Friday Mailbag

Keep the cards and letters coming!

Dear Francine,

Just wanted to say thanks. Thank you for maintaining this blog. You provide us with the ability to acquire knowledge that would otherwise be kept from us and your efforts are very much appreciated. This allows us to be able to see the big picture for what it is. I am a senior in college with a job offer from EY. I’m very excited about it, however your blog has helped me realize things are much more complex than they let us know during the recruiting process. I want to use this opportunity at EY to learn as much as I possibly can and hopefully one day become at least ½ the professional you are today. Could you please tell me what are some critical points I should always keep in mind in order to get the best out of my time there without letting the firm turn me into one more coward employee? Thank you very much for your time.

Regards,
(Future EY Star)

Dear Future EY Star,

Thanks for reading and thanks for your note.

I really enjoy writing the blog but I miss working with and coaching professionals at the beginning of their career. Sometimes I get a chance to give my ideas, like this. I’m also going to be teaching at a university here in the fall, so that will be nice.

I encourage you to get as much as possible out of your experience at EY. You may realize you’re not only good at it but you like it, too! So much depends on the local office management and the people you work with.

You are smart and savvy already, otherwise you wouldn’t have the job offer. They still do only select the best and brightest.  So never forget that you are a human being, an intelligent one, worthy of respect from your colleagues and bosses there.

Trust your gut.   If something doesn’t seem right, don’t let it go.   Maybe you don’t make a pain of yourself at work (That doesn’t work, take it from me. LOL) , but ask others outside for their opinion, trust your instincts and then do the right thing for yourself and those that are counting on you.

Be careful with your reputation, personal and professional, while there.  Your brand, your reputation, is critically important to having choices, in and out of the firm.

I wrote a similar response to someone who wrote and he agreed to let me post it. It’s here.

Have fun, make friends and save your money. Friends, supportive family, and savings give you the chance to make choices, even difficult ones if you have to and you can also weather any monkeywrench that might get thrown at you.   I have met many great people from EY here in Chicago over the years and, in particular, with a recent client engagement where I worked very closely with them.

We are all just trying to survive and make a nice life for ourselves.

Best regards,
fm