Reader Responses May 28, 2009

SURVEY SAYS: Got Some Advice for the Class of 2009?

May 28, 2009 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - This week I asked readers to share the best entry career advice they ever got - and what words of wisdom, if any, they would offer to the class of 2009?
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This week I asked readers to share the best entry career advice they ever got – and what  words of wisdom, if any, they would offer to the class of 2009 ?  

One comment I got a lot on the “advice” given to readers was – well, as one reader explained, “I can’t recall that I got any. Of course, that was 30 years ago, when I was young, and already knew everything, so I probably just wasn’t listening. Oh, yeah, now I remember. It was “Plastics.”

“One word — PLASTICS I didn’t listen.”

(editor’s note – for those who don’t get the reference, check out “The Graduate.”)

Some Personal Favorites

Now, words of wisdom are personal – and while we all have our favorites, here are some of mine from this week’s responses:

“Work hard and be nice to people.

“Be loyal to yourself and your career, not your employer. By being loyal to yourself and your career, your employer will benefit.

“Get to work early, work hard while there, don’t watch the clock and volunteer to learn as many jobs as you can.

“Always do what you say you will do. Limit the drama. This is a place of work, not your family reunion.”

“Don’t spend your life doing something you don’t like.”

“Don’t put it in an email.”

“Find our who your boss is (not always as clear as you might think). Find out what your boss wants done. Do it.”

“Find out what your boss needs to make his/her job easier and do it.”

…and my own personal ” Editor’s Choice ” – “Do something you love, and you’ll never work a day of your life!

My first boss told me to be careful with who I hung around with and ate lunch with at work, because I would become associated with that group, and that it would be difficult to overcome that image if I made a poor selection.
Get to work early, work hard while there, don't watch the clock and volunteer to learn as many jobs as you can. Those words have help me dodge downsizing and layoffs over the years.
1. Show up for work every scheduled day-skipping work will get you fired 2. Take pride in your work-do it right or ask for help 3. An education shows you know how to learn so learn all you can 4. If you don't like the job find another one before leaving-it is easier to get a job when you have a job
Unfortunately I don't think I got any; could be why I'm still figuring out what I want to be when I grow up!
One step at a time...
Show up and do the best you can every day.
If I had one, I wouldn't be here and still working.
Keep your nose clean.
Don't focus on your degree. Focus on your skill set and how it can work to your advantage in any job.
Don't put in in an email.
Find out what your boss needs to make his/her job easier and do it.
A Bachelor's degree is not pre-professional training. It does not entitle you to anything. It does not make you too educated to do anything. You still have to start at the bottom and work your way up.
Oddly enough, that I would never last a year in that specific job - not tough enough. It made me determined and I stayed just short of nine years. For certain individuals a challenge is more helpful than platitudes.
Never received any advice, just "get a job".
Didn't get any. Maybe that's why I am where I am today....
Employment security comes from finding ways to increasingly add to your skill set - keep learning and adding to what you know and what you can do. It keeps you marketable. Always do what you say you will do. Limit the drama. This is a place of work, not your family reunion.
When I earned my BA degree in 1983 and had a tough time finding a job my retired uncle told me he felt these were very hard times. After reflecting on these words (from a man whe spent his childhood in German occupied Belgium during WWI, came to the US to experience the Great Depression, and fought for the US in WWII) I gained some perspective and moved to another state to take a lower level position. I have earned another degree and advanced through the ranks in the last 25 years. His generation has taught me to be willing to take action and make sacrifices to reach long-term goals.
Don't spend your life doing something you don't like.
This is what our CEO calls "do-right rule" - You do the right thing first every time because it is the right thing to do.
Do something fun - and get involved in your community - the nicest people you'll ever meet are those volunteering to make your town a better place.
When you see a man/woman at the top of the mountain, you can assume s/he did not fall there.
I can't recall that I got any. Of course, that was 30 years ago, when I was young, and already knew everything, so I probably just wasn't listening. Oh, yeah, now I remember. It was "Plastics."
I was fortunate enough to be graduated from an "Ivy", and saw that a few of my fellow Ivy grads turned their noses up to the basic tasks like files that were often assigned to newbys. A senior manager had a little chat after one of these dramatic "I did not go to an Ivy League school to file" episodes, where she suggested that one way to success was to do whatever we could to add value to the organization - - if that meant management saw that we could add value by cleaning the toilets, we should embrace it. She did not really intend to have us do the cleaning, but it opened my eyes to the idea of rolling up my sleeves to jump into any task, as a team player.
Be loyal to yourself and your career, not your employer. By being loyal to yourself and your career, your employer will benefit.
Try to marry the chairman of the boards daughter but if that doesn't happen make a great first impression and always give 110% effort.
Find our who your boss is (not always as clear as you might think). Find out what your boss wants done. Do it.
Keep learning and your principles high...ANY job worth doing is worth doing well.
That contrary to what my professor told me, the world was not waiting for me to happen! And to be patient. Unless you are born into the family business, rarely do you start as CEO or CFO or any other "lofty" position! Ya gotta pay your dues!
Be polite, send a thank you note to the person(s) who interviewed you. A good handwritten note addressed to the person or persons who interviewed you can go a long way. Have someone proofread your resume. First impressions are important. Dress for sucess.
My senior year of high school a teacher assigned us to write letters to ourselves that would be mailed at a future date of our choosing. I sent myself a letter to be delivered at college graduation. In which, I very wisey, had placed $5.00 assuming I would be poor. Good advise from my 18 year old self, save and stow away money. Also any job is better than starving.
One word --- PLASTICS I didn't listen.
Think... Before you speak...
It's not necessarily what you know, it's who you know. Look in your different networks (i.e. your friends, your parents friends, etc.) as a possible starting point when looking for job. They may know someone who has some influence in a hiring decision. In most cases, you are going to have to start off on the ground floor. It is your chance to excel. Once you have the job, it does not matter what you did in school, you have to prove yourself everyday and work hard. Your degree helps you get your initial interview. After that, it is all up to you what happens next.
work hard and be nice to people.
You will learn more in your first 3 months on the job than you learned in the last four years of college. So very true!
that was too long ago - I think the best motivation was my dad saying that he could never picture me working at a job.
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

For those of you in the Class of 2009 - or those of you wanting to pass along the collective wisdom, here's what readers had to say:

I graduated from college during a very difficult recession in the early 80's, and it took me a year and a half to land my first professional job out of college. Here is what worked for me then. I stayed on campus, started an MBA worked two part-time jobs to make ends meet. This impressed my first employer more than my having a bachelor's degree.
Keep going to school. Find a career you like so the years speed by.

Two things: 1. Of course, Plastics! (although I'm not sure how many in the class of 2009 will get the reference).

2. More seriously, if you can, get a job that will provide good training. That will be more important to you in the long run that a few extra dollars.

It's great to make your own money but normally you start at the bottom and work up. Don't put a minimum on what you will take for example $15 per hour. You will lose out on job opportunities that older adults are now completing applications for-just because you have picked a minimum wage rate. If you are going to college, you need to get a part-time job. You will have experience in the work world when other applicants only have college classes on their resumes. This goes a long way when you are looking for your first real job out of college.
Find your passion. If you enjoy doing it, the money is a bonus.
Don't be afraid/ashamed to start at the bottom. The people are more genuine, have better ideas, and are less likely to kill your dreams. Working hard to achieve a certain goal affords you the opportunity to understand all levels and provides a perspective not typically achieved by starting at the top.
Leave your pretty face piercing jewelry at home until you get to know whether the company dress codes and culture accepts it.
As Rodney Dangerfield said in the 1985 classic 'Back to School' - 'Stay in school. It's a jungle out there'.
Don't let today's problems dictate and blur your vision for the future. If you are passionate about a specific career, keep your focus and go for it. Keep trying and you will succeed.
Work hard and smart but always delineate work and your personal life. Make time for yourself.
Just one word. Plastics!
Don't put it on your Facebook page.
If you are lucky you studied what you love and can look forward to 50 years of working in a field that satisfies you. If you are unlucky, take the opportunity presented by the tight job market and learn to do something that you really enjoy. Avoid the mistakes of my generation, and learn to do what you love BEFORE you spend the next 20 years doing something you hate...
Others at your company are not your enemies and finding creative ways of working together with everyone (as far as possible) accomplishes the most. Companies that succeed have genuine teamwork. Come to think of it, I'd like to offer that advice to the top three executives in my company too.
Good luck!
Move from company to company if you want to move up the ladder. That is the fastest and most lucrative way to go.
Be ready to earn your stripes and prove yourself in many small ways. Respect the experience and viewpoints of others (doesn't mean you have to agree but be respectful). Get a professional network going and always, always keep it alive.
Be willing to take action and make sacrifices to reach long-term goals.
I would tell them to follow the "do-right rule", and also tell them that, when they mess up (that's a when, not an if), run it up the flag pole. Never try to cover over anything!
In the words of Thornton Mellon (Rodney Dangerfield) in the movie "Back To School", "Don't go! It's a jungle out there!" Go to grad school.
Be humble; listen.
Life will take you down many paths, and you will not end up where you thought you would. Embrace the journey.
Please do not fall into the "I don't have to take this" mindset. People who were working before the late 90s know that we all have to "take" things at work, do things that we feel are beneath us, and put up with problem customers. It is all part of the job.
Neither a borrower or a lender be.
I attended a college graduation in Florida several years ago. Steve Forbes was the featured speaker and Irving R. Levine, the former chief economics correspondent for NBC News introduced him. In the introduction, Mr. Levine said, "Every year Mr. Forbes publishes a list of the 500 richest people in the world. After you wake up in the morning, look at the list. If you're not on it, go to work."
Being all that you can be takes hard work, luck and time.
Get gainfully employed, but don't fret over the pay. Just make sure it's something you enjoy doing. Don't get caught up in having to climb the ladder but instead make each day count and remember it's all about the journey not the destination.
This too shall pass.
Maintain high ethical standards especially when those around you do not. Thank those who support you...no matter what you think, no one ever did it alone.
You gotta pay your dues. Work hard and keep out of trouble. And have patience... good things do come!
Be patient and don't settle. Work part-time to gain experience but wait for the job opportunity that fits you the best.
Apply on http://www.usajobs.gov. The Federal Government is a nice steady place to work. Depending on the agency, and the divisions of the agency, one can move up the career ladder quickly. Do not give up. The government is slow to respond. The hiring process can seem like it takes forever. Clean up your myspace and other social networking sites. Employers are checking. Do not lie on your resume, especially if applying for a federal job. The government has been known to use a lie on the resume or other job application to fire or demote people since it is done under penalty of perjury.
Get a job to pay the bills first. You can work on your dream job later...
Learn how to duck.
If you're not a geek... Become one!
be flexible. The job you hold at any point in time will change, and you must constantly re-invent yourself.
Lose your sense of entitlement--quickly!
-Be on-time and be willing to learn about the business on your own and learn from your supervisors. -If temporarily living at home is an option, don't be too proud to take advantage of it. -If you are establishing a new house or apartment, don't expect it to be furnished to the same degree as your parents (or your friends). They either had many years to accumulate "stuff" or spent too much in the process. -Push ups and sit ups in the living room or a walk/jog around the block or wherever is much less expensive than a club membership and likely just as effective

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