The Difference You Can Make in a Recent Grad’s Career
Apr 21, 2025
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Aimee Laun, Director of the Career Connections Center at Texas Woman’s University, and Neda Norouzi, an architecture professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio, share vital insights for empowering recent grads. They address the critical gap between academic knowledge and workplace expectations, tackling essential interpersonal skills like negotiation and communication. The duo emphasizes mentorship and networking's importance, sharing personal anecdotes while advocating for women to advocate for themselves in their careers. Their engaging discussion inspires ways to bridge the transition from school to professional life.
Bridging the gap between educational curricula and workplace expectations is crucial for equipping young women with necessary interpersonal skills and self-advocacy.
Active mentorship and real-world insights from experienced professionals play a vital role in supporting recent graduates as they navigate workplace dynamics and overcome biases.
Deep dives
Bridging the Skills Gap
Many recent graduates struggle with essential workplace skills such as communication, negotiation, and self-advocacy. Surveys conducted by the Association of American Colleges and Universities and the National Association of Colleges and Employers indicate that employers frequently find graduates lacking in these vital areas, which leads to unhappiness and inefficiency in their roles. The absence of these skills in educational curricula poses a challenge, as many young women enter the workforce unprepared for the nuanced dynamics of professional settings. Addressing this gap requires proactive efforts from educators and experienced professionals to equip students with the tools needed for success, including fostering their interpersonal abilities and encouraging self-advocacy.
The Importance of Mentorship
Mentorship plays a crucial role in guiding young women as they transition into the workforce, providing them with invaluable insights and support. Real-world experiences shared by seasoned professionals help to illustrate the nuances of workplace dynamics, enabling students to recognize the significance of networking, negotiation, and emotional intelligence. Observing successful role models allows these women to adopt best practices and build confidence in their capabilities. Moreover, the encouragement to seek out mentors can lead to greater advocacy for young women within organizations, fostering a supportive environment that fuels their professional growth.
Navigating Workplace Challenges
Young professionals often encounter biases and challenges that can hinder their progress in the workplace, particularly when it comes to issues like ageism and gender bias. Students need the tools and strategies to navigate these obstacles effectively and understand the importance of focusing on aspects of their role that they can influence. Through education on workplace dynamics, including the power of negotiation and the value of building professional relationships, students can start to assert themselves more confidently. Tackling these challenges requires creating a culture of openness and dialogue, encouraging discussions that are rooted in factual evidence and fostering a more equitable environment for all.
Young women are entering the workforce full of potential–they graduate with degrees and confidence–but they don’t always have the interpersonal skills they need to succeed and advance. They may not know how to speak up in meetings, collaborate with people in charge, or ask for what they need. And that’s not just their problem; it’s ours too. If professors, mentors, managers, and parents don’t support young women, we risk losing talented future leaders before they even get started.
In this live conversation from SXSW EDU in Austin, Amy Gallo talks with Neda Norouzi, an architecture professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio, and Aimee Laun, director of the Career Connections Center at Texas Woman’s University. They discuss the gap between what colleges teach and what workplaces expect, and the role educators, managers, and mentors can play in bridging it.
