Young workers know, get the jobs they want
By Penelope Trunk, Globe Correspondent, 1/8/06
The majority of job hunters are younger than 35. In fact, among 18- to 24-year-olds, 60 percent are looking for work. But they are not looking for more money. They're looking for more interesting work and a better personal life.
Rob Larity, for example, works at Delphi Health Systems, a software company in Windsor, Conn. Though he doesn't mind working, in effect, for his dad, a company founder and Delphi's chief executive, the younger Larity is looking for a new job because he wants to live closer to Boston.
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"It would be more fun," he said, casually using a word that young workers of earlier generations would have seen as audacious: Fun. Younger workers have fewer qualms about frequent job change, because they have no illusions about job security in this day and age, said David Morrison, founder and president of the market research firm Twentysomething.
"What matters to these workers is a meaningful job experience." Continual learning, challenging projects, collegial atmosphere, solid mentoring: This is the checklist for the newest workers, and if they don't get what they want, they'll leave.
Few young people have conventional corporate climbing in mind, and changing jobs frequently is actually an efficient way to meet their career goals.
"If someone is going to work for a big company, they want to be there a few years to learn and then they'll start their own company," said Jason Harris, cofounder of the San Francisco-based ad agency Plan C.
"They do want to conquer the world," Harrison said. "But it's not like Bill Gates. They don't want to own the world. They want to carve out their own niche doing what they want to do and make a business out of it."
So what can you do to make sure you get a job that will encourage new experiences both at work and at home? Ask a lot of questions in the interview. Older people might tell younger people that there are many questions that are off-limits in an interview. For example, "Can I leave every Wednesdays at 5 to go bike riding with my friends?"
But this sort of question is quite common from younger workers. Young workers are very savvy when it comes to knowing corporate life, according to Morrison. "These workers gather information via networking, information on the Internet, and word of mouth, so they ask much better questions in interviews." For those hunting for a new job that will provide meaningful experiences, concentrate energy on finding the right manager as opposed to the right position. There is no reason to be limited by the job description — you can always pick up extra work that gains experience and exposure.
But a checked-out manager can limit you. So seek managers who will look out for you in the company and make sure you get on good projects. Also, look for a manager who will shepherd you through challenging projects so you develop new skills. This person may be difficult to find. Since joining the workforce, baby boomers have been screaming about how annoying micromanagers are. But in fact, hands-on management is making a comeback due to the demands of people in their 20s.
And a benevolent form of micromanagement is probably what you want. A company that is concerned with retaining young people and has hired consultants to help them will be well aware of hands-on management. So ask potential employers about their management training programs. And don't rely completely on what your prospective manager says. Listen to how he or she says it.
"People have a tendency to manage based on their personality type," said Rob Toomey, a trainer at Hartford's SpeedReading People. Peoples' speech patterns reveal their management style.
"Someone who progresses through a conversation step by step, methodically, giving details" will manage you carefully and with great interest. The converse is someone who talks in "long paragraphs with semicolons and dashes, with topics that change midsentence. This person will be a big-picture thinker and most likely will not manage you closely. Larity receives good mentoring and guidance, not only from his dad, but from a few vice presidents in the company. When looking for a good manager, he recommends looking for, "what everyone wants from a boss: someone who sees you as an equal; someone who is not too uptight about titles and the formal aspects of the employer-employee relationship."
Larity said job hunting at small companies may help. "When you have 400 people working for you," he said, "it's a lot easier to be noncollegial. In a small company you have no choice but to not act like ... 'THE BOSS."'
An organization of equals. Sane hours. Devoted mentors. These are the demands of a new generation of job hunters. But intolerance for "paying one's dues" at the copy machine doesn't mean lack of motivation.
In fact, maybe the constant job changes are a sign of impressive motivation to gain experience.
"I'm not a slacker," said Larity, "I'm driven by the things I'm interested in."
Penelope Trunk can be reached at penelope@penelopetrunk.com
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