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In addition to consulting and speaking for all types of organizations, Tom (our founder) has taught as an adjunct professor at Florida State University for the past 10 years. He’s taught Professional Selling, Basic Marketing, Creative Strategy I, Creative Strategy II and he’s coached the AAF Competition Team.
And, Tom is such as good leader that he has convinced us all that helping out with the classes is the most fun, rewarding thing you’ll ever do. It’s uncanny … our entire team participates, teaches and we fall in love semester after semester.
The classes we teach are not ordinary. From icebreakers at the start of the semester to pig washing events, there’s never a dull moment. To see for yourself, check the Creative Strategy I Spring 08 Class Blog.
We have the mindset that our students are our clients and we make them a priority. We teach these junior and senior college students the same professional development skills that we teach organizations. In fact, we make it a point to focus on communication, creativity and problem solving skills more so than the technical aspects they may encounter on the job.
The Super Stars
When I stop to think about all of the students that we have known over the past 10 years, it is mind boggling how many students we’ve encountered. And, immediately, the super stars come to mind. You just know the ones who are going to be very successful. We know that whatever company they choose to go work for is going to be very, very lucky. These “kids” have energy and a spirit that sets them apart.
What Goes Through A Gen Y’s Mind When Choosing A Job?
One such super star recently spread her wings and headed for the bright lights of the advertising world in NYC. She was destined to be a leader in the agency business. However, we recently got word that although offers were pouring in from up and down Madison Avenue, she chose a different route. I didn’t have to ask her why. Her email to me explained it all.
“I started to realize the agency scene was not going to give me the work/life balance I imagined. At (non ad agency) the salary is much better and the overall benefits are great. Plus, the team and my potential supervisors are amazing people who are very respected and have a ton of experience in the industry. On my first interview I was there for almost 3 hours. They kept dragging me around to meet more people. I will be working specifically with X, Y, and Z, but there is a lot of room to move around. I am looking forward to it.”
How do you make this same impression? Evaluate how you position your organization to Gen Y recruits against our “SuperStar’s” criteria:
- Work life balance
- Opportunity to feel like an individual part of something larger
- People matter
- They invested time in me
- My supervisors are respected and experienced
Unbelievable ... I just ran through the above criteria and they are all true for how we each feel about helping Tom out with the courses each semester ... another testament that if you're delivering on these areas, not only will you recruit young professionals, but you'll retain them as well.
