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People are all different, and it doesn't matter what generation they're in. I'd hire both of my children; my daughter is 31 and my son is 28. Somehow they turned out to be very responsible, engaging adults who have good work ethics, phone skills, and manners.
Then again, I didn't coddle them when I was raising them. If one of them didn't like what I was making for dinner, my standard answer was: "Go make yourself a sandwich; I'm not running a restaurant." Neither one of them had a cell phone until they were older teens and needed a phone because they had jobs. When my son got into a lot of debt ($10,000), I made sure he worked to pay it off himself, which took years. However, he now knows the dangers of credit cards and how long it takes to pay off that kind of debt.
And having said that, we hire interns where I work, and some of them look great on paper (going to school at USC or UCLA), but they have zero common sense. One intern printed like a 6-year-old (he was supposed to be addressing birthday cards for clients), and even when I mentioned it his printing skills didn't improve. Another intern served cold coffee to a client because she didn't check to see if the coffee was fresh. As a rule, though, I don't assume that people are this or that just because they're born in a certain time.
My office has implemented an intern program within the last year. We are working with NC State's intern program and ended up with 50+ resumes to review. Of those, we narrowed the field to five and ended up hiring three of them.
One left to pursue a permanent job with another company. He was an absolute star and I regret not being in a position to hire him permanently.
One other is very aggressive in a good way, meaning, she loves to learn and is constantly asking questions. She has integrated well into our office environment and everyone loves having her here.
The third one is a bit hit-and-miss. He certainly has the capability we need to have, but does not take notes, is not especially self-starting and has already asked for a permanent position. He essentially said that he has proven his worth.
I don't mean to disparage him, because the quality of the work he does is fine. I just wish he was a bit more curious and ambitious.
Some of the interviews were interesting. We had one person who was more than 45 minutes late to the interview. He stated he had a hard time finding our location and got lost. I asked him if he had considered scouting our location before the interview, but he had not. He was very nervous and I could tell there was some social anxiety involved. We completed the interview and I offered some friendly words of advice. He was thankful, so I expect he was able to benefit from the process.
The problem with millennials is the entitlement issue because they are growing up in a time full of instant gratification full of technology. Technology is making things extremely easy but also creating lazy entitled people.
I recently had to train two separate millennials on two different occasions. I found both to border the same. If I didn't find them taking constant selfies at their desk to post on Facebook, I found them talking on topics that made the minutes DRAG. The topics they chose where all about themselves, and all inappropriate to speak at work. They both didn't take notes nor feel they needed to (when I mentioned one didn't take the proper notes she went to my boss to tell on me) .
The last one was a complete nightmare, she hit the age of 30 and had kids (a lot), but still felt the need to make awful, rude comments about her coworkers (even though she had the largest belly I have ever seen on a woman) She felt she had an entitlement even entering a new job having never worked at an office in her life. I found both brought a lot of drama within the first two months of work, and having conversation with some other people there seemed to be an agreement about not hiring millennials in the workforce.
It hit me one day when the last one stated she wanted a big desk with a large chair because she deserved it, (she had been there for three weeks and her job performance was the worst I've seen in years) what is up with this generation?!?
I get every generation gets nailed by the previous generation- but what is the current thought on this? I get not all are the same and there is an exception...but the two things I have noticed are: 1. Entitlement 2. No Conversation Skills (okay one more) 3. Narcissism
What can be done to help the generation after them?
I am not here to have an argument with anyone but really get an understanding on your thoughts (please the older generations) and your stories too in working with them.
Thank you
Gen Z the next generation after Millennials are much better so I dont waste my time with them. I like Baby boomers and Gen Z, Gen X and Millennials are slackards.
That article focuses on student loan debt, and while perhaps a bit dramatic, does make passing mention of something I think gets short shrift - Millennials who are in "impoverished places."
I'm 30 and grew up in a working to middle class household (depending on the time) in a small town in east Tennessee. It's a very poor area - the median HHI in my hometown (where I still live) is only about $33,000. Life expectancies are low, around 70 in many counties, and in some nearby counties in Virginia and Kentucky, somewhat below that. Currently about 46% of those over age 18 in my metro are not working or even looking for work.
Most of my high school cohort who wanted to make something of themselves have largely moved out of the area. I'd say at least two thirds of the top 20% of my class moved off for college then never came back. That's an immense brain drain in an area that so badly needs talent - it's neither attracting working age people, nor is it able to retain the best and brightest of its native sons and daughters.
Those Millennials who are doing well here (buying homes, low debt loads, able to take vacations, save some for retirement) are a very small sliver of the Millennial population here. The best jobs are in health care and education - there is startlingly little "professional and business services," information technology, financial services work, etc., that you'll see in the trendy Millennial cities and publications. Most Millennials are in low end service jobs, food service, retail, and call centers.
I graduated college in 2010 and it took four years plus two moves to two Midwestern states to break the $50,000 barrier. Once I finally got above that hump in a major Midwestern metro, job hopped to gain more skills and increase my salary further, I was able to secure a job building on the skills I acquired in the Midwest back here, and I kept my Midwestern salary.
Outside of teachers and the medical employers, I doubt I know anyone under 35 personally who I'd wager is making over $40,000/yr here. Most of my peers had hopes and dreams, but the reality of the situation here is you get into medical, teach, or move off if you want to make good money. Many seem depressed - out of wedlock births, low marriage rates, deadbeat dads, and substance abuse issues are common. Around 10% of my high school cohort is dead due to overdoses, suicides, and homicides, and that's not even counting who have died of natural causes or in accidents.
If any disinterested third party were to come here, they'd say the Millennial generation is absolutely all to hell. However, that's not the broader reality. At the first employer I worked at in Indianapolis, I'd say there was only one person that was over 35. The lowest paid role there started at $50,000/yr. Only one of the people under 35 had kids, and he was probably the oldest of us and was likely making six figures - his wife is around his age and has a small law firm. Anyone who was in a serious relationship there had a fairly successful S/O. We all drove nice cars and had fairly expensive hobbies. No one had out of wedlock kids and no one appeared to have any major substance abuse issues. As far as I know, everyone grew up at least middle class - one guy had a very affluent family. Everyone had at least a bachelor's degree. The community I lived in had a median HHI of over $120,000.
These folks couldn't believe how bad things are back here. Even the manager got a kick out of our local paper - we'd read the local Tennessee news every morning for some ridiculous drugged out incident, people on bath salts, job losses, crime, etc. It's easy to poke fun of these poor folks when you've never lived in a rural, impoverished area and had to a walk a mile in their shoes.
The true reality of Millennials' broader situation lies somewhere between these two extremes.
I think it mostly is for the dozens of new terms. I only recently learned what LBGTQ was, and that the "Q" now stands for "questioning". Good gosh. Seems so political and over the top to me. It doesn't really affect me, and I don't care what people do, but I do wonder where all this is coming from. Is there a scientific explanation? Is it a result of more hormones in our food over the past 50 years?
All of the gender studies and gender related programs that have exploded in schools over the past decade or so were not implemented by Millennials. Many of the leading "gender scientists," for lack of a better term, are Boomers.
I was in college a decade ago and was a sociology minor. Yes, there were courses on human sexuality, but the vast majority of these terms were not in use, at least not pseudo-mainstream like they are today. People basically sorted themselves into straights, bisexuals, gays, and very, very few transgenders.
Millennials have lapped it up and I think our "anything goes" sexualized media and a liberal government got the ball rolling.
I'm a millennial and posting in your thread. Sue me. The fellow millennials I surround myself with are serious about their careers, serious about relationships, and serious about parenting if they decide to have kids. When one of us has a need, other millennials rush to offer what they can whether it be words, hugs, or cash. I supervise 3 millennials on my team, they are solid hard workers, yes they play on their phones but it is not like they are splitting atoms for work. My generation can hold its own and can challenge anyone who wants to talk trash about us.
This clannishness, the us-against-the world mentality is part of the issue many people like myself (I'm right on the line between Boomer and GenX) SOMETIMES have with Millennials. It does not always translate to a united work environment. Being defensive and in your own camp without respect to the current work culture, the age and demographics of colleagues and supervisors, and particularly the mission and mindset of the institution. Not everyone is out to get you, or change your independence.
At a workplace, why is it that, as you just posted;
"When one of us has a need, other millennials rush to offer what they can whether it be words, hugs, or cash."
What if that person was a GenX'er? Would you instead choose to not get involved? And what if, god forbid, they were a Boomer? Would you just let them twist in the wind? I have seen this in action where I work, and yeah, you're right, you do help each other. But only each other.
And too often Millennials "opt out" of stuff that should be considered part of workplace culture....corporate get-togethers at and after work, birthday cake in the lunchroom, etc...because it's not important or "stupid" or corny or you have other things you'd rather do or you feel left out or whatever. Unless other Millennials are involved. That is part of the problem, though many Millennials don't see it that way. It's like you see yourself as a put-upon, disenfranchised and disrespected minority.
Also:
"My generation can hold its own and can challenge anyone who wants to talk trash against us."
I truly hope you don't think that everyone else that is older thinks little of you. Yes, the hipster beards and PBR as a craft beer and suspenders ARE funny (to most), but I'd also bet that you will be laughing at those ten years from now just like we do at our big hair and parachute pants photos. The attacks based on fashion and over-reliance on phones, etc, are observations that should be taken with a grain of salt. However, the deeper issues involving this self-imposed separation from the larger culture at the workplace is my big gripe.
If you worked with me, I'd be inviting you all out for drinks afterward, with a lot of the staff. I'd be glad to have you as part of the pile. WHICH IS WHAT YOU ARE.
You coming? Or are you staying with your "clan" immersed in "your" things? You're important and we're glad you're here. But ya gotta buy in.
Last edited by kpl1228; 11-28-2016 at 12:26 PM..
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