These executives understand the pressures facing college graduates embarking on their chosen career fields. As you walk across the stage and onward into the workforce, here are a few words of wisdom that may help you better understand what the company expects from you — and what you should expect for yourself.
Janet Rolle
“It should always start with knowing who you are, what you care about and really being honest with yourself about what you’re best at. [You must] put yourself in positions to leverage all of that for the ultimate benefit for your own career growth and development, and for the benefit of any organizations you may be interested in working at. I [now] have the luxury of working in an environment that’s targeting African Americans, so some of my challenges are different as far as the level of passion and caring I have about what I do everyday.”
Worldwide General Manager, Manufacturing and Resource – Microsoft
Charles Johnson
“We’re a global organization, [and] by having a diverse workforce you will have better solutions [for] problems. How do we enable people and businesses to reach their full potential? We secure the best and brightest talents. I lead a team of people who attend [events like] the Black MBA Conference to identify and interview high potential candidates. [We] work with those candidates to effectively lead to a hire.”
Director, Diversity and Inclusion – Sony
Monica Ross
“I have always been a huge proponent of being really focused on what it is that you really want. You want to start … with the industry that you want to be in. Over the course of your career you could do so many things, be very deliberate in the selection of the industry … It’s good for folks coming in early to focus on a specific area, and then branch off into other things if that’s the desire. Form an alliance with people — no one [makes] it alone. You have to understand how actions impact outcomes.”
