25 July 2008
	FM Campus -Recruitment Edition Learning curve By Jennifer Searle Don't try to be a hot shot on your first day, small steps and a good attitude make you stand out from the crowd

Once you've landed your first job, it is tempting to immediately try sprint down the fast lane of success. But you'll need to learn to walk - perhaps even crawl - before you can run. Managing your expectations is central to long-term success. "We have graduates who want to walk in and become traders on the first day," says Rand Merchant Bank recruitment head Tracey Ashington. "The market is to blame for this. It places such an emphasis on graduates, that I think it forgets that they are junior and often doesn't give them sufficient insight into what they are in for." It is important, say experts, that graduates realise they will enter the industry at a junior level. They won't be sitting in on client meetings or brokering deals, but they will be "conducting research to assist in brokering deals", says Ashington. An entry-level position should be seen as an opportunity to learn as much as possible about the company and the fundamentals that will add value to that company. "You should be like a sponge and absorb everything," says recruitment company Professional Assignment Group's management and business talent manager, Tanya Smith. "Everyone from the cleaner to the CEO can teach you something. Graduates sometimes have a sense of entitlement and are of the view that they can't learn from the little people, but they need to realise that nothing - not even a degree - can replace industry experience, so they should respect everyone." Making an impression, however, is not just about learning, it's also about being prepared to go that extra mile. "Work harder and stay longer because, ultimately, you are going to have to find ways to make yourself stand out from the other graduates," says Smith.