1. Why the business environment became hell for fresh graduated and
how we can help them.
Daniel Doni Sundjojo
Practitioner and Consultant in Human Resources and Organizational Development
Abstract
Business environment become very demanding and will be more demanding from year to year. This condition
give significant impact to requirement of fresh graduated to compete in job seeker market that set up higher
and higher standard. Many fresh graduated frustrated because of they failure in interview process, or if they
lucky to be hired, they will be frustrated as new kids on the block that doesn’t match with company’s
expectation. At the end of the day, they fired and be frustrated again and again. Many of company complaint
about lack of competency, ethics, habit, professionalism and attitude of fresh graduated that doesn’t match
their standard in interview process or, in probation time. Many of fresh graduated, even the best of the best
graduated failed to meet company’s expectation. In this paper, I will share why many fresh graduated failed
and how we can help them.
Key words: Fresh Graduated, Business Environment, Education Practitioner and Institution
Responsibility
1. Introduction. other business environment requirement that
they never ever imagine before, even in their
Today’s business environment become very
wildest fantasy. So, the business environment
demanding, very risky and set up the higher
became hell for many fresh graduate. Few of
standard than before. Today’s business tend
them can be successful, but many of them died
become risky and gambling. If we walk in the in the battle field. In this paper, I will share 5
right way, we can win, otherwise, we will things that make business environment become
bleed. According Mc Kinsey’s Global Survey’s
the hell for fresh graduated, and how to help
(2011) there are top 5 of barriers that make
them to compete in very demanding job seeker
business environment become risky : high
market and to be successful professional once
commodity prices, inflation, customer demand, they lucky to be hired.
government regulation and geopolitical
instability. This condition make high impact to
2. Research Questions
company’s expectation when they hire
employee. They tend to minimize risk, cost and I declare my research questions in this paper is:
maximize value by recruit the experience
workers or at least rookie with 1 or 2 years • Why business environment become hell to
experience to join their management fresh graduate?
development program rather than hire fresh
graduated unless they convincing that they are 3. Methodology
the best talent. A Few position still give hope
In this research, I used multiple case study to
for fresh graduated such as sales, clerk, helper,
find answer of research questions. Yin (1994,
or other entry level that have higher turnovers
in their history. And once they hired, many of 45) had defined multiple case study as “a major
them feel the high tension of business insight to consider multiple cases as one would
consider multiple experiments.” Multiple case
environment such as, uncompromised
study, like as single case study had emphasizes
organizational culture, high tempered boss,
in multiple source of evidence to find
office politic that can be dirty, industry and
information. In this paper, I use interview, data
business competition that can be brutally and

2. analysis and observation that involved 20 disaster and they may fired by their parents
executive from 5 company with various unit themselves. Fresh Graduated or even who will
business, 2 person from reputable head hunters, run their parents’ business must realize that
50 fresh graduated from various university, that they are nothing until give the excellent
academy, and school and 20 trainee that hired contribution to company. They are useless until
with fresh graduated status from 5 company bring special value and prove that deserved to
with different business unit. gain respect from the company. You even
should pay your own salary until you make the
excellent impact for company. If you still
4. Result and Discussion dreaming when you enter your cubical, you
In this section, I will describe reason that will frustrated. And will shoot before your first
make business environment become the hell lunch in company, even by your parents. Let’s
for fresh graduated, and how to help them to wake up and synchronize with company if you
compete in very demanding job seeker market doesn’t die young in company, and it become
and to be successful professional once they more embarrassing if the company is yours!
lucky to be hired.
4.1. Reason that make business 4.1.2. Reason #2 : : Many Fresh Graduate
doesn’t ready to work
environment become the hell for fresh
graduated As I declare before, Many of company
complaint about lack of competency, ethics,
4.1.1.Reason #1 : Many Fresh Graduated is habit, professionalism and attitude of fresh
still dreaming when they are in business graduated that doesn’t match their standard in
world interview process or in probation time. They
tend stand on their theoretical background
Many Fresh graduate is still dreaming when they deal with business environment that
when they enter job seeker market, or the change radical and rapidly. When they study,
worst, still dreaming when they had hired by the business environment always change with
company or run their parents’ business. They unpredictable and even unbelievable way.
have high ego and ideal expectation, especially When they learn from the text book, the book
fresh graduate from top-tier university. They had old fashioned for business environment
feel they are the superstars that come to stages. that change in every micro-second in the whole
They expect good salary, benefit, facility, world. The difference of 1 year between text
company culture, and other excellent book preparation until published may seems
condition. They imagine that company will like 300 years in business environment. This is
celebrate and set up the party when they very complex thing. But this condition doesn’t
arrived. A few of luck fresh graduated that only their own sin. Many education practices
have parents who run their own business, come contribute for this chaos. If we willing to be
to their family business company as a Prince honest, our education system, even in the top-
and shortly, they became the trigger of conflict tier university, doesn’t support the
since they do something that doesn’t link with requirement of business environment entirely.
company’s strategy, needs, expectation and Many theoretical, case study, text book, even
business environment. Many of them have simulation, practical session, but it is not in the
conflict with their parents’ employee or the real world. It still in program that can be
worst, with their parent themselves. Employee controlled. You can make money in business
may respect them because of their status rather simulation and die in real business world,
than their credibility. At the end of the day, especially when you do it with your own
they transform their parent’s business into money. That program tend looks like movie

3. than reality. If they failed in this program, they achievement that they can seize with have
doesn’t pass for this subject, but they still can special value to company.
repeat and improve it on the next year. But, in
business environment, once you failed, you can 4.2 . How we can help them
lost everything, you never has opportunity to In this section, I will share idea about
repeat it without the difficult consequences what can we do to help them in term of
since there aren’t save word or hero that save Education Practitioner and Institution
you and guarantee the happy ending as in
movie world. 4.2.1. Leverage #1 : Improve your self so
you can Tell the Truth for them
4.1.3 Reason #3 : Many Fresh Graduated
doesn’t have goal and commitment to seize Many of fresh graduated that I had
it. interviewed admit that they had shocked about
I had interviewed many fresh graduated the very difference between what they had
even best fresh graduated from top-tier learn from their lecturer and the reality in
university, and the reality is really hurt : many business world. They admit that lecturer tend
of them doesn’t know about what is their goal, to give their dream rather than reality even it
at least 5 years from now and how you will will be hurt. So, If you are Education
seize it? They only answer with classic and Practitioner, you must tell the truth to them,
diplomatic manner but still remain confusing that business environment is never be easy. But
mind in their brain. How can they will success the question is how can you show to them the
if they even never know what of their goal? way that you never do? If you want tell the
How can the soccer team will win if they never truth, you must have experience to work in
ever know that they play for win? profitable business and prove your value in
managerial level, otherwise you had
4.1.4. Reason #4 : Many Fresh Graduated experienced to manage your own business. If
doesn’t have sense of belonging and you want be the ideal educator you shall do it,
commitment to company. so you can tell the truth behind the show. If
you are decision maker in education institution,
Many of fresh graduated tend to work for you shall facilitate your lecturer to work in the
themselves. A few of them think about company as employee not consultant. If you
company and have commitment to make are employee, you are implementer, so you
company to be the best company. All of their know exactly about the condition, pressure,
promise in the interview session will gone once organization, people, system, process, and
they hired. They tend to do everything with other ingredients of business environment. You
their own mind and never feel about the further can feel the real high voltage tension about
impact for company. Even they work for their business and how to synchronize it to achieve
parents themselves, they tend have sense of the special value. If you are consultant, you
belonging less than their parents. only know the interface of it, because actually
you never ever dive by yourself. You seems
4.1.5. Reason #5 : Many Fresh Graduate like a coach that never ever be a player in your
focus on the activities not achievement. life. Maybe you can success with this way, but
you must do million times better than others.
Many of fresh graduate only work based Once the educator has experience in
on activity, few of them work focus on professional business organization, they will
achievement. They tend work only to meet the more confidence and the best part is they can
target and expectation doesn’t concern to tell the truth for their student, how to
improve it into special value to company. They synchronize it and win over it. After that, you
work with emphasizes on the work itself not still can improve yourself with many project

4. with many roles such as consultant, trainer or consultation, strategic professional
researcher. development coaching, and even the shoulder
to cry on their entirely career or business. In
4.2.2. Leverage #2 : Education return, we can develop ourselves by the
Practitioner and Institution complex case from them, and if they success,
Responsibility : Be the agent of that will be our achievement too.
success for their student in their
entirely career or business
4.3. What next? Let’s action!
Many of Education Practitioner and
institution don’t realize that they have roles as What must you do after all of previous section
the agent of success for their student in their of this paper? Let’s action! For the short term,
entirely career or business. Many Education we can improve ourselves. For the long term,
institution has career centre but few of them we can improve our system of education in our
actually concern to do it. They don’t have department first, and always improve it on the
comprehensive talent program to develop and larger scale. Together, we can help them to
prepare the student to win in business world compete in business world, and at the end of
from the first time they enter the first class the day, we help our country to minimize the
until they had graduated, and keep monitoring unemployment rate. However, It needs the long
and help them in their entirely career or term commitment from all of component that
business. They don’t have comprehensive relate : government, education institution,
program that can monitor, develop and educator, parent, and the student themselves.
maximize their student in term of But we can start for ourselves to make
competency, ethics, habit, professionalism, difference.
attitude, and other ingredient to compete in
business environment. Education institution 5. Conclusion
shall provide the individual development
We must help the fresh graduated know,
program that managed by professional. The
comprehensive program contain training, synchronize and win the real world. If we do
the idea that I had declared in section 4, we
apprenticeship/ internship, capacity and talent
may help them to compete in very demanding
building, coaching, certification and other
business environment. We can transform them
activities that bring value added to compete in
into very experienced fresh graduated that
business world must be provided in partnership
with business world. With this program, when ready to win in real world. However, It need
the student became graduated, actually they the long term commitment and maybe we can
frustrated in many part of the process. But if
has good curriculum vitae that can help them to
we success, we can help our country and
win the competition in the real world.
nation.
Education Practitioner and institution must
promote their student to business world and
convincing business world that their student is
the best talent who will bring special value for
References
organization. Education Practitioner and
institution must guarantee that their graduated
Mc Kinsey, & Company (2011), : “Mc Kinsey
has good career or business that they deserved.
Global Survey : Economics Condition
Once they hired by the company or run their
Snapshot : March 2011” Mc Kinsey &
own business, never ever forget this role.
Company
Education Practitioner and institution shall
coach them in entirely their careers or business
to maximize their potential by provide

5. Senge, P. (1990), : “The Fifth Discipline : The
Art and Practice of Learning Organization,”
London : Nicholas Brealey Publishing Limited.
Yin, R.K., (1994), : “Case Study Research :
Design and Methods.” California : Sage
Publications, Inc.