Advice for a soon to be graduate entering the professional world?

[JohnBucurE92]

About to graduate soon with my degree in business sustainability from Arizona State. I love innovation and progression- making things leaner, faster, efficient, resourceful is important and exciting to me. I am now starting my job search for this field, so if anyone in the field of business sustainability has any tips feel free to respond. I love to learn about:

-Corporate sustainable strategy and ways/outlets in which larger companies respond to change and efficiently integrate new methods and innovations.

-Examples of corporate social responsibility that are largely overlooked, but add great value to the community in which the company operates.

-Innovative life cycle analysis case studies of products that are lowering carbon footprint/ progressing in materials used. EX: Adidas recycled plastic shoes & packaging.

If anyone on here works within sustainability related fields would love to have your input- also here is my linkedin profile.

linkedin.com/in/johnwilliambucur

Tips that would be helpful:

general
-searching for and interviewing for an entry level recent grad job
-any other prerequisites that might be important (such as hours volunteering) etc.
-personal experience in finishing college and getting your first job

business sustainability
-tips in finding which niche of business sustainability careers I should target (I am interested by all of them)
-other certifications/ prereqs business sustainability focused that I should accomplish before sending out resumes.

[NorCalAthlete]

Originally Posted by JohnBucurE92

About to graduate soon with my degree in business sustainability from Arizona State. I love innovation and progression- making things leaner, faster, efficient, resourceful is important and exciting to me. I am now starting my job search for this field, so if anyone in the field of business sustainability has any tips feel free to respond. I love to learn about:

-Corporate sustainable strategy and ways/outlets in which larger companies respond to change and efficiently integrate new methods and innovations.

-Examples of corporate social responsibility that are largely overlooked, but add great value to the community in which the company operates.

-Innovative life cycle analysis case studies of products that are lowering carbon footprint/ progressing in materials used. EX: Adidas recycled plastic shoes & packaging.

If anyone on here works within sustainability related fields would love to have your input- also here is my linkedin profile.

linkedin.com/in/johnwilliambucur

Tips that would be helpful:

general
-searching for and interviewing for an entry level recent grad job
-any other prerequisites that might be important (such as hours volunteering) etc.
-personal experience in finishing college and getting your first job

business sustainability
-tips in finding which niche of business sustainability careers I should target (I am interested by all of them)
-other certifications/ prereqs business sustainability focused that I should accomplish before sending out resumes.

https://g20.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1795422

Originally Posted by NorCalAthlete

1. Research, research, research
2. Take a sniper shot, not a shotgun blast approach
3. Be a doer, not an idea guy
4. Anyone can point out problems; try to focus on actionable solutions


1. Research. Research the company you're applying to, the position, the team. Find the hiring manager / recruiter on LinkedIn. Find their Facebook / Instagram / Blog / Youtube channel. What are they interested in? What catches their eye? What are their side hobbies? What charities do they donate to? What's the company mission? What's the market / competition like? What products do they sell besides the obvious? Why do you want to work for them? What's an improvement you could make to their products - or a market they could expand into? What's a gap they have that you've identified? Etc, etc, etc. I highly doubt you've done this for 3 companies a day - most people don't even do it for a single company they "really really really want to work for" and that includes FAANG.

2. Once you've compiled all this, start hunting their job postings. Find one at least closely related to what you think you can do - don't worry about meeting 100% of the requirements, but aim for at least 70-80%. Then tailor your resume to that job posting. You may end up with a few different versions of your resume - that's fine. Get the meat and potatoes in there and then dress it up with tweaks for each position / hiring manager you're trying to appeal to. Reach out to someone at the company you know on LinkedIn or Facebook and see if they can give you a quick intro to the hiring manager or recruiter. Personality and culture fit DO matter. Once you make the connection, save the job listing link / # and have it ready along with the corresponding resume. Give it directly to the recruiter / friend / manager if the conversation goes well. Or try to have it passed along to them. You may need to be persistent - being local always helps.

3. Active language / projects that demonstrate quantifiable progress on something. It's easy to spot the bullshitters - "facilitated this" "helped with" that etc. Put it in terms of "I did [x] with [y] to achieve [z], utilizing [a] and [b]" When the interview - even if it's just an initial phone screen - comes, have stories ready about projects / times you've been that person of action. Even if you failed and it didn't pan out. You can always spin failure into lessons learned and fail forward.

4. Following on from #3 + #1. If you can identify what you think is a gap with the company, come up with a potential solution, and propose that as the reason you want the related position, it will come across well even if they disagree or are already working on closing the gap. Or even if you've misinterpreted the way they're taking the company (though that might be a small yellow flag, so do try to learn what you can about their industry and competition).

There is almost always work for those who DO and take action. You may indeed have to move for it - that's good that you're already accepting that and being flexible. It can help to target large companies with offices in multiple states - especially if they're primarily located in heavy population centers (VHCOL areas). Often, they have a difficult time getting current employees to move to remote locations for roles, so for example if you look up someone like Google, Facebook, Cisco, WalMart Labs, etc they have offices spread out across the US. Contrast that with Amazon, who are primarily in Seattle / SF Bay Area and anything outside of that is data center or distribution center. Apple similarly is primarily just the bay area, though of course they have Apple stores everywhere if you're looking at that. Picking a field as well will be useful - a discipline like Global Supply and Logistics will have far more location possibilities than software engineer, but sales will have even more locations available.

Figure out what you want to try and get your foot in the door for that first job. Be hungry, helpful, and knowledgeable, and you'll gain mentors in no time who can show you the ropes and boost you further.

Good luck.

[vreihen16]

"If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it."

-Mary Schmich, Chicago Tribune

[RugbyBro]

Three things:

1. Shit rolls down hill... and you'll be at the bottom of the hill for a little while, so hunker down and persevere. Don't get caught up in unrealistic expectations, especially in our image focused society. Part of what will make you successful is the ability to just roll up your sleeves and get shit done and at the start of your career, that's about the only thing you can meaningfully work on. Managing and leading are skills you will learn down the road - and the best leaders lead from in front (and you can't lead from in front if you can't get shit done.)

2. One thing I wish I could go back and tell myself is not to worry so much about that landing your dream job right after college - just get in proximity of the industry or job that you really want, and start to build your network organically through work. You WILL make connections and your experience will be much better for it once you make it to the job you want.

3. There is no set timeline, everyone's journey will be different. Don't beat yourself up if you feel like you aren't where you want to be - break it down in steps and execute step by step. Then be ready to seize opportunity when it presents itself.

[spazzyfry123]

Originally Posted by RugbyBro

3. There is no set timeline, everyone's journey will be different. Don't beat yourself up if you feel like you aren't where you want to be - break it down in steps and execute step by step. Then be ready to seize opportunity when it presents itself.

Yup! Folks get caught up in the instagramification of life and desperately want what you don’t currently have...instantly. Don’t assume the good you see of others is all there is. Patience and subtlety wins higher ups over. Don’t get steamrolled, but good actions get noticed - don’t expect a promotion a week later.

#humblebrag

[E92inNC]

Try looking for an internship, lots of places looking for seniors to intern in the spring and summer of their graduation year.

[JohnBucurE92]

@NorCalAthlete

I'm saving that advice forever!!

[JohnBucurE92]

Originally Posted by vreihen16

"If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it."

-Mary Schmich, Chicago Tribune

@vreihen16

Especially here in sunny AZ!!

[JohnBucurE92]

Originally Posted by RugbyBro

Three things:

1. Shit rolls down hill... and you'll be at the bottom of the hill for a little while, so hunker down and persevere. Don't get caught up in unrealistic expectations, especially in our image focused society. Part of what will make you successful is the ability to just roll up your sleeves and get shit done and at the start of your career, that's about the only thing you can meaningfully work on. Managing and leading are skills you will learn down the road - and the best leaders lead from in front (and you can't lead from in front if you can't get shit done.)

2. One thing I wish I could go back and tell myself is not to worry so much about that landing your dream job right after college - just get in proximity of the industry or job that you really want, and start to build your network organically through work. You WILL make connections and your experience will be much better for it once you make it to the job you want.

3. There is no set timeline, everyone's journey will be different. Don't beat yourself up if you feel like you aren't where you want to be - break it down in steps and execute step by step. Then be ready to seize opportunity when it presents itself.

#2 was especially helpful. I keep thinking I need to land my perfect job. But you're right, eventually with work and time i'll just end up where i'm supposed to be at. Thank you!

[JohnBucurE92]

Originally Posted by E92inPHX

Try looking for an internship, lots of places looking for seniors to intern in the spring and summer of their graduation year.

Yes!!! I have been lately. I'm based in PHX too, so you know how it is. Lucky to be starting off here!

[NorCalAthlete]

Originally Posted by JohnBucurE92

#2 was especially helpful. I keep thinking I need to land my perfect job. But you're right, eventually with work and time i'll just end up where i'm supposed to be at. Thank you!

Also keep in mind - what constitutes "perfect" changes frequently over time.

Your perfect job to start with might be a really challenging project with a fat paycheck.

Your perfect job in 5 years might be the one that pays less but offers waaaaay better work-life balance so you can be with your future kids.

There is no single path to success - everyone's path is different, everyone's job is different. Particularly within tech I see a lot of people who act like their entire life is over if they don't get into one of the FAANG companies straight out of college. Meanwhile, there are 200 other companies in the same areas that pay 90-100% as much (or more, in some cases) with better work-life balance and all...just less prestige and name recognition.

To me it's like committing suicide just because you didn't get into Stanford, Harvard, or Yale. There are still plenty of millionaires out there who went to state schools. Chill. Grind. And just keep moving forward.

[jmg]

Once you get your entry level job: Be a sponge. Know everything about your job and try to know everything about the jobs of people around you. Read everything. Know more than your coworker and know more than your boss. Don't burn any bridges and move up because you have proved yourself to be invaluable.

The best job isn't the highest paying job, it's the job with the most potential.

[chassis]

Learn how your employer makes money. Help them do more of that.

[FuzzyPeaches]

Originally Posted by NorCalAthlete

Also keep in mind - what constitutes "perfect" changes frequently over time.

Your perfect job to start with might be a really challenging project with a fat paycheck.

Your perfect job in 5 years might be the one that pays less but offers waaaaay better work-life balance so you can be with your future kids.

There is no single path to success - everyone's path is different, everyone's job is different. Particularly within tech I see a lot of people who act like their entire life is over if they don't get into one of the FAANG companies straight out of college. Meanwhile, there are 200 other companies in the same areas that pay 90-100% as much (or more, in some cases) with better work-life balance and all...just less prestige and name recognition.

To me it's like committing suicide just because you didn't get into Stanford, Harvard, or Yale. There are still plenty of millionaires out there who went to state schools. Chill. Grind. And just keep moving forward.

This is exactly what I would have said but, you beat me to it.

[King Rudi]

NorCalAthlete dropping some knowledge here!

Get your PMP certification. Advice from someone who doesn't have his and should. sounds like our interests are similar. Research and learn as much as you possibly can regarding 5S and Lean Manufacturing. I was part of a 5S crew in 1999, at a former employer. I took what I learned there and implemented it at my next job; it landed me a regional supervisor position. Not bad for someone who was a production employee at a manufacturing facility. Once you get to a point where you quickly identify bottlenecks and quickly find a solution, you will become extremely valuable to your employer. I don't see my position as making the company money as much as I see it as capitol retention. I can't make our company profitable through sales but I can keep it from hemorrhaging funds through elimination of waste.

My second bit of advice would be take it easy and go in slowly. Don't go in "balls to the wall." You'll burn yourself (and everyone around you) out. Sit back, keep your mouth shut and your eyes & ears open. Be a sponge, gather and absorb as much info as you can and only pull it out at the right moments. I get inundated with people trying to reinvent the wheel on a daily basis. Some ideas are great, but most are not. Knowing when to speak and what to offer is as important as having the education.

I also come from a strong sales background. Learning how the sales end of things works was/is beyond valuable to me. I can relate with the sales people that I buy material/service work from. Even in the Lean side of things, these relationships can carry you far. The sales people, contractors, engineers and whatnot that I do business with, make me look like a rock star. Having the right tools available (this includes a team of people to have in your pocket and knowing who to call for what) has been the biggest factor in my success in my position.

Congratulations and good luck.

[TKDbilly]

I think you are well on your way to being successful by networking via this forum. Some of this list will be redundant with many previously, but after working with the local University and their Graduate students on "where to go after graduation", I got to hear a lot of questions and profound responses from other very successful women/men:

Me: 10 years in engineering and then 30 years in business/technology consulting to small to large companies on optimizing people, process & technology to make things faster, smarter, better, cost effective, competitive, etc,.

Advice:
- be flexible; it isn't about one direction but how you weave together all your experiences and skills to apply towards your evolving passion
- listen 80% of time; talk 20% of the time; resist the temptation to be an "expert"; there is always things to learn and contribute to your personal growth
- don't sacrifice on your convictions; it will be hard not to make sacrifices of your deep seated values and morals; but, stand behind what you believe in even if it means passing on a opportunity
- believe in yourself
- balance between the 3 corners of a triangle: one corner=self/spirituality/health; one corner=family, friends; last corner=career; think of a dot in the middle and balance there; sometimes each corner may need focused attention but drive back to the middle
- network, network, network just as you are doing here

Sustainability Ideas:
- consider going to work for a large consultancy; you get a chance to learn about many different companies, processes and people
- data, data, data; that is, how can the information each company collects, be better leveraged to make improved decisions; refer to data analytics, AI, ML and the growing trend towards optimizing cloud technologies
- volunteer on the side to groups that interest you in the specifics of your passion

Good luck; I'll connect with you in Linkedin.

[JohnBucurE92]

Originally Posted by NorCalAthlete

Also keep in mind - what constitutes "perfect" changes frequently over time.

Your perfect job to start with might be a really challenging project with a fat paycheck.

Your perfect job in 5 years might be the one that pays less but offers waaaaay better work-life balance so you can be with your future kids.

There is no single path to success - everyone's path is different, everyone's job is different. Particularly within tech I see a lot of people who act like their entire life is over if they don't get into one of the FAANG companies straight out of college. Meanwhile, there are 200 other companies in the same areas that pay 90-100% as much (or more, in some cases) with better work-life balance and all...just less prestige and name recognition.

To me it's like committing suicide just because you didn't get into Stanford, Harvard, or Yale. There are still plenty of millionaires out there who went to state schools. Chill. Grind. And just keep moving forward.

Your advice is greatly helpful. Especially resonated with me: the sniper shot. Analyzing job openings in my field "Business Sustainability" I have been taking the best fit approach and applying to jobs that I have taken classes for and have previous experience in, rather than any job with "sustainability" in the title or description.

This way it's easier for me to write a more precise and meaningful cover letter as well.

[JohnBucurE92]

Originally Posted by jmg

Once you get your entry level job: Be a sponge. Know everything about your job and try to know everything about the jobs of people around you. Read everything. Know more than your coworker and know more than your boss. Don't burn any bridges and move up because you have proved yourself to be invaluable.

The best job isn't the highest paying job, it's the job with the most potential.

Yes! I feel like at my age I am especially learning every day. In other words an eternal student of life haha

[JohnBucurE92]

Originally Posted by King Rudi

NorCalAthlete dropping some knowledge here!

Get your PMP certification. Advice from someone who doesn't have his and should. sounds like our interests are similar. Research and learn as much as you possibly can regarding 5S and Lean Manufacturing. I was part of a 5S crew in 1999, at a former employer. I took what I learned there and implemented it at my next job; it landed me a regional supervisor position. Not bad for someone who was a production employee at a manufacturing facility. Once you get to a point where you quickly identify bottlenecks and quickly find a solution, you will become extremely valuable to your employer. I don't see my position as making the company money as much as I see it as capitol retention. I can't make our company profitable through sales but I can keep it from hemorrhaging funds through elimination of waste.

My second bit of advice would be take it easy and go in slowly. Don't go in "balls to the wall." You'll burn yourself (and everyone around you) out. Sit back, keep your mouth shut and your eyes & ears open. Be a sponge, gather and absorb as much info as you can and only pull it out at the right moments. I get inundated with people trying to reinvent the wheel on a daily basis. Some ideas are great, but most are not. Knowing when to speak and what to offer is as important as having the education.

I also come from a strong sales background. Learning how the sales end of things works was/is beyond valuable to me. I can relate with the sales people that I buy material/service work from. Even in the Lean side of things, these relationships can carry you far. The sales people, contractors, engineers and whatnot that I do business with, make me look like a rock star. Having the right tools available (this includes a team of people to have in your pocket and knowing who to call for what) has been the biggest factor in my success in my position.

Congratulations and good luck.

Thank you and relationships are everything. This is great advice because I used to work as a quality intern in Detroit supplying the big three. Those companies are in a constant renaissance of lean manufacturing to stay competitive with the automakers based in other countries. It's actually really cool to see when you're on the inside of how fast a company can move and innovate when they need to!

[JohnBucurE92]

Originally Posted by TKDbilly

I think you are well on your way to being successful by networking via this forum. Some of this list will be redundant with many previously, but after working with the local University and their Graduate students on "where to go after graduation", I got to hear a lot of questions and profound responses from other very successful women/men:

Me: 10 years in engineering and then 30 years in business/technology consulting to small to large companies on optimizing people, process & technology to make things faster, smarter, better, cost effective, competitive, etc,.

Advice:
- be flexible; it isn't about one direction but how you weave together all your experiences and skills to apply towards your evolving passion
- listen 80% of time; talk 20% of the time; resist the temptation to be an "expert"; there is always things to learn and contribute to your personal growth
- don't sacrifice on your convictions; it will be hard not to make sacrifices of your deep seated values and morals; but, stand behind what you believe in even if it means passing on a opportunity
- believe in yourself
- balance between the 3 corners of a triangle: one corner=self/spirituality/health; one corner=family, friends; last corner=career; think of a dot in the middle and balance there; sometimes each corner may need focused attention but drive back to the middle
- network, network, network just as you are doing here

Sustainability Ideas:
- consider going to work for a large consultancy; you get a chance to learn about many different companies, processes and people
- data, data, data; that is, how can the information each company collects, be better leveraged to make improved decisions; refer to data analytics, AI, ML and the growing trend towards optimizing cloud technologies
- volunteer on the side to groups that interest you in the specifics of your passion

Good luck; I'll connect with you in Linkedin.

This is great advice. Interesting how you weaved your business side and technical side together to get what's needed done. I have seen this as a growing trend too, and feel like I have a similar interest and background to do the same. I feel like a lot of fellas on this forum also come from a technical/ software/ engineering background for expertise as well! Super cool and encouraging.

[unluky]

Originally Posted by TKDbilly

I think you are well on your way to being successful by networking via this forum. Some of this list will be redundant with many previously, but after working with the local University and their Graduate students on "where to go after graduation", I got to hear a lot of questions and profound responses from other very successful women/men:

Me: 10 years in engineering and then 30 years in business/technology consulting to small to large companies on optimizing people, process & technology to make things faster, smarter, better, cost effective, competitive, etc,.

Advice:
- be flexible; it isn't about one direction but how you weave together all your experiences and skills to apply towards your evolving passion
- listen 80% of time; talk 20% of the time; resist the temptation to be an "expert"; there is always things to learn and contribute to your personal growth
- don't sacrifice on your convictions; it will be hard not to make sacrifices of your deep seated values and morals; but, stand behind what you believe in even if it means passing on a opportunity
- believe in yourself
- balance between the 3 corners of a triangle: one corner=self/spirituality/health; one corner=family, friends; last corner=career; think of a dot in the middle and balance there; sometimes each corner may need focused attention but drive back to the middle
- network, network, network just as you are doing here

Sustainability Ideas:
- consider going to work for a large consultancy; you get a chance to learn about many different companies, processes and people
- data, data, data; that is, how can the information each company collects, be better leveraged to make improved decisions; refer to data analytics, AI, ML and the growing trend towards optimizing cloud technologies
- volunteer on the side to groups that interest you in the specifics of your passion

Good luck; I'll connect with you in Linkedin.

"listen 80% of time; talk 20% of the time" THIS. I try and tell younger people about this. They are so full of this new knowledge and fire to change the world (which is good) that they miss the 2nd part of their education process - REAL LIFE. It's easy to write off those (us) dinosaurs, but they can teach you some very valuable lessons without them hitting you square in the face to learn them.

Listen. Some of it will be chaff you can disregard, but there will be gems in there and when people see you are listening and trying to learn - they will teach you.

I'm in sales and luckily I had a great mentor when I was young that told me "Never try and sell a customer what they want - sell them what they need" It took me a while to truly understand that and to realize many customers think they know what they want, but if you talk them into what they need - they will remember you forever. Especially if what they need is cheaper than what they wanted. In other words - don't go for the sale today - go for the sale forever.

The first thing I do when I meet a new client - I listen. Prime the pump, get them talking, then shut up and just listen.

Great advice.

[twin fed]

I only have one thing to say.........