Honesty the best job policy

By MARK STORY



Having the confidence to be upfront and honest will make or break the first few weeks in your first real job. And being on time, having a positive outlook and a smart appearance help to make a good first impression.

But what can determine the success of a graduate's first days on the job may be how he or she copes in the behaviour stakes. In a focus group held by Auckland University's Business School, employers described their newly hired graduates as clueless and ambitious.

The school's senior lecturer, Dr Polly Parker, says that graduates entering fulltime employment often get a wake-up call over their immediate usefulness. Just because they're qualified doesn't mean they're productive from day one. New graduates lack practical skills and too few understand the realities of a working environment.

"As much of their reputation is determined within the first three months on the job, new recruits can't afford to step off on the wrong footing," Parker says.

But recent graduate Nathan Harraway, 24, believes employers who complain about naive recruits are either admitting to insufficient checking in recruiting the right people, or haven't laid the right foundation for their career development.

He says that while graduates bring fresh ideas into an organisation they often lack the confidence to deliver those ideas coherently.

"When I first worked part-time for PricewaterhouseCoopers while studying at Otago I would be too scared to complain about workloads or say that I didn't understand," says Harraway, a graduate recruit with Vodafone.

What unnerved him most when starting his first real job at Vodafone was ensuring that projects were done correctly. He says if employers realised that most graduates have only theory-based experience they would provide better support through mentoring and regular reviews.

Harraway says that what employers should concentrate on during those first 90 days is creating channels to ensure new recruits aren't too nervous to be upfront and honest - even if that means asking what seem to be silly questions and making mistakes.

Part-time work helped to bridge the gap between theory and practice for Harraway, but he suspects that 95 per cent of graduates go into the workforce without any relevant experience.

"Practical experience also gives students an insight into how companies work and prepares them mentally for what's appropriate," Harraway says.

Counsellor Graziella Thake, a clinical psychologist with Insinc Life Synergy, says that based on her 13 years of experience, graduates who display excessive naivety and insufficient people-skills during their honeymoon period in their first job could jeopardise their early career development.

Too many mini-breaks, excessive paper-shuffling, high absenteeism and tardiness should warn employers that recruits might be struggling. "In addition to job tasks, employers want new recruits to display leadership and self-actualisation," Thake says.

Career consultant Lee Brodie says that what can also tarnish an employee's first few months on the job is a simple lack of formal detail. To avoid the discomfort of confronting the boss on terms of employment, it's important to go into any new role with eyes wide open.

Pre-empting potential confusion, disappointment or grievances means getting everything in writing. To Brodie, that means knowing the culture of the organisation, job description, and conditions of employment agreed upon within an employment contract.

"Go through a checklist before day one to ensure you know what's expected of you," says Brodie, who is director of Career Dynamics.

"If there's no induction nor clear guidelines as to who does what then the foundation isn't right, and this can undermine your confidence on the job."

Although recently hired graduates must know their job description, Brodie believes they should also strive to work above it.

"Recruits direct from school can be forgiven for not being work-hardened, but employers expect their graduate recruits - many of whom enter the company further up the career ladder - to know how to behave in a work environment."

That's another reason why employers favour graduates who have mentally prepared for their first real job through part-time work, Brodie says. Those who aren't "work-ready" may find themselves lower down the pecking order as employers' size up capabilities.

"They need to watch their punctuality, the time spent gossiping around the coffee machine, and avoid doing anything within those first months to sully their reputation."

Above all, recruits need to be able to self-assess their capabilities and know how to improve.

Those who fear they might be sinking should be quick to find a coach to help them to redefine their purpose and motivation.