Uncle Drew Wants You – To Help Write an eBook for Grads

Drew McLellan has issued a clarion call for us to serve career advice to college grads, creating a (fre)e-book for graduates, equipping them with a fighting chance entering the workforce.

"I remember how scary it was.  20+ years later, I shake my head at the mistakes the grads make while trying to vie for my attention.  So I decided we (yes WE) could give them a gift that will put that digital camera to shame.  We can help them get that job"

Drew asks for comments or blog posts, so here’s my advice:

Be Enthusiastic, Be Flexible, Be Younique

  • Enthusiasm: Have enthusiasm about yourself and what you bring to the table. And bring it all. Enough of the ho-hum, we need more humdingers.
  • Flexible: Know what you don’t know – and a big part of that is the future. There aren’t many who are doing exactly what they planned on 20 years ago. Stay focused on your goal, but maintain peripheral vision to all possibilities.
  • Unique: Be you, boldly. Trying to be something you’re not in the interview will …well…it’s a lie. Remember, bold and obnoxious are not synonymous.

What’s your advice? As Drew says, someone helped us at one time or another – and who knows, maybe you’ll find your next employee (c’mon web developer!).

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I hear it from a lot of business owners: “Where is the ROI with all this Social Media?“ If this is a question you ask yourself, maybe we should work together a bit more. We can work together solo, or via a professional learning community. Find and increase your ROI. There is a “there” there.

  • http://www.drewsmarketingminute.com Drew McLellan

    Thanks for helping me spread the word, Mike. It will be a very cool “gift” we can offer the bright-eyed grads so they can start paying back those student loans!! :)
    Considering your own interesting career path, I can’t wait to see what words of wisdom you offer!
    “Uncle” Drew

  • http://www.converstations.com Mike Sansone

    Drew:-) Did you mean to say ‘my own career pathS’ with path getting pluralized?:-) Rare and past is the time when we work for one company for 20 years – corporate isn’t hiring with that goal in mind anymore.

  • http://healthywebdesign.com Dawud Miracle

    Great idea. Living near the University of Michigan I’ve been amazed at how little ‘life skills’ grads from the web/graphics departments actually have. I spoke with a web developer who had just graduated this past summer and I was amazed that they didn’t cover semantic markup in his 5 years of schooling. Pretty basic piece to writing solid code.

  • http://www.artdinkin.com Art Dinkin

    Don’t blame the students. They are just products of the system. Reality is, there is a HUGE disconnect between academia and work world. I teach Introduction to Business and Managing Entreprenurial Ventures as adjunct faculty for Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC). The textbooks we teach from (and many others I have reviewed) are written by very bright, educated, and well intentioned professors who lack practical experience. They can explain the facts and write about trends, but they have no understanding of the mechanics of reality.
    My advise to students who are graduating and entering the workforce is to understand that the key to success is communication. Learn how to communicate in a business world in all manners… formal writing, emails, blog entries and comments, as well as being able to speak well. I have met many students with high levels of skill and knowledge that goes to waste because they can not communicate their ideas to others. Oh, and one other key tidbit. I don’t care what field you are entering… it is all business!

  • http://healthywebdesign.com Dawud Miracle

    Art, I don’t blame the students for their lack of knowledge any more than I would blame children for their undesirable behaviors. Both are the product of who taught them.
    I agree with you, there is such a disconnect between academia and real-world experience. What’s odd, then, who is academia serving? If they’re not preparing students to leave school and get ‘real-world’ jobs, then what purpose do they really serve?

  • http://www.drewsmarketingminute.com Drew McLellan

    Hey guys — be sure and add that wisdom over at the blog post so the grads can see it too!
    Drew

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