The National Center for Education Statistics expects 1,606,000 students at the bachelor’s degree level to graduate as the college Class of 2014. That’s a lot of competition in an employment climate where hiring has become very cautious.
“Companies small or large are more deliberate in their selections. Any job seeker has to sell (his or her) value,” says Patrick Lynch, Atlanta-based managing partner of a human resources consulting firm, the Frontier Group/OI Global Partners.
As many companies operate with smaller staffs, there is always concern that hiring someone with limited experience means investing in a lot of training, Lynch says. Millennials — those born from roughly the early 1980s to the early 2000s — may have a hard sell considering some of the stereotypes assigned to them.
But Lynch says employers shouldn’t lose sight of millennials’ assets. “They will work many more hours than I did (at that age). They are ambitious, a little self-centered, but they are also the best educated and best trained workforce in some ways that you are going to see,” says Lynch, who offers a few ways millennials can combat some of the perceptions (deserved or not) prospective employers may have of them.
The perception: about me attitude
“Many millennials have an inwardly focused attitude, which conveys that everything is about them, and they tend to project a sense of entitlement,” Lynch says. Millennials are also not known for their patience or willingness to “pay their dues.”
The fix
Millennials need to be able to share stories that demonstrate patience and persistence — including sticking it out through a tough course, finding a way to get support from classmates, and being promoted while working at part-time or summer jobs.
The perception: poor work ethic
Millennials are inclined to prioritize work/life balance ahead of their careers and value noninterference with their personal lives over dedication to their jobs.
The fix
Display customer focus and dedication to the job. “Millennials should specify how they can add value to employers’ customers and express their willingness to put in extra hours to help businesses achieve their goals,” Lynch says.
The perception: weak communication skills and texting mania
“Millennials often do not have good written, verbal or presentation skills and have limited their writings to Twitter posts and text messages. Employers also feel that numerous millennials lack the ability to communicate with other generations, including customers and co-workers,” Lynch says.
The fix
“Instead of waiting for potential employers to raise some of these matters, millennials should head them off by offering samples of good writing and examples of their working together with other generations in charitable and religious groups and in previous jobs,” Lynch notes.
The perception: inadequate social and interpersonal skills, over-reliance on social media
“Employers are apprehensive that millennials do not have the social skills necessary to interface with clients and frequently perform poorly in face-to-face meetings, including job interviews. Many don’t know the meaning of ‘business casual’ and don’t have the etiquette skills to get through a business lunch,” Lynch says. Some may also have inappropriate social media content on various sites.
The fix
Clean up your social media profile before the interview. Dress appropriately, make eye contact with interviewers and avoid checking text messages. During the interview, enumerate the advantages millennials can bring to the workplace. “Such benefits include being savvy in technology, social media and digital marketing and being capable of mentoring older workers and adding a younger perspective to these areas,” Lynch says.
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