All posts tagged generation y

What makes Gen Y so experienced?

Posted
May 21, 2011
Categories
Blog
Gen Y
Comments
1 Comment
Gen Y and Social Media

I’ve recently done some work with Think! Social Media, a digital marketing agency who works exclusively with tourism clients. The environment is a Gen Yer’s dream, living on Facebook, Twitter, and Mashable all day. As I’ve been able to observe their structure, campaigns, clients, and projects, I’ve noticed some extraordinary differences vs other companies I’ve worked with. Over the next couple posts I’ll discuss them.

Almost 90% of the staff is Gen Y. To some this makes sense, being that we manage social media and digital marketing. To others, this might seem like a lot of responsibility for Gen Yer’s who have less then 10 years of professional experience. However, I’ve been greatly impressed with the level of maturity and professionalism the team has exhibited. They’ve responded better to challenges and problems then I’ve seen some Boomers react to. Why is this? What makes Gen Y experienced without having the years of experience? These are my observations:

  1. Gen Yers network online to solve problems quickly. They recognize the power of the Internet, and don’t get flustered by challenges, but reach out to their network or research other peoples solutions. I’ve lost track of the amount of times we’ve solved a problem by tweeting out to our network.
  2. Gen Yers are exposed to new ideas and perspectives throughout the work day. Previous generations had to wait until the boss proposed a new idea. Today, Gen Y is connected to thousands of new ideas based upon their personal interests as they converse online. This creates an extensive knowledge base for Gen Y to draw upon.
  3. Gen Yers naturally embrace mentorship. Formal mentorship is part of it, but informal with older peers is the most effective day-to-day. This relates to Gen Y’s openness to new ideas. They won’t just learn from the Internet but from people who communicate to their cores values of authenticity, partnership, and innovation. Everyone in our office has an informal mentor (although they likely wouldn’t recognize it), even the old Gen Yers like myself.

Ultimately, Gen Y’s experience cannot be measured in years, but in their capacity to learn and assimilate new information. In this regard, Gen Y can actually be more experienced then someone twice their age who refuses to embrace online knowledge or learn from anyone.

In the next post I’ll bring up the topic of dress codes and professional appearance in the workplace. There have been a lot of debating articles between Boomers and Gen X’ers, and I’m going to weigh in on the Gen Y perspective. It’s going to be a good one.

 

The Best Gen Y Hiring Strategy Ever

Posted
April 12, 2011
Categories
Blog
Gen Y
Comments
Be the first!
Is your Hiring Strategy costing you more than your getting?

The spring that I graduated from high school I took my first real job at Walmart. It was a brand new store that had just been built in our community and they were putting on a hiring fair. I remember finding the full-page spread in the classifieds section for the first round of hiring and decided to check it out. It was held at the local ice rink and I distinctly recall walking in and being greeted by the Store Manager, Alf. He wore a plaid shirt with the Walmart name-tag hung from his chest pocket. He shook my hand with a smile and said I look forward to working with you! Inside, there were rows of managers sitting across from candidates at long tables. A candidate started at one end and would be filtered through various tables as managers deduced what your skills, interests, and experiences were. I ended up at the Security and Electronics tables.

The Security Manager was a burly man with a handle bar mustache and a name-tag that read Joe. He took one look at me and said Do you think you could drop a heroin junkie that’s steeling DVD’s to sell for a fix? I was 145 lbs, skinny as a rail, and never been in a real fight in my life. My response was something like, isn’t that what the police are for? I ended up in Electronics, happily I might add. Although that experience was over 13 years ago, the hiring process still impresses me. Walmart made their hiring decision in a day, and then the offer and paper work followed that week. Today’s hiring process is crazy. Here’s an example:

Walmart hiring process (circa 1999)

  1. You meet the Store Manager, Alf, upon entry
  2. Your personality and experience are filtered against the Walmart brand
  3. Your resume is looked at and you’re sent to department heads based on your skills, interests, and experience
  4. Each department evaluates your qualities against their openings and then they stake their interest
  5. HR finalizes offers, negotiations, and paperwork
  6. You’re hired

Time to hire = 1-5 days

Continue Reading

Who’s going to get to Gen Y first?

Posted
April 1, 2011
Categories
Blog
Gen Y
Comments
Be the first!
Do You Recognize Gen Y Talent?

To anyone under 30, digital anything is an extension of our lifestyles. We’re constantly looking for more efficient ways to process information that is tailored to our individual interests. We’re also the earliest adopters of new connection and communications technologies. Alpha and Beta versions don’t mean untested to us, they mean new and exciting. In my conversations with older managers and business owners, I begun to notice a growing disconnect in their ability to see the value of new digital communications technologies. They got swept up in the Facebook for business rush 2 years ago, and then Twitter in 2010, and now their interest in digital seems to be turning into tolerance and apathy. Here’s why:

Like the dot com bubble, many businesses assumed that social media would become the primary way of doing business, and out of sheer panic that they would be left behind, they all piled in. Two years later, and they’ve realized that customers are still buying via traditional channels. Not really understanding the purpose of digital marketing, some have started scaling back their support.

This is the part of an innovation cycle where the leaders will emerge from the followers. Consumers won’t abandon social media, just like they won’t abandon the Internet. Business managers who jumped onto the social media bandwagon two years ago can no longer just ride along. They have to lead, and to lead, they have to understand. Clear strategies, with goals measured by results have to be established. The average non-technical business manager is not likely to embrace this because a) they don’t enjoy it, and b) they’re too busy.

Continue Reading

Why Gen Y?

Posted
March 31, 2011
Categories
Blog
Gen Y
Comments
Be the first!
geny1

Yesterday’s article sparked some conversation about Gen Y, and again I couldn’t sleep. It seems that this subject has a strong undercurrent of support, although my Gen Y’er friends said they didn’t actually read the article, but skimmed it. If you don’t understand this reference, check out the graphic in yesterdays post, point number 8. Friends, it’s ok, this article has been optimized for the Gen Y reading experience.

I did some digging (references below) and it turns out that Gen Y has a population of a 76 million in the US. Technological advancement ranks as the highest asset Gen Y’ers feel they can successfully influence others about, whether it’s adoption or innovation. This is a crucial point for businesses to recognize as they go through the massive communications convergence this decade is bringing. While Gen Y’ers are considered disloyal to long-term career paths, this is a misnomer, as Gen Y’ers value mentorship and have an insatiable appetite for learning. When put in environments where they’re left alone, Gen Y’ers quickly grow bored and seek out new ideas and knowledge in the form of a job change. Businesses that provide mentorship and innovative stimulation have found Gen Y’ers are more loyal and productive.

Continue Reading

The Impact of Gen-Y on a Decentralized society

Posted
March 30, 2011
Categories
Blog
Gen Y
Comments
1 Comment
Gen-Y

I read an article yesterday by David Allison that kept me awake into the night. It was about Generation Y and their core differences from the Baby Boomers generation. David stated that in 2010, Gen-Y officially surpassed the Boomers to become the largest consumer demographic in America. It’s been in the back of my mind for the past five years that this was going to occur, yet I’ve been somewhat discouraged about the process. I am a Gen-Y’er, an elder of the generation actually, and it’s been clear to me that much of our core needs and desires have been sidelined by the retirement needs of the Boomers.

Author Michael Adams recently wrote a book entitled “Staying Alive: How Canadian Boomers will work, play, and find meaning in the second half of their adult lives,” which I gave it to my parents for their anniversary. In it, he describes that Boomers will continue to be actively involved in all areas of consumer society, embracing popular culture, technology, and even sustained careers. This is an interesting point because many of the proponents for the Gen-Y takeover are under the impression that the Boomers will go fading into the night. This is simply not the case. I see it in my parents and their friends all the time. Starting businesses, traveling, learning new languages, even going back to school! They are not the retirement-home crowd that my grandparents were.

Continue Reading