graduates' great expectations - yes montreal · 2006-01-05 · adding that she'd like...

BLi THE GAZETTE, MONTREAL, MONDAY,FEBRUARY21,

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Youth career counsellors urge students to prepare for their working lives throughout their undergraduate years,but that doesn't prevent many of them from waiting until the last minute to begin their job searches

Graduates'greatexpectationsson," Gagnon says. ''They're lookingfor accomplishments inextracurricu-lar activities and volunteer worn. Stu.dents who get involvedthis way devel.op employabilityThe rule of thumb isthat you need to have something totalk about in an interview. The lastsummer before you graduate shouldbe one in which you're worlting in thefield you target It showsyou're plan-ningahead."

That sense of expectation amongstudents may have been fostered to adegree by aggressive on-campus re-cruiting, Gagnonsays.

"When the campus is hot with re-cruiters, it means they're competingfor the best students, whoget multipleoffers.Thesetend tobestudents in par~ticular programs, who could graduateinto jobs that start at $50,000a yearwith benefits."

For a while, those honours went tograduates in the information.technol.ogy field and certain streams of engi.neering. The current darlings of cam.pus recruiters, apart fromthose in thehealth-care field, are actuarial mathstudents.

"They're the hot ticket now,"Gagnon says. "Students tend to beaware of which degrees are in de.mand and they flock to those pro-grams. But choosing a degree pro.gram based on that criterion can be agamble,especially in the short term."

Today's darlings, it seems, are to-morrow's unemptoyed.

Campus career services teU stu.dents to prepare for their careersthroughout their undergraduateyears, but that dOesn't prevent strag-glers from waiting until the lastminute to start their job searches.

"Often, these students don't admitthat they don't like the lack of statusinherent in looking for a job,"Gagnon says. "The job search is likeprograms designed to help peoplelose weight or quit smoking. Ifthere's no pain, there's no gain."

Unger of YES says if she couldhave a wish come true, it would bethat young graduates moving into thejob marltet wouldbe humble.

"It will open you up to learn, growand.make mistakes," she says. "Em.ployers teU us a good attitude is themost important attribute they wantwhen they hire employees."

STEPHANIE WHITTAKER

SPECIAL TO THE GAZETTE

For a while, the career counsel.lors at Youth Employment Ser.vices have noticed a shift in atti.tudes among the youngjob seek.

ers who consult them."Some young people come to us be-

lieving that because they have de-grees, even without worn experience,they should receive high salaries,good positions and respect in theworkPlace without earning it," YESexecutive director Iris Unger says."Our counsellors often have to do re-ality checks with them. This is notacross the board, but young peopleshould be aware of it."

That attitude seems particularlyacute among young graduates withspecialized degrees, Unger says,adding that she'd like those job seek-ers to understand that just landing aninterview is a golden opportunity

':Aninterview is a gift that's beinggivento them," she says.

Andre Gagnon, ooordtnator of thecareer and placement service at Con.cordia University, has seen that atti.tude, too.

"Some students think soctety owesthem ajob," he says.

If the current crop of young gradu.ates emerging into the workforceseems to have a sense of entitlementabout job prospects, it might be large-ly because of the ethos in whichthey've grown up.

Max Valiquette, president ofYoutho~ a consumer marltetingand communications consultancy inToronto that tracks the youth marltet,prefers the word "expectation" to "en-titlement"

"Youngpeople have an expectationthat when they start working some-where. they'll be able tocontribute im-media~ be taken seriously and havetheir presence felt in the workplacerIght away,"Valiquette says. "I thinkthe stereotype of starting on the bot.tom rung and worlting up to manage-ment in 2Dyearsis antiquated"

That attitude has been forged in anera that reveres youth. Theirs is ageneration that has been taken serioously by marketers and consultedand deferred to, often by their baby.boomerparents. Unlike previous gen-

PIERRE OBENDRAUF THE GAZETTE

A lot of graduate students "know very little about career planning:' Concordia counseUor Andre Gagnon says,

want a chance to bust and move andthat they'U be listened to more thanprevious generations were.When theyshow up, they want to contribute andthey don't want to hear: 'You're tooyoung.' "

It's still a rude awakening for somestudents to discover, however, thatcompleting a university degree is notenough to land them jobs that allowthem to rock.

"I see a lot of last.minute studentswho have already graduated, but whoknow v~ry little about career plan-ning," Concordia's Andre Gagnonsays. "Itell them they'vegottheirworltcut outforthem."

The ideal student is not only onewho gets topgrades, but spends his un.dergraduate years doing volunteerworlt and interesting summer jobs, 0f-ten related tohis or herfuture careec

''Emptoyers hire graduates with therIght qualities and they'll1eave a posi-tion open if they can't find that per-

"Walkinto any Starbucks and you'llsee young worners with tattoos andpiercings. In many environments,there's a greater feeling that a youngperson's voicewill be heard and actedupon."

The growth of open-concept officespaces may also have spurred thistrend. Valiquettesays.

"It used to be difficultfor worlters totalk to their superiors, who would bein separate offices,if not on dUJerentfloors. Now,open-concept offices andopen-door policies have given youngpeople the message that they have avoicein theirworlqJlaces."

Valiquette says few of the younggraduates with bachelor of arts de-grees he encounters expect to land"great jobs."

"I don't hear entitlement fromthem.Most young people have a sense ofhow competitive the market is, butthey do expect that once they findwork, they'll be able to rock it. They

erations of youths, the current cropof graduating students has been bothseen and heard.

"Most of what young people hear isthat they have a voice," Valiquettesays. "There's a lot of evidence in thejobs they have had that they have avoice,manifested by what they see intheir superiors. Casual-dress Fridaysis a youth.inspired phenomenon. Itcomes from babyboomers who want amore youthfullook and feel."

Another phenomenon driving thatattitude of expectation, he says, is thegrowth of technology,particularly inthe past decade.

''The typical young Canadian is farmore empowered to interact with theworld than any previous generation.They can start their own Websites orbtogs and connect to other young pe0-ple with similar interests."

MoreoveI;youth stylein many worlt.places is not only permitted, but en-couraged.

Dissatisfied I Lower-qualityjobsare growing at a faster rate

CONTINUED FROMB1 However, it did uncover somedisturbing trends. The numberof jobs paying more than $25hour is up three per cent sincethe late 19908,but the number ofjobs paying less than $15an houris up even more - nearly fourper cent. And the comfortablemiddle ground, paying between$15and $25an hour, has shrunkby six per cent

Within the private sector, thefraction of new emptoyees - withtwo years of seniority or less -who are worlting temporary jobs

he asks. Aperson could be worn-ing part-time for little money andhaving a wonderfultime.

Canadians havebecome part ofa global woMorce, which meanstha~ for many people the work.place has become a less comfort.ableplace,he said

"This is a world where any-body from anywhere can come inand take yourcustomers~"

You can't sit there, year afteryear, doing the same job, and ex.pecting your paycheque to keeprising, Benimadhu said

In short, all three economistsagreed that Canada has to im.prove its productivity

But you can't do that by simplycutting staff and increasingworkloads. Companies must in.vest in new technologies andequipment, and the training andeducation of middle managershas to improve, they said.

Middle managers have to beable to motivate employees and:..1-...~__ :..t.....t... .......

Why?Well,those manufacturing and

public sector jobs that are disap-pearing or not being createdtend to be unionized, full.time,higher-paid jobs. What the econ-omy is generating now is a lot ofjobs in such sectors as retail orfood(restaurants) and accommo-dation, which tend to be lower.paid, less stable and often in-volvepart.time hours.

That's not to say there are nogoodjobs beingcreated; there are.But the number of tower-qualityjobs is growingat a fuster rate.

"During 2004,the number offull.time jobs in high-paying in.dustries rose 1.4per cent, whilethe numher of jobs in low.pay-ing industries rose by 1.6 percent," Tal said. ':Asimilar trendwas observed for the high, vs.tow-stabilityjobs.". The weakness in stability can,

-in 1Argp' mpSIIAnrp. hA Hn1rOti tn

"Anybody fromanywhere can take

your customers away:'Prem Benimadhu, economist

4 Rates may be those offe.red through bank's mortgage corporat5 Rates recommended by the F~eration des Caisses Populaires

Desjardins de Montreal et de "Ouest du Quebecto its member caisses.

1 Interest is based on annual rate of return and is paid

when deposit is cashed.2 Not reclHmable until maturity unless marked with an 'r'.

Interest is paid annually.:5 Institution has no office in Quebec but its investments

are available here through independent de-posit brokers. Note: R.tes shown are as of fast Friday and are subject to change.

SOURCE, DATA SUPPLIED BY CANNEXshot up to 21 per.cent in:.roi from11per cent in 1989.The wage gapbetween young, newly hirednu'u'oII'o't'"C'Q"rI +J..n~ 1,1 n_........

I MONEY MARKEMORTGAGE RATES

WHAT YOUR SAVINGS CAN EARNSHORT-TERMDEPOSITS1 LONG-TERMDEPOSITSZ

MI...... 30 60 90 120 MinimuM I 2 3 .Do,osit ibys ibys ibys ibys Do,osit YO' ,.... ,.... ,....

CHARTEREDBANKSAND CREDITUNIONS.BMO Bank of Montre 5000 1.000 1.000 1.000 1.000 1000 1.sso Z.OOO 2.300 2.600 3Bank of Noya Scotia 5000 0.900 0.900 0.900 0.900 1000 1.550 2.000 2.300 2.600 3CIBC 5000 1.000 1.000 1.000 1.000 1000 I.SS0 2.000 Z.300 2.600 3Calsses Desjardins 5000 1.000 1.000 1.000 1.000 1000 1.550 2.000 Z.300 2.600 3HSBCBank canada 5000 1.000 1.000 1.000 1.000 1000 1.550 2.000 Z.300 Z.600 3ING DI,ect 1 r 2.650 r 2.900 r3.100 r3.35O r3laurentian Bank canada 5000 1.000 1.000 1.000 1.000 1000 1.550 2.000 2300 Z.600 3Manullfe Bank 25000 2.050 2.100 Z.200 Z.200 5000 Z.600 3.000 3.250 3.500 3NBGBank 5000 1.000 1.000 1.000 1.000 1000 1.550 2.000 2.300 Z.600 3National Bank of canada 5000 1.000 1.000 1.000 1.000 1000 I.SS0 2.000 2.300 2.600 3

Royal Bank of canada 5000 1.000 1.000 1.000 1.000 500 1.550 1.900 2.300 2.600 3TO canada Trust 5000 1.000 1.100 1.050 1.050 1000 1.550 2.000 2.300 2.600 3

Ubiquity Bank of canada 1000 2.000 Z.400 2.900 3.000 3

TRUST AND SAVINGS COMPANIESAchle.. Financial 1000 3.100 3.450 3.800 4.300 4B2BTrust 5000 2.100 2.100 1000 2.550 3.050 3.300 3.550 3

Equitable Ufe 500 r 1.450 , 1.950 r2.25O r 2.600 r 2Flducle DesjanUns 5000 1.000 1.000 1.000 1.000 1000 1.550 Z.OOO 2.300 Z.600 3laurentian Trust 3000 1.000 1.000 1.000 1.000 1000 1.550 2.000 2.300 Z.600 3

Promutuel Capital 5000 1.200 1.200 1.250 1.250 1000 2.000 2.250 2.sso 3.000 3RBCUfe Insurance Co. 500 r 1.050 r 1.400 r 1.800 rZ.100 r2Standard Life 5000 r 1.000 r 1.I2S 1000 2.ll5 2375 2.750 3.000 3

Transomerica life canada 1000 r 1.600 r 1.950 r2.25O rZ.600 r2