Changing Perspectives... on First Generation Professionals

I was once in the unique position of offering fifty people a new job in the space of a single month. It will surprise no one familiar with DEI research to hear that every woman accepted the role offered at the initial salary, while only men attempted to renegotiate.

It was #notallmen (and let me be clear, they were not all successful), but it was only men who tried. But it wasn’t just gender those applicants had in common: they all also came from affluent families, with at least one parent working in a white-collar profession.

As a leader, I’ve noticed this pattern throughout my career. When discussing career development with young professionals, they’d often say, “I’ll take the weekend to think it over and discuss it with my parents.”

I’ve always wondered what those conversations with their parents might look like. Over the years, I’ve managed people from a wide variety of backgrounds, some whose dads were tradies and mums worked at supermarkets, and others who said their media job was just something to keep them busy until they moved into their family’s property or investment portfolios. How different would the advice these parents were giving their kids be? And how did cultural background and lived experience impact that advice?

On my commute one day, I heard the term First Generation Professional on a Harvard Business Review podcast. It described the unique challenge of being the first in your families to enter a white-collar profession – from navigating salary negotiations to building networks, finding mentors, and understanding office politics. It instantly resonated with the differences I’d noticed in my own teams.

It makes sense: years of dinner-table conversations about a parent’s workplace can quietly prepare you for a similar path. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course. But if we truly want diverse organisations that reflect Australia at large, we need to recognise the barriers some groups face and put the right support in place.

As I read more, I realised I fit the definition of a First Generation Professional – and so did many of my mentors and leaders in the industry. Being one comes with both benefits and drawbacks, and I’ve experienced both throughout my career.

The Pros:

They’re street-smart
Research highlights the grit, resilience and self-motivation present in many First Generation Professionals. In my entry-level roles, people commented on my maturity and worldliness at 21. As a latch-key child in a single-parent family, there was no room for me to be sheltered from the realities of ‘adulting.’ I understood how much things like groceries and rent cost and I was exposed to conversations about divorce and job redundancies at a young age.

They’ve been ‘managing up’ for years
My mother worked incredibly hard, sometimes taking a second job, so I filtered the information she needed to know about my life. I managed things like school permission slips and arranged lifts to extra-curricular activities while she was working.

They work hard and expect little in return
Boston Consulting Group found that First Generation Professionals are 30% more loyal to their employers. When I started out and worked long hours, I was told I wasn’t “like other millennials” and “didn’t expect to be CEO within a year”. This made me seem trustworthy and responsible, but it can also have downsides.

The Cons

They’re too humble
HBR identified that advice often given by blue-collar parents – “Work hard, stay humble and you will be rewarded” – doesn’t always translate to white-collar settings. Self-promotion, profile and network-building are critical.

This doesn’t mean style over substance wins, but in roles where output isn’t easily measured, you must make your impact visible. Be your own PR department: be proactive in staying ‘top of mind’ when opportunities arise.

Difficulty in understanding corporate codes in Australia
BCG found that even experienced First Generation Professionals are 7% less likely to have access to a professional network.

Early in my career, I often misread situations, assuming senior colleagues would spell out my options. I didn’t realise how casual Australian business culture is, or that I needed to push for what I wanted.

Once, after missing an opportunity, I was told, “I didn’t think you were interested!” All the hints had been there, but I’d been waiting for a formal offer. Another time, that same hesitation worked in my favour: what I saw as a vague discussion about a sideways move was read as tough negotiating, and I was offered a higher salary.

So, what can we do about it?
There are several strategies that companies can put in place to level the socio-economic playing field, such as pay transparency – taking the onus off the employee to be their own Chief Investment Officer and ensuring equal pay for equal work.

Another is formalising mentor and executive networking programs so all junior employees participate (not just the ones confident enough to approach the CEO at the coffee machine). 

As a leader, I try to recognise First Generation Professionals and account for this in how they’re managed – keeping in mind it can also intersect with other DEI factors. For example, everyone not raised in Australia is, by definition, a First Generation Professional. Even if their parents had white-collar careers, they don’t have experience navigating Australian corporate culture, which can be unique.

Here’s how my experience as a First Generation Professional shows up in how I lead teams:

• Valuing life and work experience just as much as formal qualifications
• Recognising hard workers who may not ask about progression or promotion
• Advertising all roles and opportunities openly so everyone can apply
• Explaining career options in plain, transparent language without assuming prior knowledge
• Calling out ‘elephants in the room’ that others may be hesitant to raise
• Suggesting people they can connect with, inside and outside the company, to guide their career decisions

If you’d like to read more about this topic, here are some great resources:

hiding-in-plain-sight-first-generation-professionals-bcg-study.pdf

How Does Your Company Support “First-Generation Professionals”?

Set Up for Success: Five Ways to Support First Gen Professionals in the Workplace — FGPM