Tesar-Reynes

In this down economy, Millennials have three advantages over the rest of the workforce:

Millennials are eager to start working. To them, a $30,000 a year job is just as good as a $40,000. They just want work. Doing what makes them happy is far more important, at this point, than the pay they are reimbursed.

The only bills a fresh out of college professional has are rent, cell phone, and maybe debt through credit cards and student loans. Add to this the likelihood of a Millennial having roommates, and you get bills divided between 2-3 people. My roommates and I split groceries and cooking duties, further minimizing expenses.

Another intern at the strategic communications firm I work …

I visited my PRSSA chapter for my last official meeting Monday. Afterwards, me and other members of the executive board went out to grab a bite. We chatted about how our marketing and public relations internships were going.

As we opened up, we got into an interesting conversation about our fears. The added pressure of hiring freezes and the competition that brings for jobs can make the workday stressful.

We of course would always perform our duties to the best of our abilities. We had to admit, however, lurking deep in the back of our heads existed legitimate, insecurity driven fears. Here are four of the fears we discussed. I hope this post helps our readers better …

In the course of interviewing senior management, there has been a constant buzz about the quality of the entry level people who have been recently hired and supervised by them. I suspect that this conversation is very parallel to when I came into the work force. I also believe that the accusations and frustrations surrounding the Millennials are more thought-provoking and different from the previous cohorts.

Almost all of the comments rotate around the generation’s sense of entitlement. There appears to be an almost universal sense that this generation sees themselves as unique, the best and the brightest that ever existed, and should be treated that way. The issues below tend to flow from this attitude:

Work Ethic

I will work when I want, I am able to multitask so I can text …

In my last post, I wrote about the Net Generation’s strengths. I have a confession to make. I originally started that post writing about the Net Generation’s weaknesses.

I felt like I was being critical. So I decided to focus on the strengths of my fellow Millennials instead. Now, I feel as if I can focus on our weaknesses, which, admittedly, we have some.

1. Learn to Follow (You Don’t Know Everything)

We spend four years in college learning how to do what we love. Once we graduate and land our first internship or job, we’re anxious to put that learning into practice.

Consequently we can get a little overzealous in our business endeavors. A desire to impress your bosses is good, but arrogance can be …

It seems like the Net Generation is the newest fad. Reportedly, senior managers worry about their ability to attract and retain young talent. As the boomers ride off into the sunset, X Geners will move up, leaving a huge need for entry to mid level employees.

Often, the over-eager, fresh new faces at the office start out their positions brimming with energy and confidence. But after a few months, their initial passion seems to wane, leaving managers wondering how to get their youngest workers motivated again.

I’ll admit some of this is the Net Generation’s fault. In fact, I have the Four Weaknesses of the Net Generation (And How to Minimize Them) saved for a future post.

Let’s focus on our strengths first, and how you as a manager can build off of them.

You Have Much Work …