Welcome to the Real World

Sounds sarcastic, doesn’t it? I don’t mean it to be, nor am I drawing parallels to the popular MTV reality show, but a whole new set of college graduates is about to descend onto the work scene looking for that first real job. Many students, mine included, say they are about to join the “real world.”

I say welcome them with open arms.

Certainly, the employment picture is dismal and many of my graduating seniors and M.B.A. students are finding it very difficult to find jobs. They are even finding it difficult to get interviews. But, some have landed jobs already. Good jobs. And others are in the final interview process for other jobs. There is hope.

I try to help them. I have some good industry contacts and sometimes make a call on their behalf. Other times I advise them on the process of finding a job. That is where the conversation takes an awkward turn. Many of the students tell me they send out hundreds of resumes to job posting sites and use other online submissions. They lament that they get very few, or no, responses.

When I recommend the increased use of the telephone and networking they begin to get uncomfortable. They are squarely part of the digital generation, entering a tumultuous job market inhabited by those with less of a digital acumen and a greater reliance on face to face communication. See the rub?

So to all of you hiring managers out there, give a new grad a break. We do need to meet them at least part of the way, if not half way. They are well educated, well prepared, and well intentioned. They are also a bit shy. We all remember our first ‘real’ jobs, and those in the workplace who hired us and took us under their wing to show us the proverbial ropes. Time to play it forward.