“The Harvard Syndrome”
Alex Koritz has a great post on his blog that he calls “The Harvard Syndrome”
“Some schools, “Branded” schools (tempting, but I’m not going to mention school names), put it into the heads of graduates that upon leaving the workforce, they can enter a company mid-level. They’re too good for the typical grunt work that most ‘newbies’ are asked to do. They’re ready to manage accounts! I’ve come to call this the “Harvard Syndrome”. “
I like this post because I graduated from UVSC (soon to be UVU). There is another side to this story, not only do people from the schools with big brands have a sense of entitlement. But many people automatically assume they are “more qualified, more intelligent, or more whatever” than people who choose another school. How did dropping out of Princeton get more street cred than finishing something you started?
There is another thing that really bugs me. When somebody has worked for a big well know organization and they try to throw that weight around for the rest of their careers.
This is what I want in an employee:
Somebody who can finish what they start - college, car payment, home improvements, Eagle scout project, Marathon, anything really I will take a finisher over a coaster every time. Starters are good to have around but don’t have too many on your team or you will never go anywhere.
Somebody who is intelligent but not an intellectual - don’t talk DO, Stop thinking and start DOING.
Somebody who has made small things bigger - I don’t care if you were a small part of a big thing I want you to be a big part of a small thing
Somebody with bad grades - “C’s get degree’s”, “Someday the A students will teach the B students how to work for the C students” - I worked full time while going to school. I graduated with 6 years of full time work experience with a bunch of random companies. I had about a 3.0 Average and I Damn proud of it. I should put that on my resume.
What I have found is that most people coming from the big company set know how to do one or two things well and are often clueless about everything else. They often need a trainer to teach them anything new. There are times when it is nice to have a specialist. However, the majority of the time, simply give me someone who is willing to get their hands dirty figuring out how to do something and I will show you a valuable employee.
Rand - I totally agree, not many startups have the time to wait for the guy from a big corporation to adapt. Or the staff to give them a mentor or trainer.
The other thing is that it isn’t universally true that all people from big companies have a hard time. If you can find somebody who was an “intraprenuer” somewhere I think they will adapt easily.