Opportunities to influence grads are everywhere, and it doesn\u2019t always require that you to take center stage. Whether you prefer to offer motivational speeches on stage for big or small groups, collaborate with just a few, or offer single, one-on-one conversations, here are some of my favorite methods:<\/p>\n
5 ways to influence grads in groups<\/strong><\/p>\n #1: Mentor college grads while growing your business circle of influence.\u00a0<\/strong>It is becoming common for college grads to graduate from \u201cCollege Curriculum\u201d to \u201cStartup and Fundraising\u201d boot camps. These camps, created by colleges and investors, are always looking for mentors willing to help or inspire attendees and contest winners (who typically have a high-volume of recent grads looking for capital funding).<\/p>\n As a mentor, you could influence or assist them with a variety of business-related topics, such as marketing, budgeting and cash flow, business modeling, product development, and more. During these camps, grads learn from mentors, as they flow through their journey from graduation to fundraising for their inspired dreams.<\/p>\n #2: Speak to high school seniors.\u00a0<\/strong>A few years back, I went to my son’s high school. I went into the business office and volunteered to give a short presentation on \u201cOpportunities in Accounting\u201d to any interested math or business student. The school was suspicious at first, but appreciative after I explained that I wanted to practice my speaking skills and was not selling anything. They introduced me to the senior class as a guest speaker, which allowed me to interact with the students about the wide variety of accounting careers, not just limited to \u201ctax preparer, auditor, and\/or CFO.\u201d The students were grateful and posed thought-provoking questions. Some even thanked me for helping them learn about careers that were invisible to their perception of math and economics.<\/p>\n #3: Collaborate with college recruiters and local workforce programs.\u00a0<\/strong>Consider creating your own version of an \u201cinternship.\u201d According to Wikipedia:\u00a0\u201cAn internship is a period of work experience offered by an organization for a limited period of time. Internship is used for a wide range of placements in businesses, non-profit organizations, and government agencies. They are typically undertaken by students and graduates looking to gain relevant skills and experience in a particular field.\u201d\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n Notice there is no mention of accreditation or minimum hours required. Consider this 15-minute brain challenge: If you had a room of 15 interns, what specific \u201cskills\u201d would you encourage them to practice for the next two to three months? What \u201chands-on\u201d training would you be willing to provide to accelerate their future?<\/p>\n Creatively designed internships, left to your imagination, can be collaborated by you with, perhaps, the help of a college recruiter or workforce job certification \u2013 easily creating a win-win for everyone.<\/p>\n Reach out to your local workforce program directors\/coordinators, and ask them what skills and training are missing for your profession. See if you can provide anything to contribute to the training and\/or skills certifications, and maybe even find government funding programs in the workforce budget to support your efforts.<\/p>\n These are great ways to instantly establish yourself as an influencer in your industry, help people gain employment, and simultaneously grow your business.<\/p>\n #4: Set up team projects with senior staff.\u00a0<\/strong>If you hire grads in multiple quantities, consider setting up team projects and\/or case studies that include senior staff feedback and direction. These are highly influential, and can be competitive, motivational, and educational, all at the same time.<\/p>\n #5: Join a co-op space and\/or incubator community.\u00a0<\/strong>Co-op spaces with online communities seem to be the new \u201cin\u201d thing for creatives and recent grads. These are inspirational hotspots to relate to grads. Communicate the way they do, through Zoom, co-op spaces, and incubator communities. These spaces buzz wildly with highly energized, recent grads looking to build and expand their business network and acumen. Have you visited one or offered to lead an initiative lately?<\/p>\n 9 ways to influence grads in one-on-one meetings<\/strong><\/p>\n