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From College To Career During CovidA View From A Young ProfessionalBy Matthew Gushée, LSI Certified Coach and HR Professional |
“It is not about what you know, It is about who you know” - Mary B. Gushée
That is one quote that has been said more than once, and from more than one person.
This idea was passed down from the older generation to me as a member of Generation Z. To this day it has been one of the truest aspects to my journey throughout life. I graduated from High Point University in the spring of 2020 with a Bachelors's degree in Human Relations and minors in Nonprofit Management and Leadership. My targeted career field post-graduation was Headhunting/Recruiting, but as the COVID-19 Pandemic increased, all job opportunities for young people entering the workforce decreased rapidly. Even those young professionals who were currently in the workplace faced the brunt of the layoffs to salvage the remains of struggling companies.
The question for all young professionals right now, both entering the workforce and the ones who were laid off is: "How do we get from unemployment to working for a company we want to be working at during a pandemic?"
Different people will give you different answers, all of which could be great advice, but here is my story and my take. My future and success is completely determined by me, and if I can’t be in the field of my choice right now I ask myself the following question: "How can I take steps to get there?" I also pose the question to you:
"How can you get from where you are at to where you want to be?"
It is known that about 85% of all first jobs are obtained through someone you know. Or more simply put, your network is what helps you land that job. This is true for me even now during a Pandemic. Graduating college I decided if my desired job is not available then I am going to move to my desired location and put my self in a position to obtain that job when it opens up. I packed up all my things and committed to moving and settling in the great state of Colorado. No job, no leads, just a plan to network with people and utilize a social media platform called LinkedIn. As soon as I moved into my neighborhood in Fort Collins, I started getting to know my neighbors and sharing my story about what brought me out here. Some I got closer with than others, but my goal was to become known and make others aware of my situation and hope to find future employment. During the first couple of weeks moving to Colorado I scheduled out my days from 9-5 to be working on LinkedIn by sending messages, emails, and making phone calls. After a couple of weeks of targeting my desired jobs and getting nothing, I shifted my mindset by asking myself another question.
"What can I currently be doing to better myself professionally and expand my network?"
I knew I lacked sales experience for a competitive Recruiting position, and I also lacked a larger network of people in Fort Collins, Colorado. The people I knew were my landlords and my immediate neighbors. After I started considering the two things I needed most to help get myself to where I wanted to be, Sales and a bigger network, I shifted my job search mindset. Then I came across two companies called Next Door Photos and Chick-fil-a. Next Door Photos is a real estate photography company and Chick-fil-a is a large and successful fast-food restaurant chain. I knew of Next Door Photos (NDP) because one of my friends is starting his franchise and I was also familiar with their business model. So I gave the owner of NDP Northern Colorado, Adam Eaton, a call and talked myself into working for him part-time and with the ability to make some cold calls to get that sales experience. I reached out to the manager of my local Chick-Fil-A in response to an open position working in hospitality. To me, I saw a networking powerhouse, both successful internal people and successful customers. I took both of these jobs working to fill this ‘in-between gap’ of unemployment, but also to improve my skills and increase my network of people.
All these little, maybe insignificant things on the surface helped me land my first full time, salary position with a reputable company. Fast forward to mid-July, I have been working two part-time jobs for about 2 months. The neighbor I met within the first week of moving to Fort Collins told me that his auto dealership was looking to hire a Sales and Service advisor position. My neighbor prefaced this opportunity to me with, "they never look for people outside of the company but they asked me if I knew of someone with great personal skills and some sales experience”. Both of which I was currently obtaining from my part-time jobs. He gave them my name, I went in for an interview, and was given the position. For me, a 23-year-old young professional, to receive a position where my co-workers have been working at this position for an average of 20 years was a huge achievement. I also walked into this job knowing that there is the possibility for horizontal and vertical movement within the company. Additionally, I knew that it was an opportunity to continue to develop and work on my strengths and weaknesses to get from where I am to where I want to be.
So, what is the secret to going from graduating college, or being let go as a young professional, to a career that you want to be in and at a place you want to be in. Here is my advice as reflected in my story:
It is not just about what you know, it is about who you know.
The need to network with people and get to know others is more valuable than you might think. That person might just come to you with a job that you have been dreaming of, or that person might be able to refer you for the position you have been dreaming of. If you are not the type of person that is outgoing enough to be comfortable doing such things, that is okay.
This is one reason Leadership Systems created Pathways! This tool exists to help young people get from where they are to where they want to be. Not alone but together.
That is one quote that has been said more than once, and from more than one person.
This idea was passed down from the older generation to me as a member of Generation Z. To this day it has been one of the truest aspects to my journey throughout life. I graduated from High Point University in the spring of 2020 with a Bachelors's degree in Human Relations and minors in Nonprofit Management and Leadership. My targeted career field post-graduation was Headhunting/Recruiting, but as the COVID-19 Pandemic increased, all job opportunities for young people entering the workforce decreased rapidly. Even those young professionals who were currently in the workplace faced the brunt of the layoffs to salvage the remains of struggling companies.
The question for all young professionals right now, both entering the workforce and the ones who were laid off is: "How do we get from unemployment to working for a company we want to be working at during a pandemic?"
Different people will give you different answers, all of which could be great advice, but here is my story and my take. My future and success is completely determined by me, and if I can’t be in the field of my choice right now I ask myself the following question: "How can I take steps to get there?" I also pose the question to you:
"How can you get from where you are at to where you want to be?"
It is known that about 85% of all first jobs are obtained through someone you know. Or more simply put, your network is what helps you land that job. This is true for me even now during a Pandemic. Graduating college I decided if my desired job is not available then I am going to move to my desired location and put my self in a position to obtain that job when it opens up. I packed up all my things and committed to moving and settling in the great state of Colorado. No job, no leads, just a plan to network with people and utilize a social media platform called LinkedIn. As soon as I moved into my neighborhood in Fort Collins, I started getting to know my neighbors and sharing my story about what brought me out here. Some I got closer with than others, but my goal was to become known and make others aware of my situation and hope to find future employment. During the first couple of weeks moving to Colorado I scheduled out my days from 9-5 to be working on LinkedIn by sending messages, emails, and making phone calls. After a couple of weeks of targeting my desired jobs and getting nothing, I shifted my mindset by asking myself another question.
"What can I currently be doing to better myself professionally and expand my network?"
I knew I lacked sales experience for a competitive Recruiting position, and I also lacked a larger network of people in Fort Collins, Colorado. The people I knew were my landlords and my immediate neighbors. After I started considering the two things I needed most to help get myself to where I wanted to be, Sales and a bigger network, I shifted my job search mindset. Then I came across two companies called Next Door Photos and Chick-fil-a. Next Door Photos is a real estate photography company and Chick-fil-a is a large and successful fast-food restaurant chain. I knew of Next Door Photos (NDP) because one of my friends is starting his franchise and I was also familiar with their business model. So I gave the owner of NDP Northern Colorado, Adam Eaton, a call and talked myself into working for him part-time and with the ability to make some cold calls to get that sales experience. I reached out to the manager of my local Chick-Fil-A in response to an open position working in hospitality. To me, I saw a networking powerhouse, both successful internal people and successful customers. I took both of these jobs working to fill this ‘in-between gap’ of unemployment, but also to improve my skills and increase my network of people.
All these little, maybe insignificant things on the surface helped me land my first full time, salary position with a reputable company. Fast forward to mid-July, I have been working two part-time jobs for about 2 months. The neighbor I met within the first week of moving to Fort Collins told me that his auto dealership was looking to hire a Sales and Service advisor position. My neighbor prefaced this opportunity to me with, "they never look for people outside of the company but they asked me if I knew of someone with great personal skills and some sales experience”. Both of which I was currently obtaining from my part-time jobs. He gave them my name, I went in for an interview, and was given the position. For me, a 23-year-old young professional, to receive a position where my co-workers have been working at this position for an average of 20 years was a huge achievement. I also walked into this job knowing that there is the possibility for horizontal and vertical movement within the company. Additionally, I knew that it was an opportunity to continue to develop and work on my strengths and weaknesses to get from where I am to where I want to be.
So, what is the secret to going from graduating college, or being let go as a young professional, to a career that you want to be in and at a place you want to be in. Here is my advice as reflected in my story:
It is not just about what you know, it is about who you know.
The need to network with people and get to know others is more valuable than you might think. That person might just come to you with a job that you have been dreaming of, or that person might be able to refer you for the position you have been dreaming of. If you are not the type of person that is outgoing enough to be comfortable doing such things, that is okay.
This is one reason Leadership Systems created Pathways! This tool exists to help young people get from where they are to where they want to be. Not alone but together.
Are You A Student Or Young Professional Looking To Discover Your Future?
LEADERSHIP SYSTEMS IS HERE TO HELP!
Click the link here to find out more about our PATHWAYS Student Career Planning and get started today in making your next step the right step by learning WHO you are and WHAT motivates you to success!
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Matthew Gushée holds Bachelors's degree in Human Relations and minors in Nonprofit Management and Leadership from High Point University. Not only is he a trained and certified coach with Leadership Systems, but he has international coaching and business experience leading and supporting companies abroad. Matthew is also a representative for LSI's Pathways Student Career Planning and would love to connect and answer your questions about the coaching process.
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