Looking back on the Business School’s 100-year history, there have been many challenging times for new graduates entering the job market, with the global financial crisis of 2008 being the most recent. And in all those times, our graduates have adapted and risen to the challenges.
We asked three of our senior alumni to share their advice for graduates embarking on the early stages of their career or for alumni perhaps facing redundancy or looking to change roles.
David Cruickshank (BCom 1979) recently retired as Global Chairman of Deloitte. Prior to his appointment as Chairman in 2007, David led Deloitte’s tax practice in the UK during which time he was a member of the firm’s Executive Group and a member of the global organisation’s Tax Management Group. Having spent 40 years at Deloitte, he is now Chair of two charities, Social Progress Imperative and Education and Employers, which helps to connect the world of work with schools.
In terms of advice for graduates, David says: "Spend time doing your research as this is such a fast moving environment. Look at the materials that companies are making available and how they see things. And make sure you are abreast of that.
"Secondly, talk to people. Have conversations with as many people as possible. It’s never a waste of time to work out what’s going on.
"Some companies are suffering terribly at the moment and will not be hiring people. But there are still a huge number of companies out there, who are very busy, who will be hiring. The people they are hiring, and how they want to do it, may change. And the roles they have might change. But the more you speak to people and keep abreast of developments, the more informed and connected you will be. Don’t get depressed by it because this challenging time will pass."
Gillian Gorman Round (BCom 1999) agrees that this time won’t last for ever and that although there are things that are accelerating now as a result of Covid-19 such as digitisation and consumption online, the skill sets needed if you are graduating now compared with the past haven’t really changed.
Having built a transatlantic career in marketing and branding at L’Oréal, Yves Saint Laurent, Condé Nast and Revlon, Gillian is currently Chief Marketing Officer for Christie’s in New York.
Gillian views passion and commitment, common sense and "the ability to roll up one’s sleeves and get it done as key, as well as a degree of humility.
"We see a lot of hard-charging confidence in our applicants. And I love confidence. But we need to place it where it's productive."
And like David, she believes that research is critical.
"You would be amazed how many people I interview. Even now, we are hiring junior positions in New York, and I am struck by how little research is done about the brands, the challenges that the brands face, the marketplace, the economic realities of these marketplaces, the competition, and the consumer.
"Yes, I need people with digitisation skills. I need people that understand it. And I want people who are 20 years younger than me who have a different viewpoint. I want that as I want to be challenged on my viewpoint. However, please do your research. It is always about being prepared and so few people are. So if you are, you will stand out from the crowd immediately."
She also advises graduates to not think too far ahead of the first job they are being interviewed for. Although she wants to know that each candidate is ambitious and wants to do more, they need to focus on the first role.
"Prove that you can do the job that you have applied for exceptionally”, says Gillian, “and then you will be promoted. Don’t worry continually about the next job because it illustrates to me that you're not concentrating on what's happening now and you're not learning from it. This is a fundamental challenge that we see in the workplace today.
"Do the job that you are given to the best of your ability. And then you'll get mission creep. That job will become bigger and before you know it, you're doing something else."
This echoes the sentiments of Unilever CEO, Alan Jope (BCom 1985) who similarly advises graduates to do a great job in whatever they have been assigned to do.
"If you spend all your time worrying about what opportunities there might be, and not in doing a great job, the opportunities will dry up”, says Alan. “Dedicate yourself to whatever task you have been given, no matter how exciting it is. Do it to the best of your ability."
Like David Cruickshank, Alan Jope’s career has been with one company. He joined Unilever in 1985 and spent five years working in London and then the next 27 years overseas. He returned to the UK three years ago, and was appointed CEO in January 2019.
He believes there are two reasons why he has remained with Unilever. Firstly, the values of the company, and secondly, what he sees as the "privilege of being able to, every four or five years, work in a different part of the world, which has been an incredible life experience.
"Over the next few years, the world is going to be hurting, and it will be a very difficult economic climate", says Alan, but he advises graduates not to panic.
"Early in your career, build an array of diverse experiences, whether it is working in different functions, or in different geographies, and just continuing to learn is the highest priority. And so I would be using that as my filter. Am I going to learn something and grow as a person?
"And the values point is really important. There are some organisations who just have higher standards, better integrity, stronger values, and that was very important for me. So I think if you can find a place that you like being, surrounded by decent human beings, and you’re learning, it’s not a bad place to start."
Being open to opportunities is also something that Alan sees as vital.
"There are very few people who are crystal clear in their mind what they want to do with their lives and their careers, and then are able to follow that road map. My experience has been, that for every one that can point to that, there are another 99 whose hopes are dashed in some way by having too rigid a view on the path they want to take.
"My advice is to try to avoid having too tight a road map but have a very clear compass. Know what is important to you, and against what criteria you are going to make the decisions on where you are going to work and what work you are going to do.
"And finally, be nice to people. It’s amazing, if you operate with a degree of human kindness, how much it will wash back on you and when you least expect it, it will help you out. Treat others as you want to be treated."