Over the past few months on our new, industry-first podcast, Graduate Edge, we’ve heard stories and advice for graduates everywhere.
The wisdom from our guests spans industries, countries and decades – and their careers couldn’t look more different: A CEO who began as an intern; a Founder who worked alongside Nelson Mandela; an engineer crawling through naval ships in the Falklands just weeks into her grad programme; an executive who spent 20 years in automotive before joining a 100-person startup.
Yet despite these wildly different paths, their stories point to seven clear principles, each grounded in real experience of setbacks navigated, detours taken, successes celebrated and lessons learned.
Read on for the seven most important early career insights we’ve analysed and curated from Graduate Edge so far…
Never underestimate the importance of genuine relationships.
Futurist Katie Rigg-Smith turned down the CEO role at Mindshare three times because she didn’t think she was the right person. Yet the chairman, regional CEOs and her colleagues were already convinced she was the one. Why? Because of the trust she had built over more than a decade of consistent work and strong relationships.
Head of Contact Strategy & Transformation at Virgin Media O2, Josh Tyler, echoed this perspective when reflecting on being made redundant at 26 with a newborn and a mortgage: “Networking isn’t about working the room at drinks receptions. It’s about building trust through the work you do and connecting with people on a personal level.”
For Jean Oelwang, who spent more than two decades building Virgin Unite and working with global leaders such as Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the lesson was even deeper: “Deep connections are your trampoline,” she explains. “They’ll either help you fly or catch you when you fall.”
Across every story, one principle was clear: Careers are built on trust and connection, not transactions. So forget collecting business cards, and start building genuine relationships. Do quality work, be helpful, be human. The relationships you make will carry you through your career in ways you can’t imagine yet.
Early careers often involve work that feels routine or unglamorous. But these experiences could later become your secret weapon.
CFO Terence Koo spent six years doing internal audit work; work he admits wasn’t exciting. “There’s not a lot of interesting work in the audit space,” he laughed. But the role taught him to write clearly and concisely and forced him to build relationships across the organisation. Those skills later proved invaluable when he moved into senior leadership roles.
Company Director, Pete McDonald, shared a similar reflection. Early in his career he worked in procurement analysing just eight customers – “not particularly dynamic,” as he described it. Later he spent time managing a joint venture in China, an experience he found extremely difficult at the time.
“If you asked me the year after, I’d say it was a terrible thing to have done,” he said. “If you’re asking me now, 15 years later? Brilliant.”
The lesson: If you’re going to spend time on something, become excellent at it, even if it’s not your dream job. The reputation, skills and relationships you build in those early roles may turn out to be far more valuable than you realise at the time.
Early in your career, there is often a window when curiosity and initiative are particularly welcomed.
Terence Koo experienced this firsthand when he wrote a paper on fraud early in his career at PwC. His immediate manager wasn’t interested, but Terence overheard another partner discussing opportunities in that area and decided to send the paper directly to him. That partner turned out to be the number two partner in the UK firm, leading to opportunities Terence never expected.
“If I did that as a manager,” he reflected, “people would say ‘get back in your box.’ But as a young person, it was like, ‘Isn’t that nice? He’s shown some great confidence.’”
Jean Oelwang took an even bigger leap when she developed a proposal that would eventually become Virgin Unite while she was working at Virgin Mobile.
“It was scary,” she recalled. “I’m thinking I’m going to put this plan together. I could lose my great job.”
The advice to young people: Be bold while you can; say yes to opportunities; ask for meetings; put your work in front of people. Think of it as a ‘free card’ that expires in your first five to seven years. Opportunities appear as windows, and they don’t stay open forever.
Careers rarely follow a straight line – and that’s ok.
Naval Architect & Engineer, Olivia Kinghorn, initially planned to join the Royal Navy. When that didn’t work out, she pivoted to the Ministry of Defence — and within six weeks found herself travelling to the Falkland Islands for work.
Josh Tyler experienced a different kind of disruption when he was made redundant at 26. “Life slapped me around the face,” he said. Yet the role he took afterward — technically a step down — eventually opened better opportunities.
Jean Oelwang’s career path was even more unconventional. Rather than climbing a single corporate ladder as her parents expected, she volunteered with homeless teenagers, launched telecom businesses across multiple countries, and eventually founded Virgin Unite.
“I would urge people to have the courage to take that leap,” she said. “That disruptive detour, that crooked line, actually helped me build a more broad-based foundation.”
The lesson: Throw away the idea of a perfect career plan. Redundancy isn’t personal; pivots aren’t failures; bad experiences can be lessons in persistence. Focus on building skills and relationships rather than following a rigid path.
While saying yes can open doors early in your career, knowing when to set boundaries is equally important.
Katie Rigg-Smith described how she spent the early years of her career saying yes to everything. Eventually, she reached a point of complete burnout.
A friend asked her a simple question: “Is it you or is it Mindshare?”
That question prompted Katie to realise she needed to change how she worked. Instead of resigning, she spoke honestly with her managing director about what needed to change, and the response was supportive.
Jean Oelwang offered a complementary perspective: “The longer you stay in something where you’re unhappy, the harder it’s going to be to get out.”
The message is clear: Ambition and hard work matter, but so does recognising when something needs to change. Look out for signs of unsustainable patterns; speak up if you’re drowning; own what you can control and address what needs to change. And remember, staying in a situation you’re unhappy in will damage your confidence over time, so don’t stay at the wrong table too long.
Being yourself, and being authentic, is essential – you can’t sustain a mask for an entire career.
Josh Tyler reflected that early in his career he felt he needed to leave his personality “at the door” and become a professional version of himself.
“I couldn’t do it for 40 years,” he said. “I had to work out a way of being true to my own sense of my personality and my values.”
Pete McDonald found that being different from colleagues could actually be an advantage. As a young Australian working in Germany, his informal style helped him connect with people across the business.
Co-founder of Ooni, Darina Garland, experienced something similar coming from a non-corporate background. Because she wasn’t intimidated by hierarchy, she felt comfortable speaking with, and building authentic connections across, all levels – something that became her superpower and later shaped her leadership style.
And Olivia Kinghorn highlighted the importance of diversity in fields like engineering and defence: Sometimes simply being present helps change environments that were not originally designed to include you.
The lesson: People connect with authenticity. Find your own style for building relationships and contributing, and never try to be someone you’re not. Sometimes being different can become your greatest asset.
Play the long game. Sometimes experiences that seem unrelated at the time prove invaluable down the line.
Before entering the corporate world, Jean Oelwang’s experience volunteering with homeless teenagers in Chicago taught her empathy and resilience; lessons that shaped how she approached leadership later in her career.
“These kids had gone through extreme violence,” she explained. “How you deal with that friction was a big learning lesson.”
Pete McDonald’s experience in China provides another example. It felt like a difficult assignment at the time, but years later the network and knowledge he gained became extremely valuable in his work.
The common thread: Careers unfold over decades. Many of the experiences that shape you only make sense in hindsight. So become excellent at something – your depth – while staying curious and learning broadly – your breadth – and don’t dismiss any experience as wasted time. Every job, every failed experiment, every hard assignment and every detour builds skills that will serve you later.
The remarkable professionals who have shared their advice on Graduate Edge so far have all taken very different paths. Yet their early career stories all point to the same principles:
There is no single ‘right’ career path. But these principles can help you navigate whichever one you’re on.
🎧 Want to hear the full stories behind these lessons?
Follow the Graduate Edge podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to find out more.
As employers plan their 2026 development programs, almost every employer we speak to in Australia is reconsidering their development program strategy. One thing is clear; the learning experience that worked just a few years ago no longer meets the needs of today’s graduates – or their managers.
The future of early career learning in Australia is not about lowering expectations — it’s about making expectations clearer, fairer and more achievable, while equipping both graduates and managers with the skills to succeed together.
This article explores what we’re seeing across the early career industry globally — and ways employers can adapt for the year ahead.
The widening skills and work readiness gap among early career hires is no secret.
Disruption during formative education years, reduced access to work experience, and an academia-heavy focus in higher education have left many graduates less prepared for the interpersonal, behavioural and adaptive demands of the workplace.
Common development gaps include:
More recently however, an increasing number of line managers report feeling under-equipped to support early career professionals effectively — highlighting a new, parallel manager capability gap that amplifies the challenge.
In line with this, the Australian Council of Trade Unions attributes over half of Australia’s total factor productivity gap, compared to the United States, to poor management. And 65% of Australian workers report that their managers struggle with soft skills such as emotional intelligence and effective communication.
Many organisations operate on an implicit understanding: if you work hard, lean in and go above and beyond, you will be rewarded over time.
However, for many early career professionals — shaped by economic volatility, rising living costs and pandemic disruption — this ‘deal’ feels uncertain or unconvincing.
In contrast to pre-pandemic ‘grind culture’, many early career professionals are actively questioning traditional narratives around overwork — particularly in the context of mental health, affordability pressures and long-term sustainability.
Rather than rejecting effort altogether, many are seeking clarity: what effort is reasonable, worthwhile and rewarded?
These shifts are also showing up in how early career professionals engage with learning, particularly virtual learning.
Across the industry, L&D teams are observing:
In response, many organisations are rethinking not just what they teach — but how learning is designed and experienced.
One effective approach we’re seeing is a move towards two-tier learning design:
This model recognises a fundamental truth; engagement and motivation differ dramatically between mandatory and voluntary learning contexts.
By using compulsory sessions as compelling ‘tasters’, organisations can encourage learners to opt into deeper development — increasing relevance, ownership and impact.
To address misalignment head-on, many of our employer partners are seeing success with a dual-focused approach:
Supporting early career professionals to understand organisational culture, expectations and the often-unwritten rules of professional life — helping to prevent misunderstandings, disengagement and early conflict.
2. Managing a Multigenerational Team – for early talent managers
Generational tension is not new. What is new is the speed of change and complexity of today’s workplace. Employers are equipping early talent managers with practical tools to build empathy, bridge differences and lead inclusively across generations.
Together, these two interventions can create a shared language and understanding – reducing friction and improving collaboration on both sides.
The future of early career learning in Australia isn’t about reducing expectations — it’s about setting expectations that are clearer, fairer and more attainable, and ensuring both graduates and managers are equipped with the skills they need to thrive together.
Organisations that invest in human skills, manager capability, meaningful learning experiences and sustainable performance will be best placed to engage, retain and unlock the potential of their future leaders.
As early career programs evolve for 2026, the question is no longer whether change is needed — but how deliberately organisations respond.
Development Beyond Learning (DBL) is an innovative, award-winning L&D partner specialising in early career talent.
Addressing the gap between education and modern workplace needs, we harness our expertise in behavioural science and psychology to equip the future workforce with essential human skills.
Backed by first-class trainers and an unparalleled heritage in early talent development, DBL partners with businesses around the globe, championing personal growth, equal opportunity and our belief in business as a force for good.
As organisations look ahead in 2026 and beyond, one thing is clear; the learning experience that worked five years ago no longer meets the needs of today’s graduates – or their managers.
Early career professionals are entering the workplace at a time of economic uncertainty, rapid technological change and evolving social expectations. Understanding how this context shapes their learning, engagement and development is now critical for organisations looking to build resilient, future-ready talent pipelines.
This article explores what we’re seeing across the early career industry globally — and where employers may need to adapt for the year ahead.
Those entering the workforce today bring a distinctive combination of strengths, expectations and pressures.
Across our employer partners, early career professionals tend to be:
They also tend to define career success more broadly — incorporating wellbeing, impact and development opportunities — and expect regular feedback and support as part of continuous learning.
At the same time, they are more likely than previous cohorts to reconsider roles when expectations around flexibility, culture or values alignment are not met. Research shows that unmet expectations are now one of the leading drivers of early career attrition (Randstad, 2025).
Alongside these shifting expectations, many organisations have – for some time now – been observing a widening skills and work readiness gap among early career hires.
Disruption during formative education years, reduced access to work experience, and an academia-heavy focus in higher education have left some graduates less prepared for the interpersonal, behavioural and adaptive demands of the workplace.
Across employer feedback and industry data, common development gaps include:
More recently, an increasing number of line managers report feeling under-equipped to support early career professionals effectively — highlighting a new, parallel manager capability gap that amplifies the challenge.
One of the most significant challenges we see is a misalignment of expectations between early career professionals and their managers.
Many organisations operate on an implicit understanding: if you work hard, lean in and go above and beyond, you will be rewarded over time.
However, for many early career professionals — shaped by economic volatility, rising living costs and pandemic disruption — this ‘deal’ can feel uncertain or unconvincing.
Two broader trends appear to influence this dynamic:
1. A shift in learning mindsets
Higher education has increasingly adopted a consumer-oriented model, which can unintentionally reduce opportunities for students to develop discretionary effort, self-directed challenge and resilience. These learned behaviours don’t appear overnight when graduates enter the workplace.
2. Reframing effort and wellbeing
In contrast to pre-pandemic ‘grind culture’, many early career professionals are actively questioning traditional narratives around overwork — particularly in the context of mental health, affordability pressures and long-term sustainability.
Rather than rejecting effort altogether, many are seeking clarity: what effort is reasonable, worthwhile and rewarded?
These shifts are also showing up in how early career professionals engage with learning.
Across the industry, L&D teams are observing:
In response, many organisations are rethinking not just what they teach — but how learning is designed and experienced.
One effective approach we’re seeing is a move towards two-tier learning design:
This model recognises a fundamental truth; engagement and motivation differ dramatically between mandatory and voluntary learning contexts.
By using compulsory sessions as compelling ‘tasters’, organisations can encourage learners to opt into deeper development — increasing relevance, ownership and impact.
To address misalignment head-on, the experts at Development Beyond Learning recommend a dual-focused approach:
Decoding the Workplace (for early career professionals)
This module supports graduates to understand organisational culture, expectations and the often-unwritten rules of professional life — helping to prevent misunderstandings, disengagement and early conflict.
Managing a Multigenerational Team (for managers)
Generational tension is not new. What is new is the speed of change and complexity of today’s workplace. This module equips managers with practical tools to build empathy, bridge differences and lead inclusively across generations.
Together, these interventions create a shared language and understanding — reducing friction and improving collaboration on both sides.
Wellbeing is no longer a nice-to-have in early career programmes — it’s foundational.
Many early career professionals arrive with limited tools for managing stress, prioritising effectively and sustaining energy over time. Employers are increasingly embedding wellbeing strategies across programmes rather than delivering standalone sessions.
At DBL, our C-A-L-M model of workplace wellbeing builds confidence, enhances adaptability, supports links and connection, and scaffolds motivation; promoting psychological safety and reframing resilience away from ’toughing it out’ and towards sustainable, high-performance habits that support both wellbeing and results.
The link to retention is clear: when early career professionals feel their wellbeing is supported, they are far less likely to disengage or leave.
The future of early career learning is not about lowering expectations — it’s about making expectations clearer, fairer and more achievable, while equipping both graduates and managers with the skills to succeed together.
Organisations that invest in human skills, manager capability, meaningful learning experiences and sustainable performance will be best placed to engage, retain and unlock the potential of their future leaders.
As early career programmes evolve for 2026, the question is no longer whether change is needed — but how deliberately organisations respond.