When looking for your first job, it is likely you are putting your best foot forward with potential employers in hopes they will select you. What many college graduates don’t realize often enough is that the interview process is a two-way street. As much as a potential employer is evaluating if you are a fit for them, you should be evaluating whether the company is a fit for you.
Your first real job is the launch pad for your career, so when determining if a company is a good fit, it is important to evaluate if and how they invest in your professional growth. Here are some things to consider:
Training and development. Training and development can initially get you up to speed as you transition from college to your career helping you quickly master new skills that will be important to your success in your new role. In addition to the training you receive when you start with a company, it is important to understand if a company provides on-going training, and if so, whether the skills are transferable – meaning will other employers find them valuable, and will they make you more marketable in the larger job market.
Also, it is important to understand how they deliver training, is it self-paced online training, instructor-led classroom style training, or will you be required to invest money yourself to obtain the materials for the training or certifications.
Mentoring. Mentoring is a tool to help new and experienced employees build their skills while having a great sounding board for ideas, career perspective and support in challenging situations. It is important to understand a company’s mentoring approach or if they have one at all.
If a company does have a mentorship program you will want to ask questions around who the mentors are, how they are assigned and the expectations for the mentor-mentee relationship. If you join an organization that does not have a program like this, you can still identify a person you view as a mentor and ask them to engage with you. As a young professional a strong mentor with a neutral view of your career can be extremely helpful to you personally and professionally.
On-going Support. Support from multiple sources within an organization can provide you different perspectives on challenging situations and unique opportunities to build skills.
The G10 Associates program provides all three of these aspects to build a successful, challenging, yet supportive, environment for our G10 Associates. Our training is continually evaluated to ensure we are providing up-to-date and relevant information to our new Associates. Each Associate will be assigned to a delivery director for mentoring; they bring many years of consulting experience to the table, helping our Associates navigate the challenges of corporate America.
Finally, Genesis10 provides on-going support to each Associate through our account coordinators, recruiting team, G10 Associates service line leader, and our large network of senior consultants.
For more career advice, please read our recent blog post, Advice for College Graduates: Own Your Career.
