Millennials, often labeled as lazy and entitled, are of a generation driven more than their predecessors towards meaningful employment with a positive impact. In today’s competitive job market, many younger members of Generation Y are struggling to establish a career path on new terrain, where opportunities look much different from those of generations past.
Daniella Kullman, HR Coordinator with Arlyn Recruiting and mid-generation millennial, has seen a number of trends emerge within Gen Y job candidates since joining the
company in 2015.
“Their résumés are scattered,” Kullman says. “They’re working many jobs and they’re not staying within their positions for long periods of time, whereas the older generations are more loyal to their employers and they feel the need to stay in those positions.”
Her initial advice to young candidates hoping to build a more cohesive work history: ensure the job you’re applying for is inline with your longer-term goals.
“You don’t just want to jump into a position and then immediately want to go into another role, or your résumé’s going to be really choppy. You want to stay in a position for at least a year and a half or two years.”
Next, narrow down your search. “The older generations tend to be more focused on their applications whereas the younger generations tend to send out spam applications. I find errors on their cover letters and emails, basically identifying different job titles. You’re probably not going to get a call back.”
Do your research. Use several job search sites — not just one. Become educated in what’s out there. Network, digitally and in person. Kullman suggests connecting with potential employers or colleagues over LinkedIn. Ask them out for a coffee — or at least meet via email.
“That way you can learn more about the position — and also more about yourself.”
Julie van Leeuwen spent years in the service industry before joining Arlyn Recruiting in early 2017. The flexibility of the hours as a server, as well as the decent wage that comes along with the role, van Leeuwen says, remains a roadblock for millennials joining “the quote-unquote adult workforce.”
Step 1, according to van Leeuwen: you have to want a career.
And once they’re ready to give up some of that flexibility? Millennials often lack the ability to present themselves professionally — both in person and in print. Van
Leeuwen sees job candidates arrive for interviews in track suits with poorly written résumés.
“They’re not up to date and they’re not researching on their own,” van Leeuwen says. “Then they’re using that as an excuse: they don’t have a résumé so they can’t apply. But they’re not taking the initiative to figure out how to write one.”
Van Leeuwen forgoes interview fashion tips, but she does suggest taking some résumé guidance from arlynrecruiting.com. And if she could turn back the clock and follow her own career advice, she would take full advantage of university career prep programs.
Sara Minchenko, fellow HR Assistant on the Arlyn team echoes the sentiment with regards to exploring volunteer opportunities while at university.
“So many people come out of university with no experience,” Minchenko says. “Volunteering is a great way to figure out what you want to do and gain some experience.”
In retrospect, Minchenko would also have had more confidence in her skillset earlier on to have sought more opportunities for growth within previous roles.
“In one of my previous jobs, after working there for two years, I finally said I was interested in learning the management part and they said: ‘we were waiting for you to ask.’”
Instead of jumping from company to company in search of their dream jobs, Minchenko suggests millennials look for new ways to contribute and grow within their current positions. “It can start with you as a person, instead of looking for a position that has everything that you want. “The minute you already have an exit strategy, you’re not really caring about your job anymore.”
The trio agrees: millennials are motivated by feeling what they’re doing matters, and that’s not a bad hallmark of a generation.
“Millennials are the people who are going to shape the workforce, so you have to ask them what they want in a career, what they see in their company and pay attention to their trends, because they’re going to help the companies adapt and move forward ,” Minchenko adds.
