Career Management

How Millennials Are Changing the Workforce For The Better

Millennials—members of the generation born roughly between 1980 and the mid 2000s—aren’t always portrayed in the nicest of lights: lazy, entitled, and unwilling to put in the hard work of their predecessors, say their critics. But, they are currently also changing the workplace for the better.

How? Here are 5 ways

1. They’re Slimming the Wage Gap
“Millennials are the first generation that isn’t afraid to fight for equality in the workplace and this study confirms that they are starting to close the gender pay gap that has existed in the American society for decades,” says Dan Schawbel*

2. They’re Fast on Their Toes
72 % of millennials value the chance to learn new skills, compared to just 48 % of Boomers and 62 % of Gen Xers, according to a recent study conducted by Millenial Branding and PayScale. Additionally, “millennials are the generation considered best at key skills businesses require to remain agile and innovative,” concludes a study from Elance-oDesk and Millennial Branding.

3. They Think Outside the Box
The same Elance-oDesk study also finds that millennials are both more creative and entrepreneurial than Gen X

4. They Aren’t as Selfish as Everyone Thinks
While growing up with Mark Zuckerberg as a model may make millennials feel more pressured to reach success at a young age compared to their older counterparts, they’re also more willing to give back. In fact, 84 % of millennials say that helping to make a positive difference in the world is more important than professional recognition, reports Bentley University’s Center For Women And Business.

5. They Can Build a Mean Network
Looking at the numbers, 58 % of millennials expect to leave their jobs in 3 years or less, according to the Elance-oDesk study. But these exits may not necessarily be due to a lack of loyalty, per say. Job hopping millennials can forge mutually beneficial connections between companies, ultimately creating better products and services.

*Founder of Millenial Branding

Read the full article « 5 Ways Millenials are changing the worforce » by Kylie Gilbert

 

Can relationship research help us sustain a more satisfied work force?

Psychologist Eli Finkel spent years studying intimate relationships, to make a pretty unconventional career move, shifting to join the Kellogg School as a management professor and explore how scientific insights into our romantic ties might also apply in the context of work. Kellogg Insight recently reported on his research suggesting possible takeaways from relationship research that entrepreneurs could put to use at the office.

Be Careful Who You Commit Too
Research shows that the street between quality and commitment is actually two way. Being more committed to a relationship also means people tend to view it with rose-tinted glasses, emphasizing the good bits and overlooking the rockier aspects.

« There’s a lot of research in the marriage literature, the dating literature, and the close-relationships literature more generally that really emphasizes the importance of commitment, » Finkel explains. More committed partners tend « to overweight the extent to which their relationship is better than everyone else’s relationship, » he says.

Does something similar occur at work? If you’re dedicated to your company are you more likely to overlook its faults? The question is still being explored by research, but Finkel cautions that there are potential dangers if we do tend to let our commitment color our judgement of our work. “Feeling like the place you work has value, and is the sort of place you’d like to stay, is probably healthy for people on average,” says Finkel. So long as a job is a good fit for your skillset, pays fairly, and aligns with your worldview, feeling motivated to see your organization in its best light may be key for finding meaning in what you do and flourishing professionally. But there’s a point where motivated cognition may become self-defeating for employees. “There are personal risks to employees who are blindly committed to a company that is not committed to them,” says Finkel.

Want to know more? Read the full article “For Better or For Work” on Kellog Insight

 

Jobs with the brightest future

Consider something that’s going to be around for awhile when thinking about your career path. Nursing and education are among the jobs that look to withstand the evils of today’s job market, while a job in the fine arts department may not be so wise. Find out more in this infographic from Cedar Education Lending. 

career-choices

43% of highly qualified women are leaving their careers to raise a family

According to Forbes, if you’re planning to take a break from the rat race to start a family, the most important thing is to be realistic about your goals and where you want to be when you reenter the workforce. Do you want to pick things up right where you left off? Or do you want to pivot in a new direction? Finding the on-ramp to reentry isn’t particularly easy and you should be realistic with yourself about the challenges you’ll face. After all generally only 74% of women who opt out will return to the workforce, and only 40% will be back in a full-time capacity. So if you want to reenter the workforce after taking a break to focus on your family and you don’t want to face an uphill battle when it’s time to return to the workforce, have a look at this article « Career Moves To Consider When Leaving The Workforce To Start A Family« . It might be helpful.

Le recrutement : affaire de vocabulaire !

Selon une étude récente de CareerBuilder, il existe une « blacklist » des mots que les professionnels des ressources humaines ne souhaitent pas voir apparaître dans une candidature, ou plutôt qui sont selon eux rédhibitoires…. Parmi les perles:  « un battant », « un travailleur acharné », « un fonceur », « un visionnaire», « une personne avenante », « réfléchie », « qui possède l’esprit d’équipe ». C’est ce que les consultants appellent des mots ou expressions « vides », résultats de copier-coller de lettres de motivation toutes faites qui ne trahissent en rien les aptitudes du candidat, et ne les distinguent pas des autres.

Lire l’article « Le recrutement est une affaire de vocabulaire »