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I've graduated during a crisis. What next?
- 1. 23 June 2020 Su-Ann Tan Burke Senior Advisor Proximity Melbourne I’ve graduated during an economic crisis. What next?
- 2. The Global Financial Crisis and me I graduated mid 2008 with Double Degree from The University of Melbourne – Science with First Class Honours and Law. 7 years. 2 years part-time paralegal experience at a highly regarded intellectual property firm 2 years casual hospitality and retail experience: Australian Open Tennis, AFL games EXPECTATION of walking straight into a traineeship – how I was proven wrong! I didn’t have: Seasonal clerkships with law firms. While my friends did clerkships, I chose to do a Science Honours year. 60-80 hours per week in labs. (Valuable in its own way) A job market that was looking to hire grads… oh wait, anyone. GFC 2008-2010: Businesses cut costs – including training graduates My initial approach: all kinds and tiers of law firms, investment banks, government No luck Changed my approach – non-graduate roles with a legal flavour. Administration assistant and paralegal in the Cadbury legal team. 12-month contract. Used this opportunity to hone my ‘5 Ps’ (more on this later)
- 3. The covid crisis and you Feeling sorry for yourself? ‘Why me?’ Why not you? No one is immune from the unexpected No jobs in what you trained for? It sucks but it’s happened. What are you going to do about it? Covid has proven that staying digital is your lifeline Digital profile Digital communication Digital solutions ‘Business as usual’ is dead. Where to look now? Tech / legal tech? Tech is the new admin assistant? Essential industries like healthcare, food, consumer staples, energy, freight and logistics
- 4. See through the noise
- 5. 2008-2010 GFC 2020 COVID19 Digital infancy Face to face the norm Hyper digital! Covid makes digital communication essential and the norm Global introduction and work opportunities? Narrower information sources and communication channels – law firm articles, blogs. Limited use of social media Awash with information! Do you ever click past page 1 of web search results now? Far more communication channels and use of social media (LinkedIn, Twitter) Reputation in real life builds reputation online. If you weren’t already a big name, audiences weren’t likely to follow you No need to be a ‘big name’ to share valuable content online. Digital profile increasingly important for your reputation IRL Learning was traditional – face to face lectures. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) were new. <500 courses in 2012. MOOCs not taken seriously by employers. Learning goes digital by necessity. Massive growth of MOOCs. ~11k courses in 2019. Traditional institutions like Harvard and Monash University offer MOOCs. Then v Now
- 6. Hustle: no single recipe but my 5 basic ‘Ps’ can help Profile – what do you want to be known for? People – who can you help and be helped by in return? Persistence – hard but necessary Patience – even harder but absolutely necessary! Pounce – at opportunities
- 7. Success factors – Break it down HD Skills Good grades Relevant experience Profile People Mindset Opportunity Other job The economy Supporter s Employers Patience Persistenc
- 8. Which factors can you control? HD Skills Good grades Profile Mindset Patience Persistenc
- 9. Which factors can you seek to influence? Relevant experience People Opportunity Supporter s Employers
- 10. Which factors are WAAAAY beyond your control? Other job The economy So don’t even try to touch them!
- 11. Coming back to the 5 Ps…. Profile – you’re in control People – able to be influenced, especially with strong emotional intelligence Persistence – you’re in control Patience – you’re in control Pounce at opportunities – able to be influenced using the 4 Ps above
- 12. Known Unknown You 2. Challenge 3. Rising to the challenge 1. Expectation 4. Struggle, hurt, feeling super low 5. Learning, improving, humility 6. Profile | People | Persistence | Patience |Pounce 7. Goal achieved! Rebaseline. Find your next challenge! The graduate’s journey SPOILER ALERT! This is how your journey unfolds
- 13. JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon has called the pandemic ‘a wake-up call … for business and government to think, act and invest for the common good’. Every crisis has opportunities
- 14. An Australian success story Who doesn’t love a success story? Anika Legal, a start-up from Victoria, Australia, has had a 600 per cent increase in demand during COVID-19 Started in 2016 in the Global Legal Hackathon. Came runners-up at the global final in NYC “…united by our passion for access to justice… we decided to turn our idea into reality…We had to build a team, develop a tech product, and fundraise from the ground up.” - Perveen Maan co-founder of Anika Legal Anika is now a registered charity and independent legal practice that provides free legal assistance to people who can’t access it Provides practical legal education to law students
- 15. BONUS UNLOCKED Thanks for sticking around! Your bonus content is one slide away…
- 16. 6th P: Practice perfection If you enjoy Challenge yourself. Can you… Benefits – apply these to your work Human Movement • push harder and breathe through the discomfort? • try something different or new? • flow better, or even better, achieve ‘flow state’? • Mental resilience and endurance • Learn to learn • Self-awareness, technique and learning to master a skill Playing an instrument or dancing • improvise? • learn a harder song? • duo with another person? • All the above • Confidence to think and respond on your toes • Listen and work as one team Cooking • turn leftovers into something amazing? • create something others enjoy that’s still healthy? • Creativity and efficiency – essential in today’s job market and into the future Coaching or helping others • help them identify good goals? • enable or help them to reach their goals? • Motivating and leading others to succeed. Enablement • Empathy – emotional intelligence must- have • identify the top 3 messages of the • Distilling key points is valuable in a world of
- 17. Check out my article on Getting comfortable with discomfort in Proximity’s The Pulse magazine! All editions of The Pulse are on Issuu. If you enjoy it please share it with a friend! Want more?
- 18. About Proximity Proximity has matured from an innovative ‘new law’ firm founded in 2011 to an award-winning professional services organisation providing legal, commercial and governance solutions Proximity is highly regarded for its client-focused service delivery models and holistic approach to complex problem-solving
- 19. Want even more inspo? Here are some of Su-Ann’s favourites: Spartan Up! Podcast – Apple Podcasts (scroll through for episodes on business and entrepreneurs) Malcolm Gladwell, David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants (Hardcover book) 2013. ‘Explore the power of the underdog in Malcolm Gladwell's dazzling examination of success, motivation, and the role of adversity in shaping our lives.’ Bright Vibes Media – amplifying the good in the world on Instagram, Facebook and online
Editor's Notes
- There’s no one answer, but the crisis has shown us a set of ways that won’t work any more. With that in mind, you need to start thinking of all the new ways to achieve your goals and also how to respond if the goalposts have shifted. The first step is to get your perception right – do you see many pathways as an opportunity or do you let it overwhelm you?
- IP firm where I worked had hired a grad the year before I graduated. The grad was a friend from my Science/Law cohort. I was thrilled for her. I also thought I’d be next in line. There’s no such thing as a line! Firm didn’t take any grads for 2009. The GFC changed the mood dramatically. Looked to Gov. My advanced legal research paper was on cartel conduct. 1 of 2000 applicants for ACCC grad program. Got 1st round interview. 1 of 12. Didn’t get into 2nd round. Exhausted all grad options and was left with nothing. It sucked. It was the worst thing that happened. It was also the best thing that happened because it taught me to actually think and find and create opportunities. On Seek, saw an ad for admin assistant and paralegal with Cadbury. 12 months fixed contract. Applied and got it. I had good references from the IP firms I worked at. I got to know Cadbury’s external lawyers. This included another well known IP firm. I did my research about the firm and the kinds of people/skills they needed. I got talking to the lawyers advising Cadbury to find out what makes them tick. I thought about what value I offered them. I came up with a proposal: I asked if they would take me on as a graduate lawyer after my year at Cadbury if I organised and paid for my own. I took the training burden away from them. Doing your own PLT was no where near as prestigious as having a top tier firm take you through their PLT as a grad. But I didn’t care. I could either wait forever and keep my pride, or drop the arrogance and not waste another second of my life. Quite quickly I heard back from a partner who accepted my proposal. I nearly hit the roof! Key point: I couldn’t discover my real ability til I was out of my comfort zone.
- I was sent a snippet form a recent ABC Q&A episode interviewing young people and graduate job seekers: https://www.facebook.com/abcqanda/videos/2554461838136952/. The key views were: - Policy for the future should be to invest in renewables - Get transferable skills - ‘I want to get a job that I studied for and want, and I want it upon graduation’ My message: reality bites hard and it hurts. It’s not about what you want. It’s about what the world wants. I know you want a job now. I know you want a job in what you studied – law – at the firms you clerked with or worked at. I did too. But that possibility vapourised overnight. The sooner you stop focusing on the ways that no longer work and the sooner you start trying to find new ways that might work, the more successful you will be. Key point: Have a cry but don’t dwell on misery. The many ways to succeed are waiting to be discovered! Get cracking!
- Cut through the noise of loud attention-grabbing doom and gloom headlines. They make money from number of clicks. See through the fog to find opportunities. Negativity is a killer. Be stubbornly optimistic.
- Overwhelming! Break it down. Don’t let it break you down
- Focus on the things you can control – these are usually your behaviours and choices you make. Skills – ask questions. When you’re a junior people expect you to ask Qs. When you’re older, people can get annoyed if you ask basic questions. Don’t miss your opportunity Skills – emotional intelligence and communication skills Profile – what do you want to be known for? Craft a profile that points you in that direction and always keep it honest, accurate, professional. The internet remains a permanent record of everything you publish! Don’t lie. You’ll get caught out and your profile will be irreparably damaged. https://www.cio.com/article/3500111/characteristics-of-emotional-intelligence.html 1. Self awareness People with high EI understand their emotions and they don’t let their feelings rule them. They know their strengths and weaknesses, and they work on these areas so they can perform better. 2. Self regulation This is the ability to control emotions and impulses. People who self regulate typically don’t allow themselves to become too angry or jealous, and they don’t make impulsive, careless decisions. They think before they act. 3. Motivation People with a high EI are willing to defer immediate results for long-term success. They are highly productive,love a challenge, and are effective in whatever they do. 4. Empathy This is the ability to identify with and understand the wants, needs, and viewpoints of those around you. Empathetic people avoid stereotyping and judging too quickly, and they live their lives in an open, honest way. 5. Social skills People with strong social skills are typically team players. Rather than focus on their own success, they help others to develop and shine. They can manage disputes, are excellent communicators, and are masters at building and maintaining relationships.
- People: think about what are the biggest issues/problems your prospective employers are facing. How can you help them? Talk to people you know at the company to find out more. Who are your biggest fans? What references do you have? When I’m hiring, I’m influenced by a candidate’s references because they bring a level of objectivity. Opportunity: Pounce in a timely, well considered way. Be prepared for ‘no’. Every proposal, pitch and interview is practice for the next. Each time gets better Relevant experience: It may be hard to get in lean times. When times are good and there’s jobs galore, get as much relevant experience as possible. Always see it from your target’s perspective – if you want to work for a business, understand what their goals are, what they need, what they’re looking for. Help make their decision easy whether to engage with you and hire you. What’s your value proposition to make them want you?
- Inspired by: https://www.well-storied.com/blog/heros-journey You may cycle several times within the unknown – try, fail, reflect, try again but differently, fail, reflect, try again and differently, succeed!!
- https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/may/24/covid-19-has-changed-everything-now-we-need-a-revolution-for-a-born-again-world A turning point? Public sector legal policy roles? Gov and consultants to government develop policy – a position or approach on how they are going about something. Policy shapes practice. If you don’t like how the law operates, change it. Get into law reform and policy making. Private sector - Can you improve a business’ public image through corporate social responsibility? Do you have volunteer experience you can leverage when you pitch to prospective employers? Businesses often appeal to customers by doing good and wanting to be seen to do good, but often don’t have the time or resources for CSR. Could that be your opportunity to get a foot in the door to create a mutual win win for them and you (and the community)?
- I like using metaphors to reinforce my professional development. I manufacture adversity by setting myself new physical challenges every couple of months – it was obstacle course racing for the last 2 years and now hip hop. I am always feeling awkward and learning (and learning more about learning). Seeing incremental progress is rewarding and proves to myself that I can start from nothing to having honed skills that make me pretty good at tackling the challenge. Reinforces: Breaking down challenge into things I can control and things I can’t. Focusing on everything I can control and influence. Working hard at it and getting enough sleep – that’s when your brain muscle grows. It’s a real confidence booster knowing you can achieve something you had no ability to do at the start. If you can do it in a sport or hobby, you can do it in your professional life!