12 Essential Pieces of Advice for Graduates

“Everyone makes mistakes, it’s how we learn”

Chief Executive Officer of New Zealand’s International Travel College (ITC), Claire Huxley has a background in international travel and tourism. Her personal extensive travel experience, paired with her marketing background, make her an incredible leader for ITC.

Claire recently offered up some words of wisdom for graduates, and for those graduating over the coming months.

“Remember the lessons you learnt during this year – resilience is about learning from what you have been through and don’t forget you’ve come this far, you can do so much more! Focus on progress not perfection.”

Here are her 12 essential tips for graduates:

1. The 4 Ps

Be positive, principled, pro-active, and productive.

That’s a powerful combination that will appeal to any employer in any industry in the world.

2. Discover yourself

Be self-aware, learn what you are good at, what you love to do, what you dislike, and discover WHY. And don’t forget to challenge yourself.

Taking your first steps into a career is a great time for self-discovery, and it will help you to decide where you’d ultimately like to end up.

3. Be open to change

Don’t say NO before you know, and don’t give up.

If there’s one thing we’ve all learned over the past year, it’s that things can change rapidly. Being open to change and not giving up will help you navigate changes throughout life.

4. Don’t hide from mistakes

Everyone makes mistakes, it’s how we learn. So when you do inevitably make a mistake, own up to it, remember that no one is perfect, and take it as an opportunity to learn and improve for the future.

5. Keep moving forward

Any career is about moving forward and keeping up that momentum to always improve and advance. Don’t be afraid to ask for feedback to help guide you, and don’t let problems or challenges fester as they can slow you down or hold you back.

6. Learn from everything

Every moment is an opportunity to learn from those around you – even if you have more experience than them!

Look for a mentor who can take you under their wing and help you continue your education even after you have graduated.

“Every moment is an opportunity to learn from those around you – even if you have more experience than them! “

“You will likely meet people you don’t get along with during your career, but kindness is free, and respect will get you a lot further than petty feuds”

7. Make connections

Stay in touch with those in your graduating class – everyone you meet is a possible future opportunity or job. Your biggest asset is your network, and you’ll be amazed how it can help you in the years to come.

8. Be patient

You might not find your dream job right away, but if you keep working towards it, you will get there.

9. Utilize your co-workers

Your co-workers once started in the same place you did – they were in your shoes as a new entrant into the industry. That’s why you can use them and learn from them, ask them questions and take their advice to help you move from being a recent graduate into an industry professional like them.

10. Treat everyone with respect

Always be polite, and never stab anyone in the back.

You will likely meet people you don’t get along with during your career, but kindness is free, and respect will get you a lot further than petty feuds.

11. Keep your own counsel

When you keep your own counsel, you keep your negative opinions to yourself. It basically means if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it at all.

Of course, if you have ideas to improve a service, you can discuss them with your manager, but straight-out negativity is never appreciated.

12. Prepare for the future

You never know what the future may hold, but you can prepare for it now. A big part of that is getting into good habits now that will carry you through your career. Be sure to develop good time management now, and you’ll use it every day for the rest of your life.