Part 4. Making a Leap into the Future
Learning Objectives:
Develop an awareness of how different college and corporate worlds are.
Learn the strategies for starting a career successfully.
Explore the notion of corporate culture.
Text 1. Making a Smooth Transition from Student to Full-time Employee
It looks like you've almost made it! The tedious exams, endless tests, graduation scare — they will soon be in the past. What are you feeling at the moment, graduate? Free at last, with the big world at your feet? Or are you feeling lost and afraid to leave the secure walls of your university? However, no matter how you answer the question, time cannot be reversed and you are supposed to make the transition into the real world.
Life in and after college. If you look back dewy-eyed to the so-called best days of your life, you may be destined to a life as an eternal student. In all honesty, what lots of young graduates used to enjoy so much is the irresponsibility of studenthood. You may not like this word, but what it means is that most of the decisions were made for you. Your short-term and long-term goals can be very simple: pass an exam with a good grade, graduate on time. With the permissiveness of Russian university system, you really were given a perfect opportunity to be reckless now and again, and it takes something really special to get expelled, especially in the senior years. Aside from regular class attendance, you may have led a rather carefree, happy-go-lucky life. Sleeping until noon, cutting class, failing to turn in homework on time — few honest students will claim that they have never done so.
Another thing that could make you feel secure is that at the university you used to be one of many. Most of the people around you were of similar age, academic ability and, in most of the cases, social background. The limited social set of like-minded people makes the atmosphere enclosed and rarified. In contrast to your department, the real world is packed with people from different generations and social groups with diverse experiences. Competitiveness is very different in the real world around you: it is not just a matter of making better grades than your fellow-students; it is about finding your new identity and new image. You understand that you will not be automatically promoted with the rest of the team, but will have to excel and stand out to get a promotion and a salary raise. In other words, you come to realize that you are on your own.
If you were lucky enough to be taught by friendly and caring professors, you probably internalized the consequent feeling of self-worth and importance, especially if you used to be at the top of the group. Having the right to speak out. and even being encouraged to do so, might have given you the idea that you are hot stuff. a prodigy showing great promise. The real world, however, welcomes you with a well-established hierarchy in which you are to find your place, and earn the right to be heard. It is often the case that young graduates fresh from universities expect to get a lot of attention, counseling and praise, forgetting that their role has changed from a taker into a giver.
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All the above probably leaves us with the conclusion that to make a move from college to the workplace requires, first of all, changing your attitude and learning to play a new role — that of a career-minded young professional. If you have a wholesome mind-set, you will probably make the most of the first three months on the job, which are really crucial for launching your career.
Here are some guidelines for establishing yourself as a valuable new employee:
Learn to respect the people you come to work with and the organization you work for. Instead of cultivating negative and critical attitudes, bear in mind that your superiors and colleagues — probably against great odds — have built and preserved something which is called a company, a business or organization, and have now the opportunity to offer you a job. No matter how good you are. you are the last in.
Get your bearings in the organizational culture. Be a keen observer to learn how things get done in your company; identify the corporate value system, dress code, rituals, rules and norms of behavior. You may not like everything that you see, but before you become a whistle-blower, you must adjust to the corporate culture, and learn to perform your responsibilities to the satisfaction of those who evaluate your work.
Associate with winners, not whiners. In every company you may find a share of disgruntled workers who spend more time criticizing the organization than doing the job they were hired to do. They are usually losers who are not headed anywhere, and who don't want anyone else to advance. If you want to advance, associate with seasoned employees who have contributed to the organization and are willing to share their insights and perspectives with you.
Network wisely. A key ingredient of success no matter where you work is making appropriate connections that will open doors of opportunity for you. Stay in contact with distinguished professors and college administrators who can contribute to your career advancement. Being open to new experiences and ready to communicate with people on both personal and professional bases increases the odds of becoming aware of exceptional opportunities that otherwise would escape your attention.
Set goals and strive to attain them. Probably you breezed through school without much personal or professional direction, but now it is time to get your priorities in place. Your lifelong ambitions will never be realized if you are balancing between different areas of knowledge, industries and roles. Onh when you focus your energy and efforts on clear-cut goals can you enhance your career progression.
Establish a reputation as dependable and committed. The thing is that in a bus\ modern organization of today you can't expect to be babied at every step. Everybody makes mistakes, but the important thing is to learn from them and constantly improve your performance. Opportunities come to those who prepare for greater responsibilities.
Have a disciplined lifestyle. Lifestyle relates to physical and emotional health As a student you may have enjoyed a nonstop social life, but as a full-time
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employee you owe it to your employer to show up at work well-groomed and well-rested. Seasonal colds, allergies and other minor ailments may place you into the list of those who are frequently absent from work, letting others shoulder their responsibilities. You can always take the best of your university years with you: the knowledge and
skills, your friends and memories. As Katharina Viner writes in "The Future Starts
Here..." {Cosmopolitan, 06/93):
"There is life after graduation, and it's waiting for every ex-student who looks for
it (and wants it). College provided you with the bricks; it's up to the graduate to mix
the mortar. Believe me, the fun is in the building."
Tasks
Read the text to obtain the information and divide it into two distinct parts as to the contents. Give a name to each part to highlight the message of the text.
Reread the part dealing with life in college. Write out the most characteristic features of students' life as the author sees them. Agree or disagree with each of them, giving your reasoning based on your first hand experience. Do not forget to use the formulas for agreement and disagreement.
Make a comparison between life in and after college based on the concepts treated in the text. Use the formulas for comparing and contrasting.
Reread the part dealing with the guidelines for launching your career effectively. Do you agree with all the recommendations given, or do you find some of them subjective or culture-biased?
Would you like to rearrange the sequence of the guidelines given in the text as to their importance and priorities to you personally?
Would you like to share any other recommendation that you probably worked out yourself on the basis of your own or other people's experience? If you feel at a loss to answer this question, consult the people around you whom you respect (family members or teachers).
Find below some other recommendations for a career success taken from western magazines. Comment on each of them, expressing your attitude about their effectiveness. Single out the recommendations which contradict each other, or which are culture-biased to your mind.
Observe and listen: the best listeners make the best communicators - and communication is central to making an impact on others.
In case you were not the lucky one to be born with a positive mind, you can and should cultivate it.
Develop a self-marketing plan. Decide on your personal style and approach and then make yourself visible at every opportunity.
To make a lasting impression on people, work smart, not hard!
Adopt a confident, determined frame of mind.
Make learning a habit to develop your skills further. Find gaps in your knowledge and work out how to fill them.
Stand by your boss. He/she will appreciate your support and may reward your loyalty.
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10. Write a short farewell speech which you might give at a farewell party. This task can be approached either seriously or with a sense of humor, and addressed either to the members of administration and staff or to your fellow students. Include memories of "the good old days" and wishes for the future.
Text 2. Corporate Culture
Corporate culture has become a popular thing to discuss, and there are scores of definitions given by organizational theorists. The approach shared by many is that corporate culture presents an expression of basic assumptions and beliefs displayed at a deeper level, which operate unconsciously and hold the organization together. For employees, however, corporate culture is a certain list of unspoken rules, shared values, which provide common direction and guidelines for their day-to-day behavior. Every organization has a culture. You may fail to notice it from the outside but it still exists. If you are a new employee who wants to fit in and thrive in the company, you will get nowhere without trying to evaluate the organization concerned.
There are some observed behavioral regulations, which are easy to analyze, like common language, terminology, and rituals related to deference and demeanor. Some people can address each other on a first name basis; in other organizations the relations are strictly formal and deference to age and position is explicit. Members of the organization may share professional slang and manners of behavior that can make them stand apart from people in other organizations or even departments. Evidence of a culture may be reflected in the stories of the glorious past, traditions and service excellence, which are shared verbally or in writing. Symbols are another outward manifestation of a culture. There may be logos, pictures, trophies, a uniform or dress code, which are cherished and respected by all the members of the organization. Another easily observed thing is the physical layout of the company — that is, what you actually see when you enter the premises. You may find yourself in a friendly environment or in a strictly formal one, a modest looking office suite or a fancy reception area with marble floors and a fountain of running water. Whatever you see is a reflection of how the company operates and wants to be perceived.
There are, however, hidden things that you may fail to see at first glance, because they exist at the level of mindset, emotions and motivation. These things are the shared values of the organization, beliefs that are more specific and usually overtly talked about and underlying assumptions which influence how the organization operates and performs. These values and beliefs are reflected in the day-to-day behavior of the management and employees, control systems and organization strategies, training and promotion routines and management style. Customer service, rules of how to get things done or fix the problems you encounter in your workplace — all depend on the corporate culture which may strongly differ from organization to organization.
The opinion shared by many is that there are strong and weak cultures. conservative and innovative ones, friendly and strongly competitive, personal or impersonal. It is hard to say which type of culture is the best one - the bottomline is
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the company's successful performance and resilience. Strong cultures enjoying long-term economic success can be a strong obstacle to change, which is an essential ingredient of life nowadays. Particularly if they were set up and cultivated by a strong leader, such cultures may develop comfort zones and become victims of past success. Strong cultures are in danger of falling into "group think' which prevents them from keeping pace with changes in the external environment, and leads to corporate arrogance and isolation. It is not at all easy to change a deep-seated internal culture; the process demands long-term commitment and a patient strategy of top-down communications, motivation, training and support.
If you have found a position and are about to start your career, it is your responsibility to evaluate the organization concerned, and to assess for yourself how you can best fit in and thrive. Try to answer the questions given below, which will help you to conduct cultural analysis, and provide you with an insight, understanding and a road map for future action.
Layout and premises
Where is the company located? Is the office space well-organized? Is it easy to get around in the building? Is the office neat and clean? What was the overall feeling that you got when you first came there?
Symbols
What language or jargon is used? What objects or status symbols are displayed and to what extent do they emphasize conformity? What is the dress code?
Stones
Do stories told by the staff referto success or failure, to the past orto the present, to difficulties or progress? Who are the "bad and good guys" in these stories?
Structure
Is the structure of the company presented by a strong hierarchy? Is it easy to communicate with the top management? Do you know to whom you are answerable and is it easy for you to get in touch with your immediate supervisor?
Control systems
What is being closely controlled? Are you left pretty much alone to get on with the job? Is there a noticeable system of reward and punishment? What is the way to get promoted?
Power structures
Who is the chief decision maker in your company? What levels of staff in the company take part in the decision making? Who is held responsible in the company for mistakes and how are mistakes handled?
Routines and rituals
What are the standard ways participants interact and conduct themselves with customers, outsiders, peers, superiors and subordinates? What things are welcomed and what things are frowned upon?
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