Eclipsing Experience - Newbies Wanted

In my last blog post I discussed the opportunity that the Information Management Leadership Program (IMLP) affords its constituents. This includes a network of friends and colleagues that span the world and tally an unbelievable 323,000 individuals. 

In fact, if General Electric employees created their own country, according to the World Atlas, its population would be larger than 26 distinct countries, including Iceland and Belize. These figures are astounding, but what does this number really mean to me personally? In a word - opportunity.

Depending on your background, you may believe that your opportunities are limited. You may have spent the last 4 years honing your computer programming skills, and feel as though you are a one-trick pony. Maybe you have been honorably serving your country in the military for the past 8 years, and you believe it is your only professional option.  Well, think again - opportunity exists.

It doesn't matter which activity or trade suits you best, each has a place at General Electric - and interestingly enough, most have a place in IMLP. I've seen Bouncers, Ballers, and Businessmen - Engineers, Early Adopters, and Entertainers - the Affluent, Army men, and After-thoughts join IMLP.  Each brings a unique flavor and most importantly a new experience.

The word experience usually makes recent or upcoming grads cringe. Why? Because employers want experience. They desire certifications, and qualifications - manifestations and new instantiations. Read any job posting and it will likely mention a required 3-5 years of experience in 'x' field, or with 'y' software, etc. This severely handicaps the abundant population of new graduates both mentally and economically. How am I supposed to gain experience when I can't find employment in my field that struggles to take the inexperienced?

That's where GE IMLP stands triumphantly. GE understands that there are young folks out there, with the tenacity to overcome their own lack of experience. What's more - they want to invest additional resources into these individuals to train future GE leaders, business leaders, and even world leaders.

Do you want to be involved in a world class Leadership Program? A program backed by one of the world's largest, most respected companies. A program that gives you the chance to support businesses in  global markets and the opportunity to work in four different businesses/organizations in only two years. 

Where else would you have the opportunity to float between IT functions so freely, while at the same time, having challenging, customized assignments to execute? My personal rotations have ranged from Infrastructure (servers, data warehouses, etc.) to a startup business (http://geenergystorage.com) to Aftermarket Services (Remote Monitoring & Diagnostics) to Commercial Operations (Sales, Marketing, and Inquiry To Order).

I would suggest that "Years of Experience" should not be the measuring stick for performance or capability. I believe that IMLP has found a way to eclipse experience by promoting the hire of ambitious, driven, innovative individuals that have the capacity to accomplish phenomenal feats.

How about you? Have you ever been managed by someone with more 'experience' but felt you could have filled the position more effectively? Or maybe you've worked for a boss that loathed change, and despises learning new tools? Let's here about it below!