6 Reasons Why Graduates Suffer Bad Performance Reviews

A recent poll of 200 recruiting managers in the US, UK and South Africa asked for opinions on how graduates perform in their first jobs. The conclusions are surprising: lack of experience IS NOT the main reason for poor performance. Here are the TOP 6 reasons why:

1. Anti-social tendencies - according to the poll, anti-social tendency is one of the top 5 reasons why employers rate their overall performance as poor. One recruiting manager in London, UK, said that "... when I get a bunch of graduates together, it is often like being on the set of Jackass ." The opinion is that graduates have been so used to living without the constraints of organizational standards that their behaviors often conflict with corporate norms. It wasn't just behaviors; many respondents cited problems with dress standards, even in the more 'liberal' of organizations. Some mentioned 'highly inappropriate t-shirts' and 'shocking hairstyles'. What can be done? If you are a graduate in your first job, is it possible that you exhibit anti-social tendencies that might offend others? In a world of free-speech and liberal attitudes (for the most part) changing yourself to 'conform' might seem a backwards step but I wonder if trialling changes as an experiment would pay off? This is a personal thing, but take note what recruiting managers are saying.
2. New-skool vs old-skool - over 50% of recruiting managers polled described situations where graduates could not integrate well into environments that could be described as 'behind the times' in some areas. In other words, those organizations who were not at the leading-edge of technology adoption, e.g. in the use of social networking. It was said by several respondents that 'digital natives' face big challenges when working inside an organization that is not as technically dynamic as that in their university. What can be done? If you're a graduate who takes current technology trends for granted, then it's possible that you will face organizations who haven't caught up yet. This is the reality of the business world. In these instances, I think you have a choice whether to wait and find an organization that does use digital technology in their core business, or join a lagging organization and use your influence and experiences to help them move on and adopt, at a risk to yourself that they will always be behind the times. This is your choice.
3. Your mobility - I was somewhat surprised by this one. Over 30% of respondents said that in these times, training and development budgets must yield the greatest value to their organizations. This should have always been the case, but in tough times,training budgets have been severely cut. The result: employers are reluctant to train and develop graduates who become increasingly mobile towards other employment. It's a case of confidence (or lack of ) in graduates' commitment. So if training is withheld, is it any wonder that some graduates under-perform? What can be done? If you're a graduate who has dreams of hitting the big-time, then beware of the signals you may be giving away during in the workplace. Employers want to see commitment for their training investment. You need to demonstrate that you are fully committed to your employer (in the mid-term at least) to avoid being stifled.
4. Communication - the 'language of youth' has always been a step apart from that of the older generation. When this language is used in the workplace, it often leads to confusion! It's a simple fact that managers struggle to understand graduates who use this language. Marion, an IT recruitment manager in Fresno, CA, described a situation like this: 'In an interview once, a graduate talked with such slang that I had to frequently ask for clarification about what was said, even on the simple stuff. It took me over 10 minutes to understand what subjects the graduate had studied. In an organization, this kind of language creates major communication gaps and would be entirely dysfunctional.' What can be done? Perhaps a simple one to fix (perhaps not, but it's something that can be learned). In the workplace, use language that is simple and slang-free. The oldies won't understand you otherwise. (OK, this maybe their problem in fact, but it's your livelihood and future prospects you are putting on the line if you don't!)
5. Commitment to yourself - this is perhaps a tough one where there is no easy solution. Respondents with many years of experience in employing graduates told of their stories where they had secured hot young recruits who could really hit the big time, only for the recruits to leave shortly afterward once they realized the industry 'wasn't for them'. Truth is, many people turn away from the industry that they have studied in once they realize that it wasn't what they expected. This was a problem in the 80s and 90s when IT graduates entered an industry that had moved on from the subjects they studied. There were not graduate courses on the Internet at that time. What can be done? My take on this is that this is the right thing to do. If you're a graduate disengendered by the industry you had passion for as a student, then you're much better to move on than prolong your misery. If you haven't yet begun your career in your chosen subject, then I recommend that you take an internship to gain experience and learn about the industry to see if it suits you, or connect and network with people who are already working in the industry to learn what it is really like.
6. Lack of commitment to their performance - many respondents cited that graduate recruits were too relaxed about their performance and didn't behave with a sense of urgency. For example, over 30% said that they have regularly experienced performance appraisals with graduates where little or no progress has been made against agree objectives. In some cases, the manager had held regular interim checkpoints to provide assistance and encouragement. What can be done? I don't think that cases like this are entirely the graduates fault. Many graduates are not familiar with performance management, so struggle to deliver their objectives. It's also true that graduates are not always armed with the business context in which their objectives must be delivered, so the results are often off the mark. The answer is to ensure you're always clear about your objectives, and to verify (with your manager) that they are deliverable in the first place! If you're unsure, it does take courage to ask for clarity, but it is well worth it if it means you become more confident that you know what is being asked of you, and that you can deliver to it!

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