Posts Tagged ‘college grads’Gen Y: Time to Get Comfortable with In-Person ConversationJune 02nd, 2012Hi All! There are a variety of reasons I chose this topic to write about today, but one recent conversation with a good friend was the thing that got me motivated to actually do it. She was telling me how she and her 23-year old Millennial (aka: Gen Y) son, who recently graduated from college, went mattress shopping for his new apartment. During their outing together, she was chatting up a storm with everyone; the salespeople, other customers, etc. After a while, her son finally said, “Mom, what is it with your generation? You guys talk to everyone, all the time!” He then continued to say that he wasn’t comfortable doing that and that most people he knew, in his generation, felt the same way. However, during their 3-hour mattress-shopping afternoon together, she told me that he hardly ever stopped texting back and forth with his friends. So, “communication” isn’t the issue; “how” they are comfortable doing it is. Anyway, after his comment, at the very next store she made an effort to hardly say a word and decided to let him handle the interaction with the 40-something sales associate. It only took about 4 minutes for her son to ask her to talk to the salesperson because he didn’t want to anymore. Rather, he was more comfortable watching his Baby Boomer mom do all the talking. I’ve seen this “not talking much” dynamic occur in many of the workshops I conduct for Millennial employees in corporations. That is also one reason I dedicate a chapter to “communicating like a leader” in my popular book for Millennial employees, “Millennials into Leadership”. My Millennial audiences are always totally engaged, but just aren’t comfortable making comments or asking questions, even when I ask them to. However, they come up to me one-on-one afterwards, or send me emails afterwards, with questions or comments. THAT is totally different from when I conduct workshops or seminars with “older” generations in the audience (i.e. Gen X and Boomers). I typically have to monitor how much time they take up talking! Plus, I get tons of Millennials at my leadership training workshops that openly admit they just aren’t comfortable speaking with strangers, or even work colleagues, face-to-face. AND, I hear this complaint from many of their Managers. They get very frustrated with the fact their Millennial employees don’t participate much in meetings. However, they find it odd that those same Millennials are totally okay telling them about what they did over the weekend, in lengthy detail, EVERY Monday morning. And I have to explain that most Millennials like, and need, close ties to their bosses, and sharing their personal life is one way they try to build that “bond”. Unfortunately, that’s something that most supervisors in the workforce, 35+ years old, find very irritating. Hence just ONE of the reasons the multi-generational workforce challenges continue…and that’s what keeps getting me booked for speaking engagements at well-known companies across the country! The bottom line to all of this is: Most Millennials grew-up communicating electronically with their peers and that is their comfort zone. However, as I explain to them, they need to work on getting out of that online comfort zone and work at being more comfortable with in-person social settings. It is critical to their career success and relationship building professionally. My advice to all you Millennials is to take it slow and “practice”. Go to professional networking events, at work and outside of work, or if you’re job searching, and force yourself to meet as many people as you can each time. Trust me! It gets much easier the more you do it! Also, to get you started, follow these great tips for networking successfully at events offered by David Spinks, who wrote this article for BrazenCareerist.com, an info-packed blog site for young professionals, entitled, “13 Tips for Your First Networking Event”. Now get out there, turn off your mobile devices, and build some new relationships by communicating the old fashioned way…in-person! Your “career” will thank you! Bye for now, Lisa What Are the Most Overrated Jobs College Students Should Be Aware Of?November 13th, 2011Hi All! I came across this interesting article today on Yahoo! Finance and wanted to share it. The information provided is certainly helpful for recent college grads, college students, and Millennials (aka: Gen Y) in the workforce to be aware of as they plan their career paths. Normally, we see tons of articles that are about “the hottest careers“, so I thought a topic about careers that are the most overrated was a fun twist! Here’s an excerpt from the article, 12 Most Overrated Jobs, by Daniel Bukszpan, courtesy of CNBC: When parents look at their young children and imagine what they’ll be when they grow up, many different possibilities come to mind. They dream of little Junior growing up to be a surgeon, or perhaps a commercial airline pilot, or maybe a banker, and they imagine a rewarding future of power, prestige, and high pay. The reality is actually a little different. The job search portal CareerCast.com , created a list of 12 jobs that are traditionally believed to be great occupations, but that actually look a lot better on paper than they might be in reality. Despite the public perception of some of these jobs as impressive and rewarding, some have less-than-stellar salaries and frankly lousy hiring prospects. Others come with so much on-the-job stress that the six-figure income barely seems worth it, particularly when the work involves the safety and well-being of others. Whatever the case, CareerCast.com characterizes all of the following jobs as overrated, but with important caveats: “A job that’s overrated doesn’t mean it fails to serve an important function in our society. In fact, these jobs play an integral role in our workplace,” says the website . “It’s just that the hype surrounding them sometimes makes these jobs sound much better than they really are.” So, are you curious what the 12 most overrated jobs are??? I’m sure you are! Bye for now! Lisa Career Expert’s New Book Examines Today’s Internships in AmericaJune 07th, 2011 New Book Explores the Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Internships in America Today! Hi All! I wanted to share this Press Release with you about a new book I highly recommend checking out, Lies, Damned Lies & Internships: The Truth About Getting from Classroom to Cubicle, by Heather R. Huhman. PRESS RELEASE: Today’s internships are creating and evolving the next generation of our workforce – and generating controversy, urban myths, and false prophets. In her newest book, Lies, Damned Lies & Internships: The Truth About Getting from Classroom to Cubicle (Happy About, 2011), career expert and experienced hiring manager Heather R. Huhman examines the condition of internships in today’s economy – and tackles the good, bad, and ugly. Available on June 6, 2011, Lies, Damned Lies & Internships explores the current state of internships, buried in misconception, exploitation, and controversy, and gets down to what really matters: experience and education. Huhman, who has been recognized by CNN/CareerBuilder for the past two years as a ‘top job tweeter you should be following’ and included in Monster.com’s ‘The Monster 11 for 2011: Career Experts Who Can Help Your Search,’ says, “As a five-time intern and proud intern-employer, I believe that an intern is hired to learn, not to go on coffee runs and make endless copies. In fact, internships aren’t meant to be ‘jobs’ at all. This book looks at both sides of the internship debate – and ignites a new discussion amongst legislators, employers, universities, parents, and, of course, interns.” Lies, Damned Lies & Internships includes a forward by Mark Babbitt, CEO of YouTern. According to Babbitt, “It is time for all of us, across the board – corporate America, higher education and the intern candidates themselves – to focus on the importance of high-quality, mentor-based internships as a means to transition from academic pursuits to the real world.” In Lies, Damned Lies & Internships, Huhman discusses:
Lies, Damned Lies & Internships is available for purchase and download at Happy About. Soon, the eBook also can be enjoyed on the Kobo, Kindle, iPhone/iPad, Nook, and Google Books. ABOUT HEATHER R. HUHMAN: Heather R. Huhman is the Founder & President of Come Recommended, and has nearly a decade of public relations and marketing experience, specializing in media relations, content marketing, and social media. She is also a well-recognized career expert, an experienced hiring manager, and someone who has been in nearly every employment-related situation imaginable. Grab a copy of her book today! It’s interesting and definately worth reading! Bye for now, Lisa Seven Tips for Gen Y Job Seekers in This Tough EconomyApril 23rd, 2011Hi All! We all know the current job market is tough, regardless of what generation you’re from. But for many Millennials (aka: Gen Y), who are inexperienced when it comes to searching for a job, it can be an even tougher time. So this article provides all you newbie job seekers, and recent college grads, with (7) tips that will give you an edge over your job-seeker competition.
And, don’t be afraid to get creative! There was a great story last year about an unemployed father of 3 from the financial industry who wore a nice suit and a sandwich board on the streets of New York, advertising he was looking for a job. And you know what? Within a short time he landed a job with a top company in his industry! Why? Because people from that company saw him daily and started to talk to him…may sound a bit nuts, but this economy is a bit nuts, so think outside the box in your job seeking efforts! Bye for now, Lisa Tips for Gen Y on Personal Branding, Career Success, Landing a Job, Entrepreneurship and MoreDecember 18th, 2009Hi All! Recently Dan Schawbel, founder of PersonalBrandingBlog.com, interviewed me about Millennials (Gen Y) at work, workforce insights, my new book “Millennials Into Leadership“, and more. Here’s a run down of the questions he asked me and you can read the complete interview on his website: 1. Name at least 3 Millennial stereotypes and how they can impact the workforce, for better or worse? 2. What makes a Millennial leader? 3. What do Millennials complain about the most in the workplace? 4. Your first book, “Millennials Incorporated”, focused on how to recruit and manage Millennials, but your new book is written for the Millennials. Why? 5. Did you need to write a second book to expand your platform? CLICK HERE TO READ MY ANSWERS! Then, I switched hats and conducted a podcast interview, for my “Millennials In Motion” show, with Millennial Heather Huhman, President and Founder of ComeRecommended.com – an exclusive online community connecting the best internship and entry-level job candidates with the best employers. Listen to this interesting interview, where I ask Heather: 1. What exactly is Come Recommended? 2. How did Come Recommended get started? 3. What are your plans for the future with the site? 4. What’s been your favorite part about starting a company? What’s been the most difficult? 5. What advice do you have for Millennials who are looking for a job or just about to start their first job hunt? 6. You say Millennials shouldn’t rule out entrepreneurship as a career. What advice do you have for people interested in following in your footsteps? CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE PODCAST! Okay! I hope you enjoy both of these interviews, and be sure to follow me on Twitter @GenerationsGuru Bye for now! Lisa
|
|
