Generation Y'ers- 10 things you need to know about recruiting them

You will have heard of the phrase Generation Y , but what does it mean to you as an employer? Well first of all lets define what it is: they are defined as being born between 1980 and 1984, and aged between 13-27. So as you can see they are your future employees. So to give you an insight into the generation Y work philosophy, here are 10 things you need to know about employing generation Y'ers:

1. They don't expect to be asked about their work experience - they have very little. They will tell you how the world is moving so fast they don't need experience - but they do expect you to still give them the opportunity to show what they can do.
2. They will want to work in a two-way management situation. Just don't expect them to to sit back and take instruction, they will reply with their own input.
3. Questions. Be prepared - all they do is ask questions.
4. They need to be part of a continuous feedback loop. They constantly need reassurance and constant feedback to keep their interest.
5. Money is key. They have an inbuilt expectancy to be paid a good salary from the beginning.
6. Training is important, but so is the style of training. They will want to pass test like training, where scores and definative marks are given - don't forget they are not long out of school/college.
7. Short attention spans. Boredom will kick in quite quickly with them, and don't expect them to work unlimited hours in a day to get that project done, they will only work when they want to.
8. They are focused on their social life and consequently plan work around it, rather than the other way around.
9. Don't expect them to win that gold watch for staying long in your company. They will already be planning the next job before they have even started with you. And they see nothing wrong with this.
10. What does money mean to them? A means to an end - they won't be buying a house, they will be focusing on enjoying themselves. So they will earn (and spend) what it takes to do that, not much more.

Comments

[SK]

Agree with #9 completely - many are planning their exit well before they even starting with you. A few things though: They're bored but they will still work to get the job done by deadline. And while there's a trend towards more meaningful (ie less paid) work, the majority of them still intend to make much more than they need to survive - that's why industries like banking are still popular.

[Gen Y'er]

Accurate

[YearOfBigBrother]

Some one is terrible at addition... must be a gen Xer lol j/k
I was born in 1984 and I'm not 13.... if your cut off date is 1980-1984 shouldn't that be "ages 24-27".
I'm loyal and stay on the job and many other people my age do the same so I resent that assessment. Most people who were born before 1980 assume that we are push overs and no-nothings who can't comprehend our workers rights. Once they see we aren't, they like to call us spoiled or say we are thinking we are entitled. Well of course we are entitled! We go through the motions and do everything you say is required of us in order to make a decent life for ourselves. If you are expecting us to work miracles on the job like we are sweatshop workers while you GenXers and babyboomers sit back and micro-manage from your lazyboy, quite naturally we're gonna only take so long of it. Now I only know of two people who job hops and that's my sister born in 1983 and my auntie born in 1958 (now correct me if I'm wrong, but she doesn't fit in the GenY category now does she?) I can't afford to job hop.. I have obligations that need to be met and I'm the only one who's gonna give a crap to meet them. However, don't expect me to hang in there and not question ethics in the work place especially when I'm getting paid peanuts, while people who stand by and do nothing and get paid in diamonds.