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Know what you're good at and what you want

By Alan Earls, Globe Correspondent, 5/22/05

With college graduations in full swing, we solicited advice for newly minted job-seekers from the leaders of six Massachusetts firms. Some advocate a straight ahead charge for the career goal line. Others recommend openness to serendipity. But all say the key to success is knowing your strengths and your heartfelt desires.

Joseph Tucci, 57, President and chief executive, EMC Corp., Hopkinton
BA, marketing, Manhattan College, 1969

"When I graduated from college, I knew that I wanted to be the CEO of large company," said Tucci. EMC is an information and storage management company with 2004 revenues of $8.23 billion, and nearly 23,000 employees worldwide.

He said graduates need to realize early on that companies are democracies, and leaders are chosen by their peers. "Young and ambitious people tend to assume that leaders are chosen from above, and they spend their careers trying to impress the higher-ups," he said. "Learn how to build productive working relationships with your colleagues, and do your job well, and success will follow," he said.

"What's still true today for anyone starting out in business is the value of rounding your expertise," he added. "Never stop investing in your ongoing training and education."

Charles D. Baker Jr., 48, President, chief executive, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Boston
BA, English, Harvard College, 1979

Baker took over the region's oldest HMO in 1999 while it was in the midst of a financial crisis. And despite his success in managing the company through tough times, Baker says his wife thinks of him as a frustrated writer.

His original career goal was to become a journalist, but the right opportunity never came along, so he went to work as communications director of The New England Council, a lobbying organization.

"I think most people end up on a career path that is a little different than what they had expected," he said, suggesting graduates stay open minded about what they might do with their skills.

"I think that most people don't really know which direction they are going when they are 21," he said. "I certainly didn't."

Elizabeth Ricci, Vice president of engineering, Authoria Inc., Waltham
BA, mathematics, Douglass College at Rutgers University

Ricci is responsible for the delivery of product and design initiatives at Authoria, a manufacturer of human resource management software, and oversees three engineering sites on two continents.

"My advice to new grads is to take the time to really connect with people - people they know, people they meet, people with whom they work," she said.

"Everyone you meet is a potential employer or job reference and with the job market starting to loosen up a bit, there are more opportunities right now."

Ricci said a large number of hires she's made have been "people I've known from past lives. I believe in mentoring and coaching good people with the right skill set and attitude," she said. "Those in the position to assist you are more likely to gravitate toward people who exude enthusiasm and a positive, 'can do' attitude."

Vincent Vitto, 63, President and chief executive, Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Cambridge
BS, physics, Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, 1962

Vitto says the talents that helped launch his career began to form when he was working his way through Brooklyn Poly on high-rise construction projects around New York.

The work was hard but provided sufficient earnings to cover his tuition and expenses. Vitto says the experience taught him to stick to his guns. He also learned that intelligence could bring rewards.

"Ask yourself what you do well, what you like, and figure out what are your strengths." Then, "work hard at being your best."

Joseph A. Andrews, 49, Vice president of human resources, Progress Software Corp., Bedford
BA, education, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 1978

Andrews says graduates should befriend older people in the workforce who have lived it for decades and made all the mistakes. "The advice of elders will shorten your timeline to a job, and shorten your trip up the corporate ladder once you get that job," he said.

"I am most impressed by young people who have really done their homework on our company, understand what they want and what they need to learn, and can articulate it clearly and confidently," he said. Successful candidates, he said, understand where they want to be today, in five years and at the end of their careers.

Still, he warns about the realities of leadership. "People aspire to executive positions but sometimes don't realize the sacrifice and hard work that are required over many years," he said.

Lawrence K. Fish, 60, Chairman, president, and chief executive, Citizens Financial Group, Providence
BS, journalism, Drake University, 1966

Fish oversees one of the largest commercial bank holding companies in the nation. It has grown 25-fold since he joined it in 1992, and employs about 24,000. Yet, despite what might be described as a textbook ascent through the ranks of management, Fish advised graduates to sometimes accept what fate decrees.

"I was editor of the school newspaper at Drake and I really wanted to go into publishing," he said. However, he was not accepted into the two graduate journalism programs to which he applied so he went to Harvard, earned an MBA, and found his way into banking.

Plan to "turn on the coffee in the morning and turn out the lights at night," he said. Conversely, Fish said it is vital to invest energy in family. "Never put family second or third or fourth - a solid, happy family is the foundation of a successful life, while an unhappy home usually leads to a troubled career," he said.

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