Skills for the 21 st Century Succeeding in the Workplace

1. Skills for the 21st CenturySucceeding in the Workplace Christina Canavan April 22, 2009

2. Agenda

3. Introduction and Background • Graduate of Aurora High School and Miami University of Ohio • Interned with Deloitte & Touche LLP (Deloitte) between Junior and Senior year in college • Started with Deloitte in Cleveland • Transferred to Washington D.C. after a year to seek out better market opportunities in specialization area • Worked for Deloitte since graduating, except for year and a half when left for another consulting firm • Presentation is based off of my personal experiences, biases and work environment • Sought input from recruiters, but not a recruiter myself Skills for the 21st Century: Succeeding in the Workplace

4. Generation Y • Perceptions – the Good and the Bad • Upbeat • Civic-focused • Technologically sophisticated • Sense of entitlement • Inability to take criticism • Flounder without guidance or supervision • What’s the reality? • Depends on the person and their ability to adapt, change and learn • What’s being done to address the influx of Gen Y in the workplace? • Organizational Policies • Management Structures • Training Initiatives Skills for the 21st Century: Succeeding in the Workplace

5. College Bound • College is a four year resume building experience • Become involved with your college community from day one • Take advantage of all resources • Professors • Career Fairs • Counselors • Professional Fraternities • Relationship building or networking • Participate in career fairs even as a freshman – learn how to represent yourself and speak to recruiters • Seek out internships at large companies or firms • GPAs and second languages are a differentiator • Be open to changing majors Skills for the 21st Century: Succeeding in the Workplace

6. College Bound • Building a solid resume • Resume building starts from day one on campus • Representation of yourself • Polished • Professional • Speak to your abilities • Treat resume as a personal marketing campaign • What sets you apart from your peers? • What will make you stand out to recruiters? • Keep it current – leave high school in the past • Understand the position and company where you are applying and tweak resume as necessary to emphasize relevant skills Skills for the 21st Century: Succeeding in the Workplace

7. College Bound • Special Note to Parents • Let your child drive their choices and career • Do not call employers on behalf of your child to ask questions about offers, salary, positions, etc • Recruiters cannot discuss that information • You will be harming your child’s future employment opportunities, not helping • Stay away from becoming ‘that parent’! Skills for the 21st Century: Succeeding in the Workplace

8. In the Workplace • Overall themes • Take responsibility for yourself and your career • Seek out opportunities in all situations • Set yourself apart from your peers • Key Workplace Guidance • Technology • Writing Skills • Evaluation Criteria • Know your Boss • Attitude • Self Promotion • Work/Life Balance • Extracurricular Skills for the 21st Century: Succeeding in the Workplace

9. In the Workplace • Technology • Regardless of industry or specialization, know the basics: • Word • Excel • Powerpoint • Be knowledgeable and aware of technology pertinent to your area of expertise • Know the difference between what is acceptable for social communications vs. professional communications • Texting and Instant Messaging • Utilize technology to make communications more efficient, but don’t overlook the value of a face to face conversation • Be aware of social networking sites and that they are visible to everyone…including current and future employers Skills for the 21st Century: Succeeding in the Workplace

10. In the Workplace • Writing Skills • Ability to clearly communicate thoughts or ideas and express yourself is a critical skill set for any industry or specialization • Proper grammar and technical writing may be one of your most valuable assets • Investigate professional or technical writing courses in college or trainings offered by employers • Be aware of the difference between professional or technical writing vs. conversational writing • Email may be a more informal method of communication outside of work, but the workplace is different • Treat all communications as if they will be graded – self QA your emails before hitting send • Don’t put it in writing unless you are OK with your mom reading it • Emails, instant messages, and text messages are permanent! Skills for the 21st Century: Succeeding in the Workplace

11. In the Workplace • Evaluation Criteria • Evaluations will occur throughout the year or review period • What is the evaluation criteria? • How will you be compared to your peers? • What will make you stand out from your peers? • Treat evaluations like resumes – how are you building up your evaluation from the beginning of the year or review period? • If unclear on evaluation criteria, ask for clarification • Seek feedback throughout the year on your performance, both formally and informally • Be open and willing to act on feedback and counseling points • Understand that you will most likely be compared to your peers and ranked • Keep in mind that the result of evaluations have a direct correlation to earning potential • Take responsibility for your career and future success Skills for the 21st Century: Succeeding in the Workplace

12. In the Workplace • Know your Boss • Starting from the bottom, you will have more than one boss • Find out who your bosses are • Work with them to meet their expectations and prioritize work • Know your bosses preferences for email, communication, writing style, instant messaging, etc. • Get to know your boss personally and build a strong relationship – take advantage of them being your biggest advocate • If unsure, ask for guidance and prioritization on tasks • You will not always like your boss, but find a way to make it work • Cliché applies – don’t bite the hand that feeds you • Take the responsibility to build and develop that relationship in order to ensure your success Skills for the 21st Century: Succeeding in the Workplace

13. In the Workplace • Attitude • Attitude will determine how others perceive you in the workplace • Have a can-do attitude • Be dedicated to your work and achieving success • Display a positive mental attitude • Ask for guidance when needed • Volunteer for work to stand out from your peers • Be open to feedback and willing to make changes to your behaviors • No one is perfect – constructive feedback is necessary to continue growing and developing • Be willing to accept the feedback and make a change • Personalities vary in the workplace, along with work styles • You will not like everyone you work with, but take the responsibility to find a way to make it work and develop those relationships • Disappointments are going to happen, but how you deal with them will be the true test • Find out what you need to be doing differently, make changes and move forward – don’t focus on the past • All situations have an opportunity – the challenge is finding a way to make it work for you Skills for the 21st Century: Succeeding in the Workplace

14. In the Workplace • Self Promotion • No one will be as big an advocate for your success as you will be • Promote your successes • Sell yourself and your skills • Have an elevator speech ready to tell others who you are and what you do • Present yourself how you want others to perceive you • Look polished and professional • Be confident and poised • Develop public speaking skills and solid interpersonal communication • Network with your peers, those above you and those below you • One of the most important things you can do to help yourself in the long-run • Peers now will one day be in leadership positions and those relationships will be key • Manage perceptions of yourself • Find the opportunity in all situations to demonstrate your skills and set yourself apart from peers Skills for the 21st Century: Succeeding in the Workplace

15. In the Workplace • Work/Life Balance • Important to have a mix of both work and life • Balance does not mean 50/50 though • Peak work times will take precedence over life and vice versa • Understand when work is critical – personal plans will sometimes need to change to accommodate • Need to communicate expectations to boss during times when life needs to take precedence • Take advantage of vacation – don’t let it go to waste! • Extracurriculars • Be involved in your work community and local community • Show that you do more than work – set yourself apart from your peers • Philanthropy demonstrates corporate social awareness • Increases positive perception of yourself • Know your corporate culture • Take advantage of resources available to you Skills for the 21st Century: Succeeding in the Workplace

16. Wrap Up • In a nutshell…. • College • Start building your resume from day one • Represent the best of yourself • In the workplace • Leverage technology • Focus on writing skills and verbal communication • Understand your evaluation criteria • Develop a relationship with your boss • Demonstrate a positive mental attitude • Feel confident promoting yourself • Maintain work/life balance • Remain involved in the community Skills for the 21st Century: Succeeding in the Workplace

17. Wrap Up Questions? Skills for the 21st Century: Succeeding in the Workplace

18. Deloitte & Touche LLP • 1001 G St. NW Suite • 900 West Washington, DC 20001 Tel: + 1 202 370 2483 Mobile: + 1 571 205 8985 ccanavan@deloitte.com Member of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Contact Information Christina Canavan Manager Skills for the 21st Century: Succeeding in the Workplace