A Class in Corporate America- for Gen-Z'ers like Me

Hi readers and friends! This is an entry I have been super excited to put together, especially since I have so many friends who are just about to graduate and in general- freak the freak out about what awaits them as they find a job in the real world. Now I have already covered such topics as what to expect in adulthood and how to interview for a job (just click the links, you know you’re curious), and I plan to cover how to look for a job and other tips for growing that I discover, but I haven’t yet tackled surviving the day to day in corporate America. That is what I plan to cover today.

I think a lot of us spend college fantasizing and wondering what corporate America looks like. I remember the first time I heard the phrase “climbing up the corporate ladder” and it provided me some serious food for5 thought: how does an individual go from college student to CEO? How does a person hang on long enough to make it to CEO? What about horizontal movement- does that matter nearly as much as vertical? I think one of the things that makes interviews in your final year of college so scary is that they usually go like this:

Interviewer: “Tell me about your past experience with designing websites for fortune 500 companies?

Interviewee: “…………..”

Because…. We don’t actually have practical experience doing these things! I don’t know about you, but by the time I obtained my first job (or actually my internship with my current company), I didn’t know how to assemble a pivotable in Excel, how to read most complicated sales reports, or how to pitch something to someone 50 years my senior. And this is a universal theme- few college graduates know how to write a cover of the next big fashion magazine, how to bring a case to court, how to save literal lives, or how to sit at a 9-5 job and make your time there count. The truth is that we need experience to land jobs, but we can’t get tangible experience until we start working!?!? Regrettably, there is no current class in corporate America, so my advice will have to be as close as it gets to the model. Because I;ve been there. I’m sometimes still there. And I can attest that the transition from student to employee is one of the hardest and weirdest transitions a person goes through in their lives. Imposter syndrome- check. Working from home- check. Living away from home- check. Career progression – check. Flailing to different career paths and wanting to retire 50 years early – check! But there are tips, and they begin with what we as generation Z should expect… and not expect about corporate life.

Firstly, the single most important thing we should know is that corporate America is a jungle and one word is the blueprint for success. That word is networking. When I was at UIUC, I applied to several business fraternities and during the recruitment process, I got a deep dive into why they are so coveted by students. I had previously been under the impression that these organizations were for acquiring business skills, learning how to do the day-to-day work at big organizations, or shadowing business leaders and other hotshots. But then I was confused- why were there people from all sorts of backgrounds, going into such different career paths? They couldn’t all be learning valuable practical skills at the same time, What I realized is that these organizations are incredible, but not because they help AT ALL with technical skills. They help you build a network, establish a base to advocate for you, and learn that networking is key. And one scroll through LinkedIn confirms what most people already know-that the people you know are just as-if not more- important than what you can do. I was recently talking to a friend and he said that the key to getting ahead is having both mentors and sponsors. Mentors will support you on the daily problems that arise, and give you lateral advice to your corporate concerns. Sponsors are key though. These are people that will advocate for you when you are no longer in the room, the people that will bring you up and push you forward in life. Just like the Hunger Games, you need to be resourceful and pick up sponsors right off the bat. Because as easy as networking seems, it can actually be very hard to stand out at a young age with a low amount of experience. But thankfully, you don’t need to know very many people. You just need to know the right ones to be welcomed into “the room where it happens.”

Secondly, it is hugely important to know that the word corporate is descriptive of almost a secret society of people who operate differently to most other people you know. There’s company anagrams, professional speak, a new way to write emails, fun small talk before meetings, and so much more that is uniquely a corporate concept. The corporate world is meant to make you feel small, but good organizations know to invest in you early so that you feel like more than a replaceable cog in the system. It is only natural, if you are interested in working for a large company, to feel less than the people around you, but you’ve just got to remember that as with anything in life, there is a learning curve. Even one for figuring out the overused corporate lingo: “touching base”, “connect with”, “circle back”, “and “putting time on your calendar”- among others. It all takes time to remember not to end an email with “see ya!” and it totally does not happen overnight.

I mentioned investment earlier, and this is something I want to touch on some more. I think it is super important to understand that signing an employment contract is more than investing your time in a company; it means an organization investing their resources into you. Which means you should be asking the questions: about promotion potential, salary increase, growth opportunities, etc. This took me a long time and I’m honestly still working on it, but someone told me a while ago that companies pay their interns and entry-level employees for the very reason that they see them working there long-term. There would be no reason to do that if they didn’t want you to grow through and with the organization, instead of on your own.

Some other tips in bullet-point form that are some critical things I’ve learned on my personal journey:

· Analyze your team and your resources right when you take on a new role. The people around you are a toolbox and the hardest thing ever is figuring out when to use it

· Everyone’s 9-5 looks different and that’s okay. Know your work preferences inside out.

· For god’s sake, turn off your email notifications and have a good outlook sorting system. It will save you hours to deal with your emails through the 3 D’s: Do, Defer, Delegate.

· You work to live, not live to work. Which means you find time outside of work to do other things you’re passionate about (*like this blog for me!)

· ASK QUESTIONS! Yes, it’s the worst for independent, strong-willed people, I know. BUT I guarantee you no one will ever be confident enough to respond to you “that’s a dumb question”

· Connect, connect, connect. Yeah, just connect with everyone and everything you see

· Set up “growth connects”, so meetings that don’t have a definite purpose other than to compare and contrast scenarios and issues you are having. This has been such a lifesaver for me.

· Join an employee resource group! Something inside work that connects to your passion outside of work can add such fulfillment to your daily workday

· Know your boundaries and ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS know what you bring to the table. Otherwise people can manipulate you into shifting what is important to you. Which is a no no.

· And…. Take risks. If you have a good idea and no one else is advocating for it, the BEST THING you can do is advocate for yourself. Ultimately you can always be a better employee, but the input to that is being a better person, and you can’t be a better human being unless you’re willing to think and do things outside of your comfort zone.

Work is work, but we spend approximately ONE THIRD of our lives working, according to a study by Gettysburg college. So we need to gear up to be our best selves at work, and this is what I’ve come up with so far on how to do exactly that. Know your worth, know your value add, and do what works for you- and no one can take those three things away from you. And with that, I’m going to gear up for this workweek and wish you guys luck for yours. Happy almost end of February, y’all!