When someone I know, whom I'll call Sam, recounted the details of his first week at a new job, he was in the frame of mind to quit. Initially, everything at the company checked out with what Sam was looking for, including a supervisor who said the favorite part of her job was "mentoring" new staff.

So, what happened that so drastically shifted Sam's attitude about his new employer after just one week?

This description of Sam's first three days at his new job should give you a hint:

When Sam arrived on his first day at work, he received an email from his boss stating that she was tied up at meetings all day and would see him at day's end.

No one greeted him most of the day and Sam noticed that everyone looked stressed and intently focused on work. He made a call to the human resources director to ask a few questions relative to a new hire and was told that she was busy and would get back to him in an hour; but she never did.

He reviewed files and tried to make sense as best he could of a new account management system. At the end of the day, he had a brief encounter with his boss who outlined a few expectations and left. Sam hardly knew what to ask her with so little information.

The second and third days were more of the same, at which point I happened to speak to him. The complete lack of a welcome and no orientation left Sam in doubt about how well he could accomplish his new responsibilities.

I encouraged him to find a couple of people in similar positions who would explain the work culture as well as their relationship to the "boss who liked to mentor". Sam learned that his colleagues were all confused by the new account management system and struggled to keep their heads above water.

They added that they had little contact with the supervisor and approached her only in emergencies. While this was not what he wanted to hear, he now knew what to expect from his new boss.

By the end of the week, Sam was feeling less frantic about his job. His connections with several colleagues were key to his decision to stay for at least six months. But this story could have ended in a much different way.

If Sam had quit after a week, his employer would have lost out on a capable new hire in whom it had already invested resources through the hiring process. This negative outcome could have easily been avoided with a shared organizational goal to connect with new hires, provide them with a basic orientation to help them be as successful as possible.

As for Sam, rather than quitting, he decided on a proactive approach to his new job, and found inspiration in a quote by Gandhi: "Be the change you want to see."

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UPCOMING EVENTS WHERE I'LL BE PRESENTING WORKSHOPS OR KEYNOTES:

•Maine Health Women's Wellness Day: "Simple Steps to Love Your Work"
Saturday, May 13, Sheraton, So. Portland, ME

•Goodall Hospital Women's Health Expo: "Beyond the Midlife Crisis: Understanding Life and Work in the Second Half of Life
Saturday, May 20, Sanford, ME

•A Women's Retreat in Provence, September 23-30, 2006

Several of my colleagues have children who are graduating from college this year and they are wringing their hands about the job market and concerned about the “Don’t worry about it, I’ll find a job” attitude expressed by their soon-to-be graduate.

I know from experience that kids eventually come around to accepting, even asking for parents’ opinions, but it’s typically not until they have crossed the threshold into their 20’s. Until then, parents find stealth-like ways to pass on their sage advice or that of others from their generation.

That’s where I come in. While I’ve been a career counselor in private practice for 16 years, I actually developed my skills and learned the ropes in higher education. From the University of New Hampshire, to Nasson and Bowdoin Colleges, I worked with hundreds of college students needing guidance around selecting a major to what-to-do-with-that-major as they prepared to leave their 17 years in education.

It was true then and still holds true today--many students put off thinking about the inevitable and avoid the job search that will test their ability to make it in the real world. Perhaps a combination of feelings from fear of the unknown to reluctance to leave their friends and familiar surroundings, keep them in denial and far from the array of resources available to them.

Without any direct experience of their own, students dismiss career counseling, on campus recruiting, resume and interviewing workshops and tapping the alumni network as “not very useful” or “geared only to business majors”. Some make up any justification that will allow them to keep post graduation plans at bay for as long as possible.

It is a real loss to them. Even though career assistance is available after graduation at some colleges and universities, these services usually come with a fee and they are never as comprehensive as those offered to matriculated students.

While most of my clients today are well past college age, I still see a number of college seniors and juniors. Perhaps because I’m not their parent, they seem to be open to what I have to say. First on the list is a recommendation that they take advantage of all their college career services office has to offer.

Here's a summary of tips for the college grad:

1. Visit the career services office at your college and set up an appointment with one of the career counselors.

2. If you have not identified a job or field to pursue after graduation, ask how they can help you achieve that goal.

3. Ask how you can conduct an alumni/ae search for a list of names of people who are working in the city and or job in which you are interested.

4. Develop a resume or portfolio resume.

5. Set up informational interviews. Meet with people in entry-level positions so you can determine if the job is a good fit for you. After you have a sense of the job and what is required, you might then contact alums in mid to senior level positions to ask their advice on securing a job in their field. Ask for feedback on your resume.

6. When you learn of an actual job, request a job description. Make sure your resume incorporates key words and covers the most important requirements from the description.

7. Keep a written record of your process (Excel is great for that) and make sure you send appropriate follow up correspondence or emails.

8. Be prepared when the offer finally comes. Do the research that will tell you the salary ranges in the job and marketplace in which you are looking. Learn how to negotiate for a better offer, if appropriate.

9. Celebrate your first job!

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UPCOMING EVENTS WHERE I'LL BE PRESENTING WORKSHOPS OR KEYNOTES:

•Maine Health Women's Wellness Day: "Simple Steps to Love Your Work"
Saturday, May 13, Sheraton, So. Portland, ME

•Goodall Hospital Women's Health Expo: "Beyond the Midlife Crisis: Understanding Life and Work in the Second Half of Life
Saturday, May 20, Sanford, ME

•A Women's Retreat in Provence, September 23-30, 2006