This week, most Mizzou seniors walked out of the University bookstore clutching an 8x8 plastic bag. In it were three things, but also the summation of their last four years. This week marked, what I'd like to call, Graduation Garb Purchase Week. In other words, many graduating seniors purchased their cap, gown, tassel, and the appropriate stationary.

As this monumental buy marks the "next steps" about to be taken by a group of YAYAs, it turns my attention to thoughts of obtaining jobs and exceeding employer expectations over the next few years. Naturally, I became curious in wondering what things new graduates are struggling with in their transition into the "real world." So, after polling a few Mizzou employers and flipping through some pages of self-help books, I've come up with a few categories where YAYAs seem to be needing a little extra help.

1. Email Etiquette- Some employers are noticing YAYAs difficulty in utilizing email efficiently. Either they ramble in a stream of conscious email or are too casual for their employers liking. However, this seems to be a relatively easy fix for both employers and YAYAs, as a few training sessions would educate YAYAs on their employer's expectations when it comes to email.

2. Work hours- Building your own schedule in college is something all YAYAs love having the power over. However, when it comes to the work force, YAYAs must learn to adjust to set hours that are given to them. Not only this, but many YAYAs are used to sliding into a seat in their economics class right at 9:00 AM. However, employers are looking for them to arrive early, say around 7:45, and be at their desk working diligently by 8:00. Now, as we all know, the ad world might differ from this a bit, but in general, most corporate offices stick to this standard.

3. Initiative vs. Annoying- When employers say they are looking for a student with initiative, they mean it. However, many YAYAs have a different interpretation of what "initiative" is. While it does mean to seek out things to do when you have a slow day at work, it also means you shouldn't have to ask what to do. The employers I surveyed all mentioned the fact that they don't want to be asked "what can I do now," but instead want YAYAs to know what they can be doing, and actively seek it out.

Overall, I think employers are going to be impressed with the YAYAs they hire over the next few years, but then again I'm pretty biased. I think, although we do have some shortcomings, as do many generations before us, we also have plenty of skills employers can leverage in their workplace.