Connecting with Gen Y College Grads

I just came back from a week long business trip to Montreal, and yesterday was my first day off in three weeks. It was a lot of work but never felt like it. Part of what I did was work on a sponsorship of a group doing a trek through Africa and broadcasting on social issues directly into high school curriculum. The trip helped me realize how much I value things like travel, fast increasing responsibility, projects that feel meaningful, and fun in my job. Actually, value isn't right - I need these things.

I was talking with a some friends over the weekend about our careers, and the conversation drifted towards Gen Y and the new attitudes being brought to the workplace. We are all in our early twenties, and each could relate to a kind of high sense of urgency in our careers, coupled with a kind of irrational feeling of entitlement. But we also want mentors and want our jobs to integrate into our lifestyle. Simply put, we want it all and we want it now! These attitudes align with what Anastasia has blogged about before regarding Gen Y in the workplace. And with the wave of Gen Y coming out of grad school, companies are realizing the new challenges and solutions in putting this generation to work.

The L.A. Times published an article (reg. required) over the weekend titled "Firms Want the Grads, but Do the Grads Want Them?." The article points to a forecast that this summer the job market for college grads will be one of the best in years based on the growing economy and boomer retirements. Almost two-thirds of grads will receive two or more job offers. And 60 percent of companies said they planned on hiring more grads this year than last. The market for grads is so competitive that companies are going to great lengths to lure recruits.

But over promising to Gen Y is a big risk. As the article states, "kids today are wired. They can find out almost anything in seconds about a company and the questions recruiters ask…if the picture you paint is not reality, this generation will quit on a dime." Smart companies are employing a "high touch" recruiting method that aids in bonding candidates with the company early on. They are essentially using branding techniques to build loyalty amongst a group showing relatively weak loyalty. As more and more grads come out, there's definitely going to be a continued shake-up in how companies view things like flex hours, performance reviewing and mentorship as well as things like corporate social responsibility.

P.S. The New York Post, reg. required, is reporting that Hilary Clinton told the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that the instant-gratification generation thinks "work is a four-letter word"…

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