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- Class of 2022 college graduates can expect more job options and higher pay.
- C-suite executives advise grads to prioritize development over money when choosing their first job.
- Insider spoke with top leaders and CEOs who shared career advice for graduates.
It's commencement time and college graduates are entering a competitive job market as US employers are hiring 31.6% more graduates compared with last year, and paying them 2.5% more than starting salaries for hires from the Class of 2021.
The market gives the Class of 2022 the advantage of a plethora of employment choices and a higher career-earning trajectory. However, C-suite executives advise new grads to consider more than just earning potential when choosing their first role.
Insider spoke with top leaders who shared career advice for new graduates. They said to prioritize development and relationships over money, and make sure graduates' values are aligned with their employers'.
The responses have been edited for brevity and clarity.
PwC
PwC ranks as the second-largest professional services network in the world and is considered one of the Big Four accounting firms.
Align your values with your employer:
We know money matters, but look at the company's reputation, look at their culture, look at how they stand by people. How did they react to the financial crisis? How did they react to the pandemic? How are they reacting now?
Advice for long-term success:
I try to give advice, not only for today but 40 years from now. The first piece of advice is to treat people with respect. We all make those mistakes, including me, but when you make a mistake, say "sorry."
The second piece of advice is, don't just point out problems, but point out solutions and be part of the solution. It's easy to point out problems, and God knows there are plenty of them, but get involved in resolving them.
Don't forget your personal life:
And, the last one is to remember it starts at home. If someone is not happy at home, it's hard for them to be sustainably satisfied at work. So, therefore, the biggest job people have is at home.
Overstock.com
Overstock.com is an online retailer of furniture and home goods.
Make your boss's life easier
My best employees, the people that get promoted, are people that make my life easier. They see problems, they identify problems, and they work to solve problems.
Someone who comes to me and says, "Jonathan, here's something that's wrong." That's useful. But someone who comes to me and says, "Jonathan, here's something that's wrong. Here's what I think we should do — and I'd like to do it." That's what managers are looking for.
Be a constant learner
You may think that your learning is over after college, but it's just beginning. When I graduated from law school, e-commerce wasn't a thing, and I became the CEO of an e-commerce company.
When I first became the president of Overstock, blockchain wasn't a thing. And eight years later, I was the president of our blockchain investment arm. That's because I like to learn what I'm going to be doing 10 years from now. So I always tell my kids, what you're going to be doing in 20 years may not exist today, so be a constant learner.
Find friends at work
Having a friend at work makes all the difference. Today, so many of us are remote or part-time. If you have a friend, that person can help you when you're down, they can serve as a peer mentor.
Automation Anywhere
Automation Anywhere is a global software company that develops cloud automation services.
Choose the right company:
Some years ago, I read a study on the presidents of the United States. They've been asked through the ages: "Who's the most influential person in your life?" Of course, the number one answer is always their mother. The second one, though, is their first employer. And that's profound.
As a first employer, you think about what that responsibility is to young people as they start their careers. It's massive in terms of how you set the framework and expectations for how they will be treated in the workplace and what their potential could be in the workplace.
My advice to new grads is to choose their first employer really well. The first employer you have out of college helps define who you're going to be in the future. You have to seek a place that is going to share your values. Remember, you make the choice. They make an offer to you, and you get the final word about whether you'll take it. You have all the power in that relationship.
Courtesy of Richard Handler
Jefferies Financial Group is an investment bank based in New York City with more than 4,750 employees worldwide. The firm's asset-management division holds $39 billion in assets.
Find your passion:
Find a job that you genuinely have a passion for, and make sure the people you choose to work with will take a personal interest in you as a person.
Prioritize your development:
You want to work with people who will allow you to ask questions and make mistakes — expose you to the people and situations that will enable you to learn, and want you to have a career with them and not just a job.
Don't forget your personal life:
Force yourself to have some quality-of-life balance, build as many positive and real relationships as humanly possible, act like a long-term owner of your company even if you have only been there for a week, and remember that your reputation and integrity will always be your most valuable asset in life.
Tapestry Inc
Tapestry, Inc. is a multinational luxury fashion holding company. Originally named Coach, Inc., Tapestry is the parent company of three major brands: Coach New York, Kate Spade New York, and Stuart Weitzman.
Prioritize your development:
Make sure you can see a career path where you can grow. Whether that's an assignment in a different part of the world or an assignment in a different brand or different discipline, having mobility opportunities will broaden your horizons. My biggest advice to anybody is to always be broadening their career path. You never want to cut off your avenues of growth.
Align your values with your employer:
You have to be you. Ensure that you're working in a company that respects your values.
Newell Brands
Newell Brands is a global manufacturer, marketer, and distributor of consumer and commercial products, with brands including Rubbermaid, Mr. Coffee, Marmot, Elmer's, and Yankee Candle.
Prioritize your development:
Make sure it's a place where you can learn. Don't worry about what they pay you or your title. If you have two or three offers, be courageous enough to reject the higher offer if you can learn more. Find a place you'll stay and learn and learn and learn — where they'll move you to different areas. Learning is so critical in those formative years. Don't be lured by who will pay you an extra buck.
Align your values with your employer:
Find a company that fits your ethos your values. Fit is pretty essential, especially in that first job. Those early formative years are so crucial to your career. Also, make sure you have good chemistry with your hiring manager.
ADM
The Archer-Daniels-Midland Company, is a nutrition, food processing, and commodities company whose broad product lineup ranges from high-fructose corn syrup to products used in gasoline and cosmetics.
Advice for long-term success:
I have adult children who are entering the workforce and my advice to them is, be patient. They are of this digital generation with everything available to them right at their fingertips. They have information, they have answers, they have pictures, they have insights. They have been raised in a culture of immediacy — immediate satisfaction, immediate information. That's just not the way companies work.
Edgewell
Edgewell Personal Care manufactures, distributes, and markets personal care goods, including feminine, skin, sun-care, and shaving products.
Find your passion:
I've had these conversations with my daughters. What I would tell grads is what I've told them: Do what you like and like what you do. When you like what you do, you want to do it. It's not a long slog. When you're doing something you don't like, you don't look forward to it. You try to minimize the time you do it.
Align your values with your employer:
Make sure your values match not only with the company but also with your hiring manager. If you don't walk away from an interview with the hiring manager feeling really good about that interaction, pay attention to that. If you don't leave the discussion saying, "I like that person. I think I can trust them," you probably want to pass on that job. You'll know when it's right.
Choose the right company:
Pick a company that will invest in you and challenges you to grow and develop. It's not just the formal training, go with a company that will give you real work to do — a real job — and trust you to make mistakes and recover.
Look for companies that try to develop their leadership from within. There are many companies out there that are learning and growth-oriented, and there are many that are not. Procter & Gamble, for instance, has a reputation for promoting from within. And military organizations, any branch of the military, they don't hire general officers or admirals, they develop them.
This article was originally published on May 31.
source https://www.businessinsider.com/advice-to-class-of-2022-college-grads-corporate-america-2022-5