I have just returned from a cruise to the Mediterranean. I didn't buy presents but I did bring back the fantastic Indian Summer that everyone in England enjoyed at the weekend. Seriously, the unseasonably warm weather followed the ship as it travelled north up the Portuguese and Spanish coasts and across the Bay of Biscay.
Why am I telling you this? Well, graduate recruiters are never really off duty and on board I discovered that the crew of 1400 men and women were drawn from more than 60 countries. A truly global recruitment programme and, as far as I could see, the dynamics of getting people from such diverse backgrounds to work together was a huge success - all credit to the cruise operator, its selection process and team management .
As a passenger, you inevitably get drawn into conversations with the crew. The young Nicaraguan who served up the delicious dinners was a graduate in marine biology. Not exactly the career he sought while studying but at least, as he said with a smile on his face, he was working at sea! The fascinating thing about talking to him was his absolute commitment to making the most of what he had and not moaning about unrealised career ambitions.
Which leads on to an assistant manageress in the main dining room. She hailed from Scotland and had only been at sea for 6 weeks. She too was a graduate with a few years work experience behind her in the hospitality industry. She clearly loved her job despite being away from home for weeks at a time. Her friends thought she was mad when she decided to take a job at sea. When I asked her why, her answer surprised me. She suggested that, like her, her friends all came from comfortable middle class homes but, unlike her, wanted for nothing. She had been encouraged by her parents from an early age to go out and earn money to purchase the finer things in life rather than have them delivered on a plate. Despite only being employed for a few weeks, she was promoted to manageress of a small speciality restaurant during the voyage and I reckon she will go far in the industry.
I mention these two young people because, with the jobs market likely to remain tough for at least the next twelve months as global economic forecasts continues to look uncertain, adopting the right attitude to work and taking personal responsibility for your future are likely to be big differentiators in determining graduate prospects. Time and again I have referred to the importance of being prepared to face whatever challenges the world is ready to throw at you when you graduate. As Class of 2012 return to their final year studies, they could learn a lot from the two examples above - be flexible, remain optimistic, work hard and take control of your own destiny.
Carl Gilleard
