Nicole Gallace
September 19, 2022
Career Guide ArticleYou just graduated, and it’s time to think about your first job. There is so much to consider, from the role you are interested in, to the company you want to work for, to the compensation that you should expect to receive.
Over the past 6 years, we have shared lots of advice via the FoodGrads platform. Our community is filled with students, graduates and people who work in the food and beverage industry who have been very forthcoming in sharing their best advice, tips and suggestions for young professionals starting their career.
Here are some pieces of advice every new graduate should know:
Don’t stress if you don’t have your career path figured out!
I interview people with ten to fifteen plus years into their career, who still ask me questions about what they should do next. “I’m at a crossroads, I am considering my options and what I enjoy doing—what do you see as my logical next step?” This recent question came from someone who has years of work experience, hired other people and still questions if they are on the right path!
Simply put, you shouldn’t have to have it all figured out. You should explore different options, ask for different projects to work with a variety of departments and work with different people so you can see what they do. Take a leap of faith, make mistakes, learn from them, and enjoy your career journey.
When to apply to the job
• If the job title appeals to you and supports the career you are embarking on.
• If you’ve reviewed the description and it sounds like what you can do.
• If you check some of the requirements (education and years of experience).
To be clear, if you can check ‘some’ of the requirements but not all, you should STILL apply.
Hiring managers write job descriptions with their perception of the perfect candidate in mind. It’s like a ‘wish list’ but it doesn’t mean that you won’t get a call to interview, especially if you write a compelling cover letter explaining why you are a great candidate for the role. Advocate for yourself—this is the purpose of the cover letter; your resume can only share so much.
You might open the hiring manager’s eyes to something or someone they hadn’t considered! You!!
Where will you thrive? Should you join a large company, small to medium, or a start up?
Each has pros and cons so it’s wise to truly explore the realities. Do some research, network with people employed in different sized companies, ask them directly what they dislike (because most professionals dwell on the positives when speaking about their current employer). Do some self-reflection. What does your gut say about the type of environment you feel would suit you best?
You probably did this type of self-evaluation when choosing your college or university.
Initiative, critical thinking and resourcefulness are all soft skills that employers want to see, but what kind of environment will allow you to show those skills?
If you love wearing many hats and unpredictability, a start up or small business might be where you thrive. If you work best with structure and established processes already in place, then a larger organization might be best for you.
Do your homework, trust your gut, and go for it.
Plan for the interview
The preferred way to do first interviews is virtually with Teams or Zoom calls. Before the pandemic it was phone or in person interviews, now it’s a hybrid of the two. Be prepared. A few minutes of preparation can make all the difference.
• Take the call in a quiet location with fully charged technology. Eliminate distractions or chances for interruptions during this call. Use a device that is on a flat surface, a desk is ideal, and remove anything behind you that will be on camera. Dress appropriately.
• Become very familiar with the duties of the role—refer to the job description. Be prepared to translate your experience into what you can do for their company, based on the details in the description.
• Search for information about the company online and get to know their history, location, what they do, and learn about their culture through clues you will find on their website and articles that feature them.
• Be prepared to ask questions about the company and the role to show genuine interest in the opportunity. Take notes!
• At the end of the call, ask what the next steps will be. This reflects excitement in moving forward and allows the interviewer the opportunity to tell you what they plan to do next.
• Do not bring up salary or benefits on this first call. At this stage of the selection process, it is not appropriate to bring these topics up. If asked about your salary expectations, I recommend you ask them what the pay range is and then respond if you are open to that range.
You don’t have to negotiate your first salary
Should you just take what they offer you, or should you negotiate? That is a loaded question. If the offer is in line with market standards and you are keen to join the organization, there is no strict rule to say you MUST negotiate. The confidence to negotiate comes with experience as you build your skill set.
Ask what the range is for the position. Have the organization provide a range to you; this is what they are willing to pay for the role. If the range works for you, tell them you are at the higher end of their range.
When discussing a range, candidates focus on the higher end and companies tend to focus on the lower end—the key is to meet in the middle so both parties are happy.
There are other ways to approach salary negotiations. If you feel you should get more money, you can always request a salary increase at a certain point in time (3 or 6 months after you’ve started). Have the increase written into your offer based on meeting certain performance objectives.
You are in a much better negotiating space once you have proved your work ethic and how well you fit within the team!
The value of a mentor
Pretty much everyone who has advanced in their career at some point or another had a great boss or coworker that impacted them.
One of the most common questions I get is how to ‘find’ a mentor, but my advice is to change this mindset.
Time is a precious thing and when you reach out to a stranger and ask for an hour of their time, or an opportunity to grab a coffee, it’s easy for them to say no—they don’t know you. The risk is that you don’t connect—that there is no common ground, and it becomes too much work for one or both parties.
The far more successful way to discover your mentor is to work hard, demonstrate dedication and ambition, and the mentors will come to you. Someone will see what you can offer, they will see the value you bring and will want to mentor you to help you to reach your full potential.
Become friends with a recruiter
Through your job search, you may have met a third-party recruiter. Typically, the mid-senior level positions are the roles that recruiters focus on, but the labour challenges currently experienced by many organizations means the norms have gone out the window and companies are trying anything and everything to hire talent.
Recent graduates are in the spotlight like never before as companies have seen baby-boomers retire. With retirements happening Gen X and millennials assume those positions, leaving an enormous gap for new graduates to fill. HR Leaders are more open to bringing in recent graduates with little to no work experience and are willing to train them and develop their skills to meet the business needs.
Recruiters do not ‘find’ jobs for people, they work for employers. This is something everyone starting out in their career should understand, recruiters don’t work for individuals. But if you purposefully seek and nurture a great relationship with a recruiter in your industry who understands your career goals and who you will stay connected to, they will bring opportunities for you. This will serve you well throughout your entire career!
Take this advice and apply for your next job today on AgCareers.com! / For more on interview advice click here: Interview Advice / How to Negotiate a Job Offer!
