I was about to go on a rant… but then there was one…

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been talking about what employers want in employees. (The 4 Cs of conscientiousness, creativity, communication, collaboration).

After today, I feel like the things I talked about led me to jump to point C when I should have started at point A.   Why should I be talking about these 4 Cs when most people don’t even do the basics like showing up?

You see, I teach a Work Skills class at the local community college.  It’s a 1 hour credit course designed to help students with resume writing, interviewing, workplace topics, etc.  Basically, it’s the tactical stuff of getting a job.

Although it is not a required component of the course, students are allowed the opportunity to sign up for a mock interview to practice.  They come to my office outside of class time, and it gives them the opportunity to actually apply what we discuss in class about interviewing.

6 signed up for a mock interview today.

2 called and canceled.  (And I will give them credit, at least they called and one had a legitimate reason or not being able to be there.)

3 didn’t show.

1 showed.

Yep, that’s 1 for 6 or about 17%.

At 2:30 when the first 3 had either not shown or canceled, I was about to go on a rant, but then there was one….

The one student that showed up

-Arrived 15 minutes early

-Was dressed appropriately

-Had a good handshake

-Answered my mock questions by providing specific examples

-Was humble in his approach

-Thanked me for my time

I told him he was the only one that had shown up so far, and I told him how much I appreciated his effort.  He in turn, said that he just really appreciated the opportunity.

He will get a job, and I will be doing everything I can to help him get one. There are good people out there.   Thank you, for being the one that does restore my hope in this next generation and in humanity.  This may seem a little dramatic of me to say, but as I have constantly gone to bat in defending my generation against all those people who say we are no good, I was about to agree.  1 out of 6 showed?

What do employers want?  People that see an opportunity, are thankful for it, and take advantage of it.  Just show up, regardless of whether or not you’ve cultivated the Cs, you’ll be better than 83% of the population I dealt with today, which should lead to good job prospects.

Want more on the game of just showing up? You may like these other posts:

Usefuleness

Planned Happenstance