MORE than 700,000 Filipinos will graduate this year from college, while more than 1 million college graduates of prior years are still looking for jobs.
Many Filipino jobseekers have the technical skills but seem to need more social skills and job-hunting skills — e.g., how to write a resumé, ace the interview, and demonstrate potential.
Once hired, new graduates find the probationary period as the next major career hurdle. I wish to gift the Class of 2026 with practical career tips that can help them transition from the academe to the world of work. I have learned many of these lessons since I joined the formal
workplace 60 years ago, where I spent 50 years as a human resources professional, educator, trainer, developer, career adviser, coach and mentor.
Here are some practical career tips:
– Realize you’re getting into a different world. The workplace is different from school, although you are expected to continuously learn and develop new skills. At school, your deliverable was to pass the course. At work, you have to create value that customers are willing to pay for. The skills are different from the ones you needed to graduate from school. High grades in school do not always translate into career success.
– You need to transform theories into working solutions. Some managers don’t care what you know or where you got your theoretical knowledge. You are expected to transform your knowledge into skills and solutions that create customer value. You will likely need only 20 percent of what you learned in school, but must learn new things to do your job well — culture, social skills, and new technologies.
– Work life is a rat race. But, as actress Lily Tomlin said, “Even if you win the rat race, you’re still a rat.” Be wise and smart. Understand the organization, your boss, and your job. Transform yourself into the best version of the role you are tasked to play. Try not to compete with others, or you’ll get more enemies. Compete with yourself.
Bigger picture
– Don’t just focus on your job — look at the bigger picture, what the whole organization wants to achieve. Know your organization. Many companies expect new hires to demonstrate organizational citizenship behavior. You must exhibit their core values, support the vision and mission, and help achieve organizational goals.
– Create a line of sight. Your work output must be directly connected with what the organization’s goals. Your work should directly contribute to the organization’s profitability and viability, or actively support the direct contributors. If your job does not meet these basic criteria, your position is a candidate for redundancy.
– Nobody notices you until you don’t do your job. Ordinary work never stands out — only outstanding or extremely poor performance is noticed. Many employees perform thankless jobs, plod aimlessly every single day, but never get appreciated. But when they don’t do their jobs, that’s when they finally get noticed — and given a termination
notice.
Your boss
Your boss can make or break your career. Heed my advice.
– Communicate with prudence. Bosses expect you to be honest, but not too brutally honest to tell them that they are wrong. Just give a subtle hint. Exercise prudence in communicating with others, especially with your bosses. Listen not only to what is being said, but to how it is said, and, more important, to what is not being said.
– Never antagonize your boss. Your boss decides on your pay, training, promotion, career development, and growth. If you happen to have a stupid boss, do not help him/her look more stupid than he/she already is. To get the attention of your boss, perform well. Outdo yourself — do not outdo your boss. Some bosses are sore losers.
– Do not sell yourself short in front of bosses. Do not sound tentative or unsure of what you say. Exude confidence, perform well, and get the trust of your bosses. Do not underestimate your abilities — your bosses and co-employees will usually do that already.
Your career
Take care of your own career. Don’t entrust it to your boss or to the Human Resources department.
– Today’s young generations tend to work smart. Still, even if you use artificial intelligence (AI), nothing beats hard work, dedication, and the ability to develop alliances. But you don’t have to “break your back to earn a day of leisure” — prioritize your own well-being.
– Find meaning in your work. People with long careers find meaning in what they do. The Gen Zs don’t work for money, although they prefer high-paying jobs. Majority of jobs today are technology-driven/aided, while many are now being replaced by intelligent machines. To find meaning in work, look with your mind, not with your eyes.
Class of 2026, as you enter the real world, don’t be surprised to find that the weight of your job responsibility is heavier than the weight of all the books you carried for four years.
Ernie Cecilia is chairman of the human capital committee and the publications committee of the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines; chairman of the Employers Confederation of the Philippines’ TWG on labor policy and social issues; and past president of the People Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP). He can be reached at [email protected]