I Got the Job!
Now What??
J. David McMahon ’69
Associate Director
Texas A&M Career Center
“It’s not what we
know that gets us in
trouble. It’s what we
know that ain’t so.”
- Will Rogers
2
Four Generations
Generations
 Matures
Born Between….
1922 – 1943/46
 Baby Boomers
1943/46 – 1960/64
 Generation Xers
1960/64 – 1980
 Millennials
1980 - 2000
3
Generation Differences
Matures
Boomers
Success
because…
Fought
hard & won
Born into it and
should have it
Have 2 jobs
Teanacity
Style is ….
Team
player
Self-absorbed
Entrepreneur
Team player
Leisure is …..
Reward for
hard work
Point of life
Relief
Part of life
A birthright
A way to get
ahead
Life long
Education is… A dream
Gen X'ers
Millennials
Managing
money…
Save
Spend
Hedge
Spend parents
money
Phone is….
Rotary
Touch tone
Cellular
Wireless
Calculators
Spread
sheets
Nintendo
Technology
Slide rule
4
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
5
Baby Boomers on the Job
Assets
 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
6
Gen Xers on the Job
Assets
 Adaptable
 Technoliterate
 Independent
 Not intimidated by
authority
 Creative
Liabilities
 Impatient
 Poor people skills
 Inexperienced
 Cynical
7
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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How Do Employers “Grade”
A&M Students - 2014
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
A
B
C
D
F
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?
10
Do You Have a Career Plan?
 What brings that sparkle to your eye or
fire in your belly?
 What are the 3 to 5 things you see
yourself doing with your degree for the
company?
 What future jobs in the company excited
you, that you see yourself doing?
“Jobs are owned by the company, you own
your career”
– Earl Nightingale
11
Realistic Expectations
Needing Improvement
Employers’ Feedback
♦ 72% Oral communications
♦ 71% Written communications
♦ 64% Entitlement attitude
♦ 63% Constructive criticism
♦ 42% >40 Hour work week
♦ 41% Pay for performance
♦ 41% Not automatic promotions
♦ 26% Professional dress
12
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 first.
– You don’t always get rewards.
 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.
 Everyday is an 8 AM class.
 There is no “drop a class.”
 Not just a 40 hour week.
“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
14
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 at least 1 year’s worth of your salary and
benefits?
“There is only one boss. The customer. And he can
fire everybody in the company from the chairman
on down, simply by spending his money somewhere
else.” - Sam Walton
15
Realistic Expectations
 80/20 Rule – 80% of the loss is caused by 20%
of the problems.
“Never mistake activity for achievement.”
- John Wooden
 Your first appraisal will probably be a “C”.
– 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 Recruiter
16
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.
“If you're doing something the same way you have
been doing it for ten years, the chances are you are
doing it wrong."
- Charles F. Kettering - American inventor
and businessman
17
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?
18
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.
19
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 Berra
21
Employers Rank Most Important
Skills/Qualities in New College Hires
Make decisions, solve problems
Verbal communications in/out company
Obtain & process information
Plan, organize, prioritize work
Analyze quantitative data
Technical knowledge
Computer software proficiency
Create and/or edit written reports
Sell or influence others
4.7
4.6
4.6
4.5
4.4
4.2
4.1
3.7
3.6
(5-Extremely Important, 4-Very Important, 3-Somewhat Important)
NACE: Job Outlook 2014 Spring Update
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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)
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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 %
 18 %
 14 %
 9%
 8%
 7%
Unethical behavior
Lack of motivation/work ethic
Inappropriate use of technology
Failure to follow instructions
Late to work
Missing assignment deadlines
2007 survey of Employers by
Collegiate Employment Research Institute
25
How to Be the Employee Your
Company Can’t Live Without
Glenn Shepard, John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 2006
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Create your own job security by making
yourself a highly valued employee
Learn what your supervisors’ values are
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
Answer questions before your boss asks them
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 Without
Do whatever needs to be done, whenever it
needs to be done
7. Take great pride and be the best at whatever
you do
8. If you can’t be on time, be early
9. Minimize unnecessary mistakes and learn how
to handle reasonable mistakes
10. Polish your social graces if you want to
influence others
6.
“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
27
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 Edison
12. It’s hard to soar with eagles when you surround
yourself with turkeys
13. 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 28
How to Be the Employee Your
Company Can’t Live Without
16. Understand the difference between failing
and making mistakes
"The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling,
but in rising every time we fall." -Nelson Mandela
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
29
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 vicepresident 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.
31
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.
32
George Bush (41) Advice
1. Don’t get down when your life takes a
2.
3.
4.
5.
bad turn. Out of adversity comes
challenge and often success.
Don’t blame others for your setbacks.
When things go well, always give credit
to others.
Don’t talk all the time. Listen to your
friends and mentors and learn from
them.
Don’t brag about yourself. Let others
point out your virtues, your strong
points.
33
George Bush (41) Advice
6. Give someone else a hand. When a
7.
8.
9.
10.
friend is hurting show that friend you
care.
Nobody likes an overbearing big shot.
As you succeed, be kind to people.
Thank those who help you along the
way.
Don’t be afraid to shed a tear when
your heart is broken because a friend is
hurting.
Say your prayers.
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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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