Picture this. A new graduate from a top-notch school who has had fabulous internships at all the right big-name companies and is in the process of accepting a low-paying entry level position while having a major chip on his shoulder. This can be a Human Resource manager’s biggest nightmare and a potentially torturous experience for the department head!
With the high number of recent graduates in the job market, in addition to the impact of the recession, companies have had their pick of high-flying potential employees to fulfill the heavy administrative and process-driven positions. These positions are essential not only to the company, but also to the recent graduate.
Some students think their education has finished since they were smart enough to graduate college and get a job. Many graduates, however, started their job search months before graduation and when they finally get an offer, the false reality of a corner office, six-figure salary, and jet-setting overseas to meetings are diminished. Candidates must realize they will get what they deserve and not what they want. You may be flying high because you finally finished college after four long years of hard work, but a reality check must be put into place. You must crawl before you walk!
Never ask in an interview or when you first get into the position when you will receive a promotion or how quickly it will take to be promoted. This is a total turnoff and red flag for employers. They are looking for individuals who will not try and “buck the system” because they feel they are above doing the grunt work. You have to pay your dues!
An entry level position is just that: an entry level position. You are there to learn the culture of the company, how to work in a business or corporate setting, how to interact with high-level business leaders, and how to execute projects and assignments on time.
There are people with more experience than you who are more than willing to take your position and will be able to crank out the work ten times as fast with great, if not flawless, accuracy.
You are continuing to lay down the foundation of your career, so why not learn the business and dissect the function of the position to the company as a whole? You will be able to assess your strengths and weaknesses and determine whether you see yourself growing in that industry or role.
Be open to doing the mundane and non-glamorous tasks. What may seem tedious can help connect the dots as to why things are done and how decisions are made. You can ultimately become the gatekeeper and first line of defense. With the right attitude you can become the “go-to” person, which will get you the recognition needed to get to the next level.
Knock the chip off your shoulder and transform the entry level duties into stepping stones towards the corner office on the 50th floor.
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