We’ve talked with a number of recent college graduates who have told us they don’t need Launch2Life to help them through the transition from college to career. They say their college, their family and friends are enough support to help them prepare for and then land that first prized job out of school. We’re the first to acknowledge that this is the prevailing post-graduate approach since the time that diplomas were first handed out at the first college graduation. 

However, we’d like to offer some wisdom taken straight from the news this week that  suggests a better route for those who aspire to greatness.

U.S. skier Hannah Kearney upset Canadian Jenn Heil to win the gold medal in the women’s moguls competition last Saturday night. It was the first gold of the Vancouver Winter Olympics for America and if you were watching - it was an amazing feat of athleticism on the part of all the skiers.

During a post win interview, Hannah credits her coach for her success. Turns out that on the morning of her gold medal day, her U.S. Ski Team strength coach Alex Moore gave her a note card. On it was a collection of statistics of the work she had done leading up to this day. It was a reminder of the lifetime commitment she had made leading up to a stormy, blustery night on Cypress Mountain.

The note card listed all the work that Hannah had done to prepare for this moment. It included over 1,000 water ramp jumps, 200 hours on a bike, 1,400 squats, 480 pullups, 14,000 jumps and 170 recovery sessions, and more including squats of 300 pounds!

 - all since Kearney turned off her World Cup title season last May and focused on Saturday, Feb. 13, 2010.

Hannah said during an interview “He gave it to me just to give me the confidence to know I had done everything I could and had prepared for this day,” said Kearney.

She may have had the drive to earn the gold but she didn’t do it alone, nor could she have done it without coaches to instruct and guide her, to motivate her, to mentor and inspire her.

We are here to be sure our clients posses the same degree of confidence by knowing that they have done everything to prepare for and then successfully transition from college to a meaningful and fulfilling career.

Your attitude could be the reason you get a better job.

This article by Pat Wiesner, retired CEO of WiesnerMedia,  has some great comments about how your attitude can make or break an interview.  He says: “We won’t have nearly the success just sitting there properly and answering questions. We have to grab on and live up to our responsibility as half of the interview. There are a couple of things you can try hard to communicate about yourself in a job interview: the effort you are capable of and your sense of team.”

Re-read what Mr. Wiesner wrote. You are half of the interview.

He also wrote: “We need to put into true words just who we are and what our values are so that our prospective new employer can judge just how we will fit into his/her needs.”  

These are wise words for sure but can you, right at this very moment, tell a stranger who you are and the value you would bring to the workplace? This is crucial especially for those without a lot of work experience or for those who want to change career direction. As important as a great attitude is, I would add to that, the ability to clearly articulate how you best work and communicate with others, how you take in information, solve problems and make decisions and how these abilities match the role, as well as the work and communication style of the hiring manager you are interviewing for.