We run this town

I'm in a very fortunate position at my workplace. Where I work, hundreds of fresh new uni students come in as graduates each year. I sit on the Graduate Committee and represent their views and concerns. Essentially I'm representin' - telling peeps this is what WE feel, this is what WE want (in a nice way of course), these are OUR expectations.

In many ways, the expectations and the concerns of graduates at my workplace aren't that much different to other students or graduates at other workplaces.

At the end of the day, as a uni graduate we simply want to be employed in a meaningful job. Where we are challenged, our skills utilised to the fullest extent, where we are given opportunities to grow and learn. Where the three, four, five+ that we invested into our study aren't wasted doing menial tasks.

To me, being challenged is a key factor to graduate job satisfaction and retention. You have to keep these hungry and motivated youngsters constantly engaged and challenged. If companies fail to do so, they ultimately lose their talented staff. What's the motivation to even be remotely interested in a job or to even stay if your stuck filing and photocopying all day?

When a lot of these big companies hire graduates, they wow them with glossy brochures and slick marketing and even slicker HR talk. They create certain expectations and beliefs. And then once you start working, you see that a lot of its just simply smoke and mirrors. It's time that a lot of this changed. We need REAL talk. You don't satisfy the consumer by playing up the ads. You gotta back it up with the product. As a graduate, you've also got to see through a lot this stuff as well.

I think for most graduates, pay ( that is ka-ching $$$$) is only an incidental factor. A lot of times when you first start working, you can't dictate to the market what you should pay. Most people are happy to accept simply being P.A.I.D. When faced with potential job choices, most people will take the job that best advances their career, that interests them and will challenge them. Money can only do so much. Sure making BIG Pimpin' dollars is good, but its not decisive. Its only one of a number of factors for most people.

I believe that most graduates employed now are ticking timebombs set to go off in two to three years. We live in a day and age of increasing employment mobility. Bright, young motivated people with a couple years of experience have the world at their feet. Things ain't like they used to be - there's no such thing as loyalty any more. More than ever, graduates are finding it easier to change between jobs. Between industries. Between countries. It's not that graduates are dissatisfied after two or four years. Its simply we live in era of constant change and we roll with it.

Where companies can't tell young people what to do any more because the power has shifted. The top tier and middle tier uni graduates now have greater choice who they can work for. But I also believe that companies aren't making a greater effort to hold onto their top flight graduates. Sure, you could argue that talented future leaders will always seek new opportunties. But at least give them some incentive to stay.

It is the big ass corporates that are at the greatest risk but also have the best tools needed to fight back if they want to keep us. A lot of international companies offer secondments - that is opportunties to work overseas or to work for clients after you've served a decent amount of time for usually 3 to 4 years. But this is too late. As most people decide to leave before then, this is useless. You've got to keep challenging them, constantly. Let them work overseas for you after 2 years, give them stock options or some kind of cash incentives that can't be touched for a couple of years, or let them work in a different department to increase their broader experience levels.

We are the future. It is time that corporate boards and senior management opened up and gave us an opportunity to speak. How can they expect to groom their next apprentices if they try to tell us what we want. Because we run this town.

Peace out,

DJ HO.