For most of the 20th century, young people with at least a high school education could reasonably expect to find work with a company at a comfortable wage and retire 40 years later with a healthy pension, a gold watch and a sense of accomplishment.
Young people setting out today to find a career live in a very different world – and have a very different set of expectations.
First of all, they don’t look for just a “job.”
“Younger people want to find something fulfilling, where they can make an impact,” said Sara Sucharski, president and CEO of Pony Bird Inc., which provides homes and services for people with profound disabilities.
A recent study of 16,000 high-achieving high school and college students published by the National Society of High School Scholars, an international academic honor association, found more than 75 percent of them anticipate going to graduate school and hope to work in a related and meaningful field within six months of graduation.
Young job seekers know they likely will have several job or even career changes over the course of their working life.
“Millennials have expectations to move up the ladder faster,” said Kari Meece, a talent management manager with Doe Run. “Employers need to get on board with this faster pace. Developmental opportunities must be available earlier in an employee’s career.”
Younger workers seem more inclined to blur the line between jobs and career and the rest of their lives, seeking out jobs that not only give them a paycheck but a chance to pursue a healthy lifestyle, political activism and volunteerism in or connected to the workplace.
“I hear directly from candidates that wellness, philanthropy and community involvement are some of the reasons they choose one employer over another,” Meece said.
Sucharski sees a perfect fit between her company and that philosophy.
“We find that young people want to volunteer more, that it is more meaningful for them to commit their time versus a monetary gift,” she said. “Working in a nonprofit like Pony Bird is an opportunity that fits with that core value of wanting to make an impact in the community.”
Young people just starting careers face several challenges. Housing costs are high and many first-time job seekers bring with them significant student loan debt.
“Employers are getting creative with benefits to accommodate the changing needs of the workforce,” Meece said. “For example, some employers may offer tuition debt assistance in lieu of signing bonuses. Others, like Doe Run, offer tuition reimbursement.”
Meece also points out the advantage young workers have over their older counterparts when it comes to flexibility.
“The entry-level workforce is more open to relocation and renting than ever before,” she said. “This allows them to be more agile than other mid-career professionals who sometimes cannot relocate.”
There is other good news for the younger worker: Low unemployment rates mean employers must compete to attract a smaller pool of potential workers.
“Everywhere you look you see ‘now hiring’ signs,” Sucharski said. “And when you think about it, we have five generations in the workplace right now, from baby boomers to Generation Z or whatever the latest ones are called, and what they’re looking for and what’s important to them is different for each one.”
Today’s college graduate has likely never used a library card catalogue, talked on a pay phone or written a check. They aren’t interested in punching a time clock – they’ve probably never seen one – or sitting in a cubicle.
“That’s why a nonprofit is such a great avenue, and it’s something people don’t necessarily think of first,” Sucharski said. “There are some strong nonprofits in our community, and it can be a wonderful career path for young people.”
Sucharski cautions young people seeking jobs to dig a little deeper, to think outside the box and explore a variety of sources.
“In our industry, some of the job descriptions can be confusing,” she said. “We get calls all the time – ‘Direct support professional … what is that?’ It can be a hurdle because people don’t understand what the position is.
“Most companies, but especially nonprofits, don’t have the advertising budget to put in as much information as we would like. So they (job seekers) really need to follow up, call to get more details.”
Sucharski said people often make the mistaken assumption that a career helping the disabled means acquiring medical training.
“I’ve spoken to kids and they say, ‘But I don’t want to be a nurse.’ I say, ‘Well what DO you want to do?’ and almost always, we can tie that back to the things we do. Almost every trade, every career is tied to a nonprofit in some way.”
Another way young people differ from the generations before is in their approach to employer-employee dynamics.
“We definitely try to take the approach that at all levels you have a voice, that every role is important,” Sucharski said. “If you see something you think can be done differently, done better, we want to hear it. We promote a culture of shared leadership and shared input, and I think it benefits our clients.”
Meece said it’s basically a buyer’s market when it comes to jobs these days.
“There are tens of thousands of job openings in our area alone,” she said. “I’ve noticed that candidates who possess the skill, capability and potential we are looking for are typically interviewing for numerous employers at the same time. We recognize we are being interviewed as much as the candidate is.
“As an employer, we need to show we care about more than filling a position.”