Career Advice

McMaster-Carr is changing the game when it comes to customers’ buying experiences – embracing technology and leveraging machine-learning to make browsing for products simpler than ever. Customers around the globe select from over half a million products and enjoy lightning fast delivery.

Making the decision of where you want to start your career can be extremely intimidating. This is especially true if you haven’t yet declared your college major or your major doesn’t have a defined career path, and if you haven’t held a few internship roles in the same industry or have your heart set on working at one company. How do you begin to decide what you want to do without the experience of working in an industry? How do you know what your strengths are if you haven’t yet had a job? And how can you make yourself appear competitive in the labor market without having mastered any specific industry skills?

Your first job or internship can lay the foundation for the rest of your career. It’s where you learn how to work efficiently and what it takes to be successful in the workplace, where you develop healthy work habits, and where you begin to build out your professional network.

More than 200,000 Service members transition from the military back to civilian life every year, bringing with them a valuable skill set that includes a strong work ethic, leadership ability, resilience, and problem-solving skills. However, as the Under Secretary for Benefits, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Paul R. Lawrence, Ph.D., said in the 2018 “Military to Civilian Transition” report, “While the men and women of our armed forces are better trained, better educated, and better prepared for transition than ever before, they still face unique challenges in accessing health care, attaining education, and establishing careers that necessitate definitive action to help take care of their special needs.”

Starting a new job can be intimidating and stressful for any employee, but especially so for new grads making the transition out of college. Companies with onboarding processes that set their employees up for success from day one will find their new employees are happier and more likely to stay – which is especially important as entry-level employee turnover can cost somewhere between 30-50% of the employee’s annual salary.

Despite the unfair reputation surrounding liberal arts degrees and their practical use, there are countless opportunities available to liberal arts graduates as they start their careers.

For many college students, a career in technology seems unattainable without a four-year degree in Computer Science or extensive internship experience. Students with a knack for problem-solving and a passion for learning, however, will find a unique opportunity to grow their career in tech at McMaster-Carr, a business-to-business e-commerce company. Their innovative approach to creating high-performing, technical teams involves seeking out problem solvers from many academic backgrounds and providing immersive training and a culture of development.

Deciding where to begin your career is no small decision, and if you studied computer science or another technical major, you’re likely to have a host of job opportunities to evaluate. That means that as you consider which role will give you the best shot at having a fulfilling career, you can take into account everything from the professional development opportunities to the culture to the broader mission of the company.

No matter where you start your career, your experience at a company will be influenced by that organization’s culture. Culture touches everything from a company’s values to its benefits to its broader sense of community, which means it’s essential to get to know the cornerstones of a company’s culture while in the interview process.