“Hire on a WHIM”: An Employer’s Story of Grove City Grads

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A common concern when considering colleges and universities is the ability to develop and hone the traits to successfully procure a job following graduation.  Below is the story of an employer, Garrett Miller, who has had great success with Grove City College graduates and has contributed to their stellar placement rates.  The GCC Class of 2015 has a placement rate of 97% just six months after graduation (with 95% participating in the survey).  Garrett’s book Hired ‘Right’ Out of College is commonly provided to Grove City College students by our Career Services Office.  See what Garrett has to say:

 

A college student and a hiring manager from one of the world’s largest companies have something in common; they both must begin with the end in mind. The first thing I learned in management training was to have a clear picture of what my team was to look like and then to hire well. I found this to be the most valuable piece of advice I have received in my 15+ year management career. Once I pictured the goal I was able to invest my time and resources effectively.

Choosing the right college also begins with the end in mind. What are your goals and objectives? Hopefully, one of your goals is to be ready and prepared to enter the working world. When I speak to fellow recruiters, one of their chief complaints about new college graduates is that they are not ready for the real world. This should send a shiver down each incoming freshman’s spine because the last thing you want is to complete your degree only to find you have not been prepared for the workplace. Choose your college with the end in mind, choose wisely.

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My experiences recruiting at Grove City College have been very different than my experiences on other campuses. You see, I also write about and teach corporations how to hire more effectively. One of my philosophies is to make sure I hire, on a WHIM. WHIM is an acronym that stands for Work Ethic, Humility, Integrity, and Maturity. You must have these qualities when graduating; these are the qualities that industry is looking for and hiring. I have worked with Grove City’s amazing Career Services Office for over ten years and I was not surprised that the Princeton Review named them one of the top ten Career Services in the U.S. There is a reason I keep coming back to interview and hire at Grove City, and it is because Grove City does a better job than most in nurturing these four character traits and getting candidates prepared to interview.

My GCC hires have all been hard workers, ready and eager to learn, men and women of integrity, and individuals who have an emotional maturity that is invaluable in the workplace. It just so happens that each of my hires has gone on to win multiple awards and have been promoted several times. When I encouraged you to begin with the end in mind, I was not referring necessarily to the interview but to the person, you bring to the interview. That person will be greatly influenced by the environment you find yourself in. The qualities that I hire and teach others to hire make for the best employees. If those qualities appeal to you, make sure the college you will attend has a reputation for graduating men and women of character, this is what it means to begin with the end in mind.

 


 

Garrett Miller is a business owner, writer, and speaker who spent his first 18 years in sales and sales management at a Fortune 50 pharmaceutical company. He launched his own company, CoTria, in 2007 and has authored two hit books, Hire on a WHIM and Hired Right Out of College. He is a frequent speaker at corporate events, colleges and career symposiums.  Lastly, Garrett is the father of three and happily married to his bride of twenty three years.

 

*Main photo credit.

**Image was custom generated.

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