Why Hire A Millenial?

So you’re a hiring manager faced with the task of motivating millenials while enhancing the work experience of other generations—all while improving the profitability of the company.  Not an easy task, but not impossible either.

Millennials have been labeled entitled, idealistic and ambitious as they continue to make their mark on today’s workplace. Older generations worry that millenials don’t want to pay their dues and have expectations of seniority too early on. Another complaint is that millenials require too much feedback when managers are stretched thin and have less time to cater to individuals.

So given these generational drawbacks, why hire millenials at all?

Well for one thing, change is hard. And whether older generations like it or not, millenials are the face of the future. On the positive side, millenials are native technologists and are accustomed to working on many things at once. They are wired to share, and share they do, both personally and for work. If you are looking to get your company or brand noticed, hire a millennial and watch as your social capital grows exponentially.

As change agents, millenials don’t view work and personal life as opponents; instead they are compatible life partners meant to be integrated seamlessly throughout the day and into the night. A millenial’s day doesn’t begin and end on a 9 to 5 schedule driven by rigid face time requirements. And because of technology, one of the issues older generations are grappling with is the reality that they need to be available as work progresses, whenever and wherever that may be.  This new way of working favors the multi-tasking millennial, not the Baby Boomer.

Interestingly, millenials as a group are focused on working smarter, not longer. This is a generation that cares deeply about social issues and having personal impact, and they believe that work and philanthropy should go hand in hand.  Money is not typically their driver—the value of work is measured in other terms. And they are the most entrepreneurial generation yet.

This infographic provides more information on what millennials look for in a job, what motivates them, and how to attract and retain them at work. While millennials are very much in growth mode, they are putting organizations in a unique position to adjust their company culture to become more driven, more forward-thinking and more creative.

While there are going to be many hiccups along the way as we continue to integrate millennials into management roles, they are the leaders of the future and it’s our job to help them get there.