Posts Tagged: Generation Y/Millennials
Declare the Month of NO-vember
Posted in Career Advice for Young Professionals Gen Y Entrepreneurship Generation Y/Millennials on November 5, 2010 at 9:00 am
A few years ago I worked with an excellent life coach who helped me deal with, among other issues, stress. She asked me to bring my calendar to one of our sessions and together we looked at the number of meetings, phone calls, networking events, personal events, deadlines and errands I tried to fit into every week.
“Um, any guesses why you’re stressed?” she asked with a smile.
It suddenly seemed so obvious. My calendar was packed. Overflowing. I was stressed because, like so many people, I was trying to do too much. I was saying yes to absolutely every invitation and project. In the process, I was saying no to my own sanity.
This exercise happened to take place in the fall, so my coach assigned me the challenge of saying no more often in the hopes of clearing more space in my calendar. I decided to declare the 11th month of the year the month of “NO-vember” and say no to every non-essential activity or obligation that came my way during those 30 days. My default answer to every invitation or non-essential assignment (obviously I said yes to existing project deadlines and client requests), became “no,” “not now” or “let me get back to you.”
Here’s what I experienced, and what you might experience if you declare your own month of NO-vember:
- I became clearer on what I really wanted to do. Because I challenged myself to say no more often, when I felt myself desperately wanting to say yes to an opportunity, I realized what I really wanted — which projects got me most excited, which networking events felt most valuable, which activities really moved my career forward. If you find yourself undecided about where to take your career, try saying no more often and you’ll find the right opportunities make themselves clear and become absolute “yeses.”
- I accomplished more of my short-term and long-term goals. By clearing my calendar, I had time to get things done and start on projects that had been on my to-do list forever. I ended each day with a true sense of accomplishment. I know this is a “duh” — when you have more time, you can accomplish more — but we often forget that if you want to get things done, you have to make time to do things.
- I had more energy. When you work too hard and run from meeting to meeting to phone call to phone call to drinks to dinner to bed, you have no time to stop and refuel. I really do love the buzz and energy of being busy, but the truth is that when I’m really busy and overscheduled, I don’t feel buzzed and energetic; I feel really tired.
And, perhaps most surprising:
- No one really noticed! I thought all of my friends, professional colleagues and others would react negatively to my nos. I thought I’d lose multiple opportunities. I thought I’d get angry emails or phone calls from people who felt ignored or rejected. Instead, almost every time I said no to something, the response was, “okay.” Could it be that other people say no all the time? As a long-time people-pleaser, this was a revelation. I though you had to say “yes” all the time to be successful. What I learned in my month of NO-vember is that it is absolutely okay to say “no,” “not now” or “let me think about it” any month of the year.
I hope you’ll consider saying no more often this month or any month. And, as you’ve probably guessed, if you have a request for me this November, the answer will probably be a polite but firm NO.
Lessons from 4 Days Without My BlackBerry
Posted in Generation Y/Millennials on October 29, 2010 at 8:00 am
According to a recent post on NewYorkTimes.com, 75 percent of Millennial-aged American respondents to a survey sponsored by the Wi-Fi Alliance said that a week without Wi-Fi would leave them grumpier than a week without coffee or tea.
I read the article and didn’t give it much thought. After all, when would anyone actually have to live without wi-fi, coffee or tea?
Well.
Late Sunday evening, I landed in London after a long flight across the Atlantic Ocean. About three seconds later, I did what I always do when my plane touches down on the runway: I turned on my BlackBerry to check messages.
Although I had called my wireless provider before I left the U.S. to make sure my phone, email and texting capabilities would work overseas, my BlackBerry did not get the memo. “No Signal” was all it said, no matter how many buttons I pressed, no matter how many settings I adjusted, no matter how many times I turned it on and off and removed the battery.
The next day I tried everything to get it working — hotel concierge, mobile phone store, email to customer support, paying a fortune to actually call customer support from London — but my BlackBerry still would not work. So I resigned myself to four days without constant connection. Here is what happened:
1. I paid more attention to my surroundings. During some down time on my business trip, I took a two-hour double-decker bus tour of London. It was fabulous: Big Ben, London Bridge, Covent Garden, Buckingham Palace and all amazing stops in between. I’m embarrassed to say, though, how many times I felt myself instinctively reaching into my bag to check my BlackBerry for messages.
Each time I realized I didn’t have it, I was forced to notice more of the incredible architecture all around me, discern more of the marks from where bombs fell in World War II and take in more of the historical facts the tour guide was sharing. I know this sounds incredibly cliché, but I really did digest more of my surroundings because I was totally present and not splitting my attention between London and a tiny screen.
2. I missed sharing. All of that said, I also felt some disappointment that I couldn’t immediately share the experience with everyone back home. I’ve become so accustomed to tweeting, Facebooking and sharing on LinkedIn that I kept thinking about what I wanted to tell various people about various things — personal and professional — that happened on my trip. I wish I could share all of that with you now, but I forgot most of it. Social media really has become an indispensable and important part of my personal and professional life.
3. I checked email more efficiently. This is a well-known email management strategy, and one that I have trouble implementing when I’m in my own office. One of the most effective ways to manage email is to check it in batches a few times a day. Because I was out and about in London without my BlackBerry, the only way I could check email was in batches when I returned back to my hotel once or twice a day and in the evenings. I found that I zipped through messages pretty quickly because I answered them in bulk rather than in a trickle throughout the day. If you struggle with email management, give this batching tactic a shot. I’m going to try to stick with it when I get back to my desk.
4. I found alternatives. Instead of calling my husband from my BlackBerry as I usually do when I’m traveling, we used Skype and our webcams to video chat from across the ocean. It was great and we’re planning to do that every time we travel. Instead of calling in to a webinar I was teaching, I tried out the VoIP system on the webinar system and it worked just as well — and was totally free. And, instead of burying my head in my BlackBerry to find directions around town, I asked people for directions and, in the process, had some really nice conversations and got some great recommendations for additional places to see and things to do.
Will I go back to using my BlackBerry when I get home from London? Absolutely. But I’m surprised how glad I am that I had the experience of living without it. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, disconnected or in a rut, I recommend shutting off your mobile device for a few days and see what you learn. The results may surprise you.
On HuffingtonPost.com: How Millennial Women Are Shaping Our Future
Posted in Career Advice for Young Professionals Generation Y/Millennials on October 26, 2010 at 7:23 pm
It’s not easy for twentysomething women these days.
Every day there are stories in the media about Generation Y: They have helicopter parents who run their lives! They are a “lost generation” who will never find jobs! They are coddled and entitled and can’t pay attention for more than 140 characters at a time!
While there are certainly truths underneath these headlines — many Gen Ys look for parental support, they are facing a very tough job market and they love texting — I’ve often wondered why, particularly in today’s challenging times, we aren’t eager to seek out more positive stories about our future leaders. In my experience working with and studying Millennials for the past eight years, I’ve found a large majority of them to be amazingly optimistic, innovative and courageous — particularly the women, many of whom have grown up with access to more life options than any generation of women in history.
When I was approached by Levi Strauss & Company to collaborate on a research report seeking to dig deeper into the attitudes, experiences and goals of Millennial women, I jumped at the opportunity for quantitative data to back up my personal experiences. Through this research, “Shaping a New Future,” I’ve had the privilege of digging deeper into what Millennial women are thinking, where they turn for advice and how they see our shared future. And — spoiler alert — I’ve found even more reasons to be optimistic about Generation Y.
Read the rest of this post on HuffingtonPost.com…
Disclosure: I am a paid consultant and spokesperson for Levi’s Shape What’s to Come campaign.
What’s New on LinkedIn
Posted in Generation Y/Millennials Recommended Career Resources Social Media on October 21, 2010 at 4:16 pm
As a spokesperson for LinkedIn, I’m in the midst of a fun tour of college campuses to launch Career Explorer, LinkedIn’s forthcoming new tool for students and recent grads. Universities I’m visiting on the tour include NYU, USC, BYU and University of Illinois. If you’re a student or alum from one of these schools, please drop me a note or check out my event photos on Facebook. (p.s. recommendations of the best cupcake spot near each campus are always appreciated!)
In this blog post, I’ll be sharing information about Career Explorer and some other new features of LinkedIn that can help you in your job or internship search and your overall career development.
Promote Your Certifications, Publications and Fluency. One of the most frequent questions I hear from students is, “What should I include in my LinkedIn profile?” The answer is to include any info you would put on your resume, plus additional information such as campus leadership roles, volunteer activities, examples of your work (by sharing web links or by posting documents to the SlideShare or Box.net apps) and incorporating keywords that a recruiter might use to find someone with your skills.
Now, LinkedIn has added more opportunities to promote your skills with new profile sections. Click on “edit profile” and you’ll see areas to promote publications (such as articles you’ve written for the campus newspaper or blogs you write), language knowledge (be careful here — don’t claim fluency unless you’re actually fluent), additional skills, formal certifications you’ve attained and even patents if you have any. It’s no secret we’re in a super competitive job market right now, so take advantage of these new opportunities to promote any differentiators you have.
Follow Companies. Another new feature added to LinkedIn in the past few months is the ability to follow companies. With this tool, you have the opportunity to receive regular updates on the activities of any organization you choose to follow. This is absolutely essential information to have for the companies you hope to work for someday, so I recommend following any and all organizations on your prospect list.
Simply visit the Company Page of any one of over one million organizations on LinkedIn, and click “follow company” in the top right-hand corner. Once you’ve done this, you’ll begin seeing updates, job postings, employee movements and any other news from that organization appear on the newsfeed of your LinkedIn homepage.
Coming Soon! Career Explorer. Currently in beta testing on 60 college campuses (contact your career center to learn if your school is on the list), Career Explorer is a brand new, free tool that LinkedIn has created, with the sponsorship of PwC, to help students navigate LinkedIn and figure out their potential career paths. I’ll be sharing more about this tool in the future, but here is a brief introduction:
To use Career Explorer, you’ll need to set up a LinkedIn account if you don’t have one already. Next, you’ll log in to the tool and enter your major and desired industry. Career Explorer will then guide you to 1) learn about different industries and potential jobs, 2) map out a potential career path (or multiple paths if you’re undecided) and 3) find and build connections with the people on LinkedIn who have taken similar paths and might be good for you to know.
Expect a rollout of Career Explorer to all universities in the coming weeks.
Have questions or comments about using LinkedIn as a student or recent grad? Please post below!
6 Common Sense Job Search Tips
Posted in Career Advice for Young Professionals Generation Y/Millennials Getting from College to Career Job Interview Advice Job Search Tips Personal Branding Professionalism Social Media on September 29, 2010 at 6:00 am
Last week’s post, “5 Simple But Brilliant Job Interview Strategies,” generated a lot of feedback, particularly from recruiters who told me how often job seekers make seemingly obvious mistakes such as spelling a recruiter’s name incorrectly. This reminded me of the fact that, as Voltaire famously said, “Common sense is not so common.”
So today I wanted to share some additional seemingly simple career tips that many job seekers overlook.
1. Use your career services office. College career centers have very helpful (and usually free) resources — exclusive job databases, resume workshops, mock interview sessions, career counseling, salary negotiation guidance and much more. If you’ve never visited your university’s career center (which is often available after you’ve graduated as well), you are seriously missing out.
2. Alter your search criteria. When you’ve searching for opportunities on jobs websites, don’t get stuck in a rut of using the same search terms over and over again. Dig deeper and expose yourself to more opportunities by expanding your search to new keywords (such as “communications” in addition to “public relations”), new sectors (such as government and nonprofit if you have been looking only at corporations) and further distances from your desired location (such as the San Fernando Valley if you’ve been looking in Los Angeles or Westchester County and New Jersey if you’ve been looking in New York City).
3. Set your Facebook profile to private. While you’re sitting at your computer searching for jobs, click over to your Facebook profile and make sure your privacy settings are set to the maximum. Many recruiters regularly check out candidates on Facebook, so even if you believe your profile is harmless, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
4. Check your messages. Particularly for a generation that’s known for being permanently connected to technology devices, there is no excuse for not returning a call or email within a few hours. Especially if you’re engaged in an active job hunt, check your messages frequently.
5. Don’t be too early for a job interview. While we’ve all heard the advice never, ever to arrive late to a job interview, employers are equally peeved when you arrive too early. By all means get to the company’s building or parking lot as early as you’d like, but don’t enter the actual office any more than 15 minutes before your scheduled interview time.
6. Smile. I’m surprised at how many recruiters tell me that a smile really makes a difference at a job fair, networking event or interview. Even when you’re nervous, a genuine grin helps convince an employer that you’d be a good person to have around. So show those pearly whites!
What other common sense tips do you recommend? Please share!
5 Simple But Brilliant Job Interview Strategies
Posted in Career Advice for Young Professionals Generation Y/Millennials Getting from College to Career Job Interview Advice Job Search Tips on September 22, 2010 at 9:00 am
In a recent blog post I outlined some of the biggest job seeker mistakes to avoid, based on my own experience hiring a paid intern. Today, I’ll share some simple but impactful tactics to help you land the job you want.
1. Spell the recruiter or hiring manager’s name right. Of the emails I received responding to the position I posted, about half spelled my name wrong. That’s an instant sign that a candidate lacks attention to detail.
2. Know as much as you can about the employer. The job I posted was for an intern to help edit the second edition of my book, Getting from College to Career. Although I didn’t require anyone to read the book before interviewing with me, the two people who had taken the time to read even one chapter impressed me the most. The one who read my entire book got the job. Given the amount of information you can find on the web, it’s inexcusable not to thoroughly research the company — scour its website, use its products, read its press releases — that you want to work for.
3. Be positive. Particularly in challenging economic times, employers want to hire people who will be a positive, helpful presence. No one likes a complainer. This includes criticizing a previous employer. A job interview is your chance to shine and to demonstrate your enthusiasm for a position; even if you’re a little bitter from a previous experience or a long job hunt, don’t let those emotions creep out in front of an interviewer.
4. Send a thank you email within 24 hours of interviewing. If I don’t receive an email within a day of the interview, I assume the person is not really interested in the position. The thank you email doesn’t have to be long; it just has to be sent. Although handwritten notes are lovely (and can be sent in addition to an email), in this day and age you have to be fast.
5. Respond positively to rejection. I was extremely impressed by a few applicants to my internship who wrote me very nice notes in response to my email saying that I had chosen a different candidate. Their graciousness has led me to keep their resumes on file in case I have a position in the future that might be a good fit.
What other simple strategies do you recommend for job seekers? Remember that seemingly small actions can make a very big difference!
In Defense of 20-Somethings: My Letter to the New York Times Magazine
Posted in Generation Y/Millennials Managing Generational Differences on September 5, 2010 at 7:30 am
On page 8 of the September 5 issue of The New York Times Magazine, you’ll find my response to the recent cover article, “What Is It About 20-Somethings?” as the featured letter. I’m very grateful to The Times for printing my comments.
Here is an excerpt of my letter:
As I read Robin Marantz Henig’s discussion of 20-somethings, I was struck by the sense that the new life stage she was ascribing to this generation could actually be something that adults of all ages experience today: feeling unstable, struggling with ferocious competition for jobs, wondering if our relationships and finances can go the distance.
I consider it progress that every young person doesn’t feel the need to complete school, leave home, marry and have a child by a certain deadline. There is no “one size fits all” adulthood…
Read the rest of the letter here.
What did you think of Marantz Henig’s article? Please share your thoughts!
Overcoming the “E” Word
Posted in Career Advice for Young Professionals Generation Y/Millennials Managing Generational Differences Professionalism on August 30, 2010 at 9:09 am
Lots of people are buzzing about the recent New York Times Magazine cover story, “What is it About 20-Somethings?” The article focuses on the fact that today’s 20-somethings are “delaying adulthood” by moving back in with their parents, marrying later and hopping from career to career.
The article speculates about whether these shifts are happening because of the current economy, a fundamental change in the definition of adulthood or — as many of the article’s more negative commenters believe — the “entitled” nature of the Millennial generation.
Personally, I believe that 20-somethings are simply reflecting the reality of our current times. But I have seen evidence that some Millennials aren’t aware of the way they are perceived, particularly in the workplace. Every day I hear recruiters and employers complain that today’s young people have a sense of entitlement — a belief that they deserve jobs, high salaries and advanced responsibilities even when they don’t have much experience.
Whether you personally feel this way or not, it’s important to understand that this perception of 20-somethings is out there. In many companies, the older generations are still in charge, so when you are looking for a job or wanting to advance in your career you’ll have a better chance of success if you avoid the “entitled” label. Here are some tips for overcoming the “E” word:
1. Show appreciation for responsibility and opportunity.
One of the biggest grievances I hear from managers is that Gen Y employees expect to be given high-level, exciting work on Day One of a job. Never forget that you are being paid to work! And your bosses probably “paid their dues” for a long time to get where they are. Many of them expect you to pay your dues too, even though technology and business move much faster these days.
The best way to receive the kind of work you want is to do a great job with every assignment you’re given. Then, when you do receive increased responsibility or a cool project, be sure to say thank you to the person who assigned it. Gratitude is remembered and rewarded.
2. Follow protocol.
While you may want to share your suggestions directly with the CEO of your company, it’s probably more appropriate for you to share those thoughts with your direct boss first. This type of hierarchical reporting structure may change someday when Gen Ys are in the corner office, but for now, it’s reality. If you’re not sure whether it’s okay to reach out to someone at a higher level, ask your boss first.
3. Focus on what you can do for your employer, not the other way around.
In cover letters, email messages, conversations with recruiters, salary negotiations, etc., make sure you frame your value in terms of what you can offer, not what you need. Recruiters roll their eyes at cover letters that begin with, “I would like to find a position in which I can learn.” Likewise, negotiations fail when you ask for more money because, “I need it.” You’ll have a better chance of getting what you want when you focus your argument on how it will benefit the company in terms of increased sales, more productivity or lower costs. Always ask yourself, “What’s in it for them?”
As I read through the above list, it strikes me that avoiding the entitlement label is really about using your common sense and best manners. What do you think? Please share in the comments!
What I Wish I’d Known in College
Posted in Career Advice for Young Professionals Generation Y/Millennials on August 23, 2010 at 9:00 am
Happy Monday, everyone! As you can imagine, I spent this weekend thinking a lot about the New York Times Magazine cover story, “What Is It About 20-Somethings?” I’ve submitted a Letter to the Editor and will post it here if the Times doesn’t publish it. In the meantime, I’d love to hear your comments here or on Twitter.
In the meantime, on to my newest post. Looking forward to your comments!
What I Wish I’d Known in College
As someone who spends my days interacting with college students and thinking about their career prospects, I often think back to my own days on campus. I’ll admit that I experience a mix of nostalgia, relief and regret. I enjoyed college, but I also struggled to find direction during those four years.
While I know I can’t change the past — and my struggles transitioning from college to career led me to the work that I do now — there are definitely some things I would have done differently. For what it’s worth, here are three things I wish I’d known in college that I know now, in my 30s:
1. Great teachers and mentors are rarer than you think. I wish I’d taken classes in college based solely on the amazingness of the professors, regardless of the subject of the classes they taught. If there is a “star” teacher at your school, take his or her class, even if you just audit it from the back row. No matter what that person teaches, his or her passion will inspire you.
2. It’s okay to fail (or get a D). Those who’ve read my book, Getting from College to Career, know my deep, dark, terrible secret: that I got a D on my first test in college. It was a calculus test — a subject I’d hesitated to sign up for in the first place — and I thought my academic life was O-V-E-R.
Sure, I moved on, but I made many future course decisions based on which classes I thought I would do well in. What a stupid thing to do! Imagine all of the interesting classes I never considered because I thought I might not get a good grade. Never let fear hold you back from trying something new or different.
3. College is the beginning of your career. A few years after graduating from college I had an appointment with a career coach because I couldn’t figure out what I wanted to do with my life. She asked me to describe some of my “peak” experiences, and one of the experiences I shared was my role as a Freshman Counselor (my university’s equivalent of a Resident Advisor). I absolutely loved the position — advising students, mentoring them and learning about their perspectives.
“Why don’t you make a career of that?” she asked.
I can honestly say that the thought had never occurred to me. For some reason, I thought that job was just “college stuff” and not relevant to the Real World. Of course now I know that being a Freshman Counselor was my first step to starting the business I have today.
As you think about your career, don’t discount all of the things you are doing as a student — your coursework, volunteering, extra curriculars, sports, social activities and more — and think about how these might be the seeds that will grow into a future career.
Making the MBA Decision
Posted in Career Advice for Young Professionals Education on August 5, 2010 at 9:50 am
Dear Lindsey,
How important is getting your MBA from a top graduate school verses a middle of the road or maybe online school make? What difference does it make regarding future pay and opportunities?
Thanks,
Marie
Dear Marie,
Educational decisions are personal and the right answers are different for everyone. What I can do is provide you with the right questions to ask to make the right move for you.
Here are three questions to help you make the best decision for you:
1. Why are you getting an MBA?
Education is a wonderful, valuable endeavor and a worthy goal in itself, but in my opinion, you should always have an end goal in mind. That desired result can help you make the decision about the best school for you. For instance, if you are getting an MBA to help you make a career change, your top priority should be finding an institution that is known for guiding people into careers in the new field you want to join. If your goal is to increase your technical knowledge of accounting, financial management, etc. (for instance, to gain a higher position or salary bracket in your current organization), then the school name may not be as important as simply gaining the knowledge you need. If your number one goal is high-level networking, then a “brand name” school might be the choice for you. If post-grad school salary is the key factor for you, then ask schools for the average starting salaries of their graduates.
Read the rest of my response to Marie’s question on Excelle.com…
