Ask Dr. Karen - May 4, 2006

Dear Dr. Karen,

My son is about to graduate from college and of course he hasn’t learned anything about finance or the world of work.  Can you give me some pitch advice to help him start his new career on the right foot?

Thanks,  Anxious dad

Dear Anxious dad,

There are three guidelines he needs to keep in mind

1)       No matter how great a student he was the skills he excelled at in college may get him in trouble in his job.  To succeed at school we need to be very good at memorizing and giving back what we’ve learned when we have exams.  Our technical proficiency and problem solving serve us well.  We are rewarded for working harder and getting better grades than other students.  That kind of behavior can get him in trouble if he tries to look better than others.  You are expected to be a team player on the job which means you work for the good of the team, not to make yourself look good.

2)       He cannot “hit the road running” because he will undoubtedly hit obstacles and political mine fields that way.  His job is to take as much time as possible to find out about the company and what people do.  This is a period of exploration and a lot of question asking whenever he can.

3)       He needs to “act dumb and think dirty” in the early days.  “Act dumb” by keeping his mouth shut and his opinions to himself. He doesn’t have the age or experience to tell others what to do.  “Think dirty” because you have to have seen people in action before you can start to trust them.

If he needs to ask questions about these just let me know.

Dr. Karen