Corner office entitlement
I love hearing from grads, especially successful grads earning their living in PR. In recent weeks, I’ve heard from several, either via Facebook, in person or through regular e-mail.
An e-mail note from a grad of about 10 years ago (who now works in PR in the U.S.) got me thinking: have times really changed?
She writes: “This morning, I spoke with the woman who manages our internship program. There are so many graduates who have zero experience. As an agency, we run pretty lean and don’t have a lot of time to teach (yes, teach!) how to write a news release. I can’t get over how much Centennial’s program taught me. It’s amazing to see the difference in academic quality.
Of the interns we have had, there has been so much push back from them if you can believe it. There’s this sense of what we’re calling “corner office entitlement” where they think putting together a media list is beneath them and that they should be engaged in higher-level strategy and account direction.
She and I were just reminiscing about the “old days” when it was you, a bound media directory and the phone book and had to actively seek out your contacts as opposed to logging on to Bacon’s (Bowden’s) and running a quick search.
Times have changed (and in what a short time!)”
From my perspective, times haven’t changed that much.
Students with a “what can you do for me?” attitude instead of: “how can I help?” were the same in 1988 as they are in 2008. Students who begin internships with the idea it’s all about shining a light on them, rather than them helping to shine a light on their boss, client or organization are bound to get a rude awakening from supervisors like my grad.
So, employers out there: have times changed that much? Are you experiencing new hires who exhibit “corner office entitlement?”
I think in an ideal world students would have a combination of both ‘what can you do for me’ and ‘how can I help you’ mentalities. After all, if students are thinking ‘what you can do for me’, really what they’re thinking is ‘what tools and experience can you give me that will help get me a job, or help me progress in my career?’
One of the reasons why I chose my internship placement over others was because it was the only internship interview where the communications director asked what they could do for me. What did I want to learn? What were my expectations of what I could achieve while I was there?
I did everything that was asked of me with a smile on my face because I was happy to help out and appreciative of the opportunity. My internship boss also made sure to keep in mind what I wanted from the experience, and to try and offer those opportunities whenever possible. Open communication, compromise and honesty meant we both walked away with what we wanted.
Sarah — April 11, 2008 @ 1:37 pm
Thanks for the comment, Sarah. The most telling part of your response was: “I did everything that was asked of me with a smile on my face because I was happy to help out and appreciative of the opportunity.” Every employer wishes for that; however, it appears you were happy to contribute because this organization took the time to assess your career needs. So, it was an astute move on your director’s part.
Christine Smith — April 25, 2008 @ 7:14 am