the

“extra mile”¨ Good at

relationships¨ Want to please¨ Good team players

Liabilities¨ Not naturally

budget minded¨ Uncomfortable

with conflict¨ Reluctant to go

against peers¨ Put process ahead

of results¨ Sensitive to

feedback¨ Judgmental of

those who see things differently

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Gen Xers on the Job

Assets¨ Adaptable¨ Technoliterate¨ Independent¨ Not intimidated by authority¨ Creative

Liabilities¨ Impatient¨ Poor people skills¨ Inexperienced¨ Cynical

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Millennials on the Job

Assets¨ Collective action¨ Optimism¨ Tenacity¨ Multitasking capabilities¨ Technological savvy

Liabilities¨ Need for supervision and structure¨ Inexperience, particularly with handling

different people issues

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Realistic Expectations¨ There is no such thing as a dream job.¨ Don’t expect a 6 figure salary.¨ You are not going to be CEO in 5 years.¨ Every job comes with unpleasant responsibilities

– Dealing with customers, overtime, weekend/night duty, cleaning up, budgets, appraisals.

¨ You are not entitled to raises and promotions, you have to earn them.

¨ What are you going to contribute to the company? vs. What can the company do for me?

¨ Volunteer for tough projects or solve problems outside of your job role or responsibilities.

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Realistic Expectations¨ Profit Sharing

– The company has to achieve a profit above the cost of money first .... > 5%.

– You don’t always get rewards ¨ You know the theory, but you need to learn &

develop work savvy.¨ You’ll be working in global cultures – they

don’t pamper Americans – no kudos if you don’t contribute. No trophy for just showing up to work.

“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing,

you will be successful.”-Albert Schweitzer

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Realistic Expectations¨ Not just a 40 hour week.¨ Everyday is an 8 AM class.¨ 80/20 Rule – 80% of the loss is caused by 20%

of the problems.¨ Employees are ranked

– Highly valued, run-of-the-mill, lowly valued.– You must be better than good to be

considered indispensable.“It’s not what you do between 8 and 5

– it’s what you do between 5 and 8.”

- A&M Recruiter12

Realistic Expectations¨ Figure out the unwritten rules – is your

workforce really empowered?¨ Do you know how to take notes in a meeting? ¨ Employees who embrace and implement

change prosper while those who don’t struggle throughout their careers.

“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most

responsive to change.”

- Charles Darwin

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Realistic Expectations¨ Company is not paying you to spend as much

time as you want checking your Facebook or MySpace account, or responding to every text or e-mail message when it appears on your screen or phone, you are faced with rules and policies curtailing their use. Especially if it is a company supplied Cell phone or computer.

¨ What are the rules of communication within your new work environment:– is it okay to send a message with wallpaper or

border; address your boss in an e-mail as “Hey Jessica”; or forward a mass e-mail or YouTube video to a few co-workers?

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You Earn Respect When You Give Respect Manners Needed to Comeback, Readers Digest Facebook Followers, July 2011

¨ Looking people in the eye when spoken to.¨ No cursing in public.¨ A handshake with a proper greeting.¨ Written thank-you notes.¨ Calling people “Mr.”, “Mrs.”, or “Ms.”.¨ Chewing with your mouth closed.¨ “Yes, please”, “No, thank you”, “Excuse me”,

or “I’m sorry”.¨ A covered buttocks.

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Anticipate Failure¨ Learn from your mistakes.¨ Have you failed yet?

“Most great people have achieved their greatest success just one step beyond their greatest failure”

- Napoleon Hill¨ You are expected to complete assignments, on

time!¨ When things don’t go your way, GET OVER IT!

– Don’t take it to the TOP!¨ Embarrass your boss (or co-worker) and you lose

their loyalty.“I really didn’t say everything I said”

– Yogi Berra16

It’s Not About You, It’s About Economics 101

Do you know who is paying your salary?

Are you contributing to making a profit? Have you added profit or saved costs

that is as least

1 year’s worth of your salary and benefits?

$$$$17

THE GOLDEN RULE

“Them that have the gold, make the rules!”

– As long as it isn’t illegal or immoral, you probably ought to do it the company way.

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College Graduates Exhibit Less Professionalism Than Employers Expect ¨ Behaviors mentioned most as being

characteristic of professional employees– Personal interaction skills, including

courtesy and respect– Ability to communicate, which includes

listening skills– Work ethic which includes being motivated

and working on a task until it is complete– Appearance

Inside Higher Ed (10/23/09, Moltz)19

Your Momma Don’t Work Here

¨ Think and act for yourself¨ Employer hired you, not your

parents¨ Work out your own problems

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Top 6 Reasons for Firing College Graduate New Hires

¨ 28 % Unethical behavior ¨ 18 % Lack of motivation/work ethic¨ 14 % Inappropriate use of technology¨ 9 % Failure to follow instructions ¨ 8 % Late to work¨ 7 % Missing assignment deadlines

2007 survey of Employers by Collegiate Employment Research Institute

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How to Be the Employee Your Company Can’t Live Without

Glenn Shepard, John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 2006

1. Create your own job security by making yourself a highly valued employee

2. Learn what your supervisors’ values are3. Be highly productive, pro-active and low

maintenance“Things come to those who wait, but only

the things left behind by those who hustle.” - Abraham Lincoln

4. Answer questions before your boss asks them5. Earn your paycheck, the company will not

exist if it doesn’t make a profit

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How to Be the Employee Your Company Can’t Live Without6. Do whatever needs to be done, whenever it

needs to be done7. Take great pride and be the best at whatever

you do8. If you can’t be on time, be early9. Minimize unnecessary mistakes and learn how

to handle reasonable mistakes10. Polish your social graces if you want to

influence others“Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment”

– Ben Franklin

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How to Be the Employee Your Company Can’t Live Without

11. Adopt a strong work ethic – don’t let the monkeys pull you down your ladder of success

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work”

– Thomas Edison12. It’s hard to soar with eagles when you surround

yourself with turkeys13. Be proud of what you do, but let others know

you appreciate their work also – check your ego at the door

14. Your raise will become effective when you become more effective

15. 85% of people get promoted due to personal work skills, only 15% is due to their education 24

How to Be the Employee Your Company Can’t Live Without16. Understand the difference between failing

and making mistakes“In order to succeed, your desire for success should

be greater than your fear of failure” – Bill Cosby

17. Have a desire to solve the company problems, succeed in solving those problems, earn a reputation for your problem solving skills“We have no problems; however, we do have lots of

challenges and opportunities” – David McMahon

18. Don’t confuse activity with accomplishment; don’t give ultimatums; don’t break the chain of command; don’t underestimate your duty to serve your employer

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Bill Gates Advice¨ Rule 1: Life is not fair - get used to it! ¨ Rule 2 : The world won't care about your self-

esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

¨ Rule 3 : You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

¨ Rule 4 : If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

¨ Rule 5 : Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it “opportunity”.

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Bill Gates Advice

¨ Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

¨ Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try de-lousing the closet in your own room.

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Bill Gates Advice¨ Rule 8: Schools may have done away with

winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. Some schools have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

¨ Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.

¨ Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

¨ Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.

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George Bush (41) Advice1. Don’t get down when your life takes a

bad turn. Out of adversity comes challenge and often success.

2. Don’t blame others for your setbacks.3. When things go well, always give credit

to others.4. Don’t talk all the time. Listen to your

friends and mentors and learn from them.

5. Don’t brag about yourself. Let others point out your virtues, your strong points. 29

George Bush (41) Advice6. Give someone else a hand. When a

friend is hurting show that friend you care.

7. Nobody likes an overbearing big shot.8. As you succeed, be kind to people.

Thank those who help you along the way.

9. Don’t be afraid to shed a tear when your heart is broken because a friend is hurting.

10. Say your prayers.30

Two Wolves ¨ One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a

battle that goes on inside people. He said, “My son, the battle is between two ‘wolves’ inside us all.

¨ One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

¨ The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.”

¨ The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”

The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

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