Top 5 Things Graduates Look For In Their First Job

A graduate’s first job can be defining for his/her career. With the years put into college and university degrees, it often represents the next big step in their independence, freedom, and individual development. Which is why finding the perfect fit in the first job is on a lot of their minds. Various surveys reveal common factors that influence the graduate’s decision in taking on a position with a company/organization. The most recurrent are compensation, corporate culture, impact, work-life balance, and career development.

Compensation

Compensation/salary/remuneration still remains a top priority for majority of graduates from college and universities. With rising costs of living in major cities in Asia, this comes as no surprise. However, while there are still gaps between graduates’ expectations and what employers can initially offer, graduates do not always look for high compensation at the time of employment. Rather it is the ability for them to learn new skills and build their knowledge base that would lead them to higher paying positions within the company.

Corporate Culture

We spend most part of the day at work, working for companies/organizations and with people who support the different work functions and processes within the organization. It is therefore no surprise that young graduates and millennials place a high level of importance on joining an organization that they can successfully integrate with culturally and be a part of. Moreover, there is a growing trend for young graduates to join organizations not just for their “big name or fame” but more for their work environment, collaborative team dynamics, and values that they can identify with.

Impact

“Impact” has become an important word in today’s millennials’ vocabulary. Young graduates want to know that they can “make the world a better place” or to “have an impact” with the work that they do. They are more attracted to companies and organizations that can make them feel that their contribution at the workplace is leaving the organization and making a difference to the different facets of today’s economy, society, and environment.

Work-life balance

While some corporate environments still foster a highly competitive workspace that leaves little room for work-life balance, today’s graduates are being selective at a very young age about the types of careers they take on that would allow them to balance their careers and personal lives. While compensation and growth are still important to graduates, climbing up the corporate ladder at a rapid pace is not as important anymore.  

Career Development

While working with the best in the field/industry is the dream of a lot of young graduates, the opportunities for them to grow their knowledge and skills within the organization is just as important.  Young graduates want their learning to continue when they take on their first jobs and would like to see that pave future career paths for them whether it is in the organizational context or in their future career dreams and goals. Their expectations from employers reflect their need to continue learning new things that help them develop individually and professionally.

It is worth noting that accessibility to universities still plays a significant role in finding decent work in Asia. This has contributed to the urbanization of major cities in the region and in turn has had some negative impacts on some industries that are not as attractive to young millennials as they were to former generations. Perhaps it is worth exploring how governments in Asia can better support specialized training or programs that attract young millennials to take on professions like farming and farming related activities that are not considered as promising but has a great impact on the growth of these industries.