All Millennials are NOT created equal

by Selma Canas | November 9, 2018

Stereotyping is not new but it is still very offensive to those who do not fit the mold. Such is the case with people of all generations, but let’s focus on one particular set of productive ones, based on an interview with a 25-year-old law student who says she is the epitome of a millennial.

Millennials want employers to be aware of their own biases and avoid stereotyping them as entitled and not wanting to work hard, obsessed with social media and lacking interpersonal skills, and mooching off their parents to avoid paying their own way.

This is the information age and millennials grew up with information at their fingertips, thanks to the Internet. They are very tech savvy, which they use to their advantage. For example, reviews and recommendations are extremely important to this generation. They make decisions only after doing research online to find out the most they can about a restaurant, destination, company, product, and everything else.

They rely on apps such as Yelp and not on personal recommendations. Business owners need to have a tech savvy and interactive online presence in order to attract millennials to their websites and it must be fast and engaging. Millennials are fast and will move on to another site if they do not quickly get the results they’re looking for.

Tech savvy employees are a must-have these days as we live in a computer forward and global world. There are no more paper files. Everything is stored on computers and in the cloud. Databases, news articles, historical data, maps and more, are all online and millennials can find information and data faster, better and more efficient than any other generation.

So, if you are looking to hire a market researcher, for example, your best bet is to hire a millennial.

Millennials do not want to be micro-managed. This is not unique. Most everyone I know does not want to be micro-managed but there is one big difference among the generations.

Millennials are not tied down by debt or family responsibilities and therefore, have the ability to change jobs more easily than previous generations.

Millennials want some level of autonomy to take initiative and get things done. They want to have the opportunity to be creative and express their ideas to management who will listen and implement. They want flexibility in their schedule and don’t want to adhere to structure that makes no sense and they certainly don’t follow the status quo of, “that’s just how it’s always been done.”

They often hear, “you’re lucky to have a job,” but they don’t feel that way at all. They want to feel valued and paid a fair wage for their education, experience, and performance. This is where the “entitled” stereotype comes from. But it’s not that at all. Millennials are willing to take entry level jobs but not stay there. They want to move up and make more money. They are reliable, dependable, smart, fast, efficient, tech savvy, and willing to take on more and more work. However, if they are not being compensated for it, they feel taken advantage of and have no problem moving on to another company.

They feel having a college degree deserves a higher paying job. They graduate from college with student debt and are faced with low wages and high cost of living which is why they cannot afford to buy a home or new car and many still live with their parents.

They want to be independent, they just cannot afford it. This is another reason why millennials tend to change jobs more frequently than previous generations. They are looking for higher paying jobs so they can get out on their own.

Millennials have many strengths and are very dedicated employees if their needs are met. Employers willing and able to provide millennials with high-paying, challenging jobs with upward mobility will be lucky to have smart, efficient, and loyal employees for years to come.