RICK JUNIUS
The playing court for Southern California business is changing, but are college graduates watching?
Recent statistics that indicate California’s economy is on the rebound should be a wake-up call to companies throughout the area as well as college graduates looking for jobs here. Southern California is on a growth spurt once again, and strategies among job candidates and corporate firms must begin to reflect this changing economy.
As every avid basketball fan knows, it is what you do with a rebound that separates the winners from the losers. This premise certainly holds true in today’s changing business environment. Companies that dribble into the year 2000 without an eye on this rebound may not get another shot next year. And graduates who wait for companies to give them their direction are not going to be superstars in this league or any other.
Specifically, as college students proudly carry their degrees into an era when it is popular not to take responsibility for actions, they must do exactly the opposite to survive. And companies that have previously weathered a period of downsizing and corporate cutbacks must now choose employees who have the skills to grow with their organizations.
The result for graduates cannot be an emphasis on getting a particular job, but on developing a salable skill base. For companies, winning will be based on recognizing potential employees whose overall flexibility can give them a competitive edge.
Consequently, this summer represents a whole new league for graduates entering the workplace. Today’s savvy CEOs are exploring several key growth strategies, and young job-seekers must gear their skill base toward these areas.
First, forward-thinking Southern California companies are seeking to become true international entities. They are now looking for management candidates who are truly educated and proficient in other languages and cultures.
Second, competitive companies are looking to develop products faster. These firms will choose employees who have the ability to react quickly and can communicate well with all levels of an organization. They need designers who can think “outside the box,” yet can relate their ideas to manufacturing.
Third, clever CEOs will grow by forming joint ventures with vendors who share their high quality standards and customer-service values. Young job candidates must have the ability to direct the efforts of outside resources and manage their quality. They must be diplomatic, yet decisive; and they must have the ability to juggle many projects at one time.
Last, but perhaps most important, growing Southern California businesses are merging with or acquiring other “complementary” companies to produce greater market penetration, shared technology, and new products ready for market now.
College graduates who appear most able to handle change and have the ability to integrate themselves into new situations and job responsibilities will be most valuable to these firms.
To prepare themselves for this growing job market, college graduates will need to revisit the Three Rs: Relationships, Reinvention and Reflection. Jobs as we have come to know them are a thing of the past; skills interchangeable to many job responsibilities are the wave of the future.
To accomplish this, young employees must reinvent themselves by constantly requesting opportunities in different areas of the company that require the same skill base. They will often need to reflect on whether they are retaining their value in a growing company, and be realistic about constantly reestablishing their worth. And they must count on relationships among professionals in their areas of interest to teach them how to retool in times of change.
For each of these Rs, graduates will be required to take initiative for their own careers and can no longer rely on companies to pave their way. Let’s face it, the days of a company taking over the caretaker role are a thing of the past. Employees who don’t ask for more responsibility and continually learn new ways to excel in the workplace will not be part of winning company teams. And young job-seekers who aren’t willing to take chances as Southern California firms continue to shoot from the outside will simply be left on the bench.
Rick Junius is the Southwest regional senior vice president for Lee Hecht Harrison, the leading career services firm with a local office in Los Angeles. Customized programs include outplacement, executive coaching, and career and workforce management.
