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What is a thoughtful graduation gift for new college grads?

Elaine Varelas provides ideas on college graduation gifts to support them as they navigate this exciting new chapter of their lives.

Ask the Job Doc. Boston.com

By Elaine Varelas

Q.  It’s only April, but I’ve already been invited to several college graduation parties. Any advice on gifts or books as they embark on entering the working world?

A. Recognize that some of these graduates might already have jobs lined up and some may be job seekers. For those with jobs, they will need advice and guidance on entering the workforce, though they might not think so. You may want to give them books related to professional or personal development, clothing store gift cards as they build up their workplace attire, coffee shop gift cards so they can take new colleagues out to network, etc. The Unspoken Rules: Secrets to Starting Your Career Off Right, Gorick Ng is a great book for those who haven’t spent much time in a professional setting, first generation graduates, and a great gift from adults who are unsure about the new grads knowledge of basic workplace behavior.

For those graduating without a job lined up, books related to job searching, career exploration, leadership, or books related to their degree are a good choice. Of course, cash or a check is the easiest gift to give, but practical and thoughtful gifts will also be appreciated. Dr. Paul Powers offers two books, Don’t Wear Flip-Flops to Your Interview and Winning Job Interviews that offer solid, actionable techniques laced with humor to lead the job seeker to success.

Career exploration support may not be needed right away as those without a job lined up may want to take a breather before diving into job hunting. You might want to tuck some money or a check into these books about career exploration. The money will be welcome immediately. The career exploration advice will be more welcome in a month when the new graduates recognize they have no idea how to find a job. These books may also be great reading material for parents of new graduates who may have found their job through the newspaper want ads or the early days of Monster to show them how drastically searching for a job has changed since they last looked for a job. Rather than giving your new graduate job listings, give them introductions to people in industries or career areas of interest and help them arrange networking meetings that could prove to be very valuable as they go through job search activity.

According to my colleague and Partner at Essex Partners, Tad Mayer, co-author of the book, Finding a Job That Loves You Back: The Three Conversations That Will Take You From Wherever You Are To Wherever You Discover You Want To Go, (with Carly Inkpen and Justin Wright):

“Recent college graduates are often overwhelmed by the number of career options. That coupled with a feeling that saying yes to one path is saying no to so many others can make a decision feel like a trap. Any tools that can help guide a new graduate through the process of figuring out which way to point and how to move forward with a process can make a tremendous difference.”

Both the readers of these books and the parents or the supporting families of these books also need to recognize that this won’t be the last job that these new grads take. The best way they can help is to be supportive of the concept of career exploration. Understand that most of these people won’t stay in these jobs for more than three years, and many will leave in significantly less time. That too is the new norm. In addition to salary, your new grads may be negotiating how many days they need to go into the office, PTO, sabbaticals, stock options, etc.

Look for books that offer insights into leadership, life/work balance, personal development, career advancement, or skills relevant to their industry or profession. The titles below make great graduation gifts: So, spend some time in the career section of your favorite bookstore to see what your college grad would welcome. Or use the list below (or the titles mentioned above) and make sure to include the receipt just in case – right next to the cash.

Making Waves: A Woman’s Rise to the Top Using Smarts, Heart, and Courage, Lisa Lutoff-Perlo

Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance Paperback, Angela Duckworth

The Algebra of Happiness: Notes on the Pursuit of Success, Love, and Meaning, Scott Galloway

Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, David Epstein

The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World, Melinda Gates

The Art of Work: A Proven Path to Discovering What You Were Meant to Do, Jeff Goins

The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter, Michael D. Watkins