Life After Graduation

The Work Has Only Just Begun

A while back I was speaking to a group of students from the Monfort College of Business at UNC. I was supposed to be enlightening these future leaders and business owners about HR issues and best practices. The conversation very quickly became a career counseling session. The students were nearing graduation. At this point, they were much more concerned with their own careers than they were in exploring the hiring and firing issues they would face as managers. So, I gave them my best advice…

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• Always do your best.
• Act like every minute of your life is an interview. It is.
• Lower your post-graduation salary expectations (and then go a little lower).
• Take a job (most any job) at a company that really inspires you.  Your career, especially the specific companies you work for, will shape you in ways you can yet imagine so choose employers wisely.
• Forget what your parents (or anyone else) will think and follow your passion.
• Find a need and fill it through volunteering your time and talent.  You do have time and this will draw out and refine the passionate leader in you.
• Network like crazy without regard to age, industry, political affiliation, income level, education, gender or race. 
• Seek out constructive feedback and advice from people you admire.
• Offer sincere thanks to every single person who offers you help.
• Work hard. Play hard.

The transition from college to career is often a time of great hope and fear. Dream big. Be fearless. You will soon realize that school was a breeze. The work has only just begun.