Parallel HR » millenials http://parallelhr.com Mon, 21 May 2012 23:41:19 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 How Has the Recession Shaped Career Attitudes of Millennials? http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/thehiringsiteposts/~3/0DZnJA3vFmY/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/thehiringsiteposts/~3/0DZnJA3vFmY/#comments Tue, 19 Apr 2011 21:30:45 +0000 Sanja Licina http://thehiringsite.careerbuilder.com/?p=11234 Meet the Post-Recession MillennialIt's dangerous -- and often inaccurate -- to generalize generations' workplace preferences and behaviors. Many hiring managers, however, are still clinging onto generational stereotypes, particularly of the oft much-hyped Millennial generation (those workers born between 1980 - 1995) -- stereotypes that Millennials themselves have moved well beyond since first entering the workplace in the last several years. In How the Recession Shaped Millenial and Hiring Manager Attitudes about Millenials' Future Careers, Alexandra Levit and I examine various research initiatives to determine how the attitudes of Millennials toward their career paths have changed as a result of the economic downturn, how these attitudes compare to the way hiring managers view Millennials' career paths, and what hiring managers can do to better understand this generation of workers. Many of our report conclusions have been drawn from The Future of Millennial Careers research study, which was commissioned by the Career Advisory Board, presented by DeVry University, and conducted by Harris Interactive among 500 Millennials age 21-31 either employed or planning to seek employment, and 523 hiring managers age 18+ who interact with Millennials at work. While Millennials and hiring managers can generally both agree that Millennials tend to have certain commonalities, like digital comfort and impatience with certain established processes, there is also much disparity between how Millennials view themselves and how they are viewed by their bosses. This can result in a frustrating situation for both parties -- but by learning to truly understand Millennials, hiring managers can create a smoother workplace environment for the multiple generations currently working within it, as well as improve one-on-one relationships with their valuable Millennial workers.

Pre-recession to the present

The oldest Millennials blazed into the workplace in the early 2000s, many of them unabashedly demanding flexibility, seamless communication and desirable assignments right away -- and from this, many employers formed their opinions on Millennials right then and haven't since wavered. However, the recession appears to have caused a shift in Millennials' attitudes toward achieving immediate career success, as watching hiring freezes and mass layoffs occur, or being affected by them themselves, caused many Millennials to recognize that having a good job was not just a given, but instead something that must be earned. Now, as the economy is picking itself back up post-recession, Millennials have a much different idea of what they need to do to succeed, and more of them are taking the initiative to prove their worth to employers on a daily basis while honing their soft skills in the long term.

Millennials and hiring managers: Different worlds?

While the recession appears to have pushed many Millennials to form more realistic expectations about career advancement, many hiring managers don’t yet see a change in Millennials' expectations and are still of the belief that Millennials are driven by unreasonably high pay in return for minimal effort. Many hiring managers remain very cynical of the efforts Millennials are making, and believe that this generation continues to have a sense of entitlement and unrealistic expectations of their own career growth and success. Millennials also believe doing work that is personally meaningful to them and achieving a sense of accomplishment are just as important as earning a high salary for a successful career. In fact, 30 percent of Millennials identify meaningful work as the single most important measure of a successful career. Millennials are also feeling a need to pursue higher education, obtain transferable skills, and hold a variety of jobs in order to get ahead in their careers. Mistakenly, however, hiring managers commonly believe Millennials' desire to earn a high salary primarily drives their job and career decisions. Forty-eight percent of hiring managers rank high pay as the number one way Millennials measure their career success. In contrast, only 11 percent of hiring managers say Millennials consider meaningful work as the number one measure of success. Let's take a closer look:]]> http://thehiringsite.careerbuilder.com/2011/04/19/how-has-the-recession-shaped-career-attitudes-of-millennials/feed/atom/ 0 Millenials: Electric, and No Longer Youth http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/thehiringsiteposts/~3/p9R9zoALx1o/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/thehiringsiteposts/~3/p9R9zoALx1o/#comments Thu, 04 Mar 2010 23:29:51 +0000 Amy Chulik http://thehiringsite.careerbuilder.com/?p=6583 Eebbie Gibson's "Electric Youth" perfumeMillenials. Comprised of those born after 1980, or those 18-29 years old, they're America's newest generation. (And it'd be more fun if they were called this, no?) But what else are we learning about them, particularly when it comes to the workplace? A new report aimed at Millenials attempts to answer some of our unanswered questions. Who are Millenials? Fifty million people currently fall into the "Millenials" category. Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan fact tank that provides information on the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world, has just released a report called "Millenials: Confident. Connected. Open to Change." The report, conducted by Pew Research Center's "Social & Demographic Trends Project," compares the values, attitudes and behaviors of Millenials with those of older adults, and seeks to shed some light on which formative experiences Millenials will carry throughout their life cycle. Among other findings, the report found that personality-wise, Millenials are confident, self-expressive, liberal, and upbeat, and are open to change. Dissatisfied With Work Now -- But Optimistic for the Future ]]> http://thehiringsite.careerbuilder.com/2010/03/04/millenials-electric-and-no-longer-youth/feed/atom/ 0