What Does Low Hanging Fruit Mean for Recent Graduates Entering the Job Market?

As a recent graduate, you’re probably familiar with a lot of the professional jargon you’ll hear about in the office, but you may not know what some of this terminology means. One phrase you’re likely to hear in the corporate world is “low hanging fruit.” This phrase is used to describe tasks or goals that are relatively easy to achieve compared to other goals.

For example, if a company looks to increase their profits, they may focus on “low hanging fruit” first, such as reducing costs or increasing efficiency. This means that the company is looking for tasks that they can perform quickly and with minimal effort in order to gain a quick return on their investment.

Another example of low hanging fruit may be when tackling a complex project. Rather than start from scratch, you focus your resources on the pieces which have already been completed and clear out any simple tasks that can be completed quickly. This allows you to quickly accomplish little tasks that make up the bigger project—tasks that might otherwise take longer if all the pieces weren’t connected halfway through the project.

For recent graduates, focusing on low hanging fruit can help speed up getting projects done that are simpler, but still require some work. While it’s important to focus on more difficult goals, identifying and accomplishing easier tasks gives you experience and may contribute to a larger project or initiative. If you take the time to identify these easier goals, you may be able to move quicker when tackling bigger projects.

In short, “low hanging fruit” is a phrase used to refer to tasks or goals that are relatively quick and easy to achieve. Focusing on these first can provide quicker results in terms of time and money, freeing up resources to tackle bigger projects. As a recent graduate, it’s important to keep this phrase in mind as you enter the workplace and look for opportunities to quickly gain experience. Seizing low-hanging fruit can help move a project forward and get you seen in the workplace.