Millennials are stereotyped as being job-hoppers. This means that they don't stay with one job for long. While the term does have negative connotations, employers should also take a look at the reason why young professionals are choosing to go from one job to another.
Quartz reported that, according to a 2015 millennial survey by Deloitte, 75 percent of millennials believe that businesses are too focused on their own agendas instead of focusing on improving society. Only 28 percent believe that the organization they're currently working for is making full use of their skills.
Moreover, 50 percent are willing to take a pay cut to find work that matches their values. 90 percent of the survey participants admitted that they wanted to use their skills for good.
A report by Gallup found that 21 percent of millennials have switched jobs within the past year. This figure is thrice the number of non-millennials. Only 29 percent feel engaged in their current jobs.
The publication noted that organizations are not responding fast enough in aligning to this generation's work with their purpose. Millennials are deemed as less concerned with the traditional metrics of success, such as savings and home ownership. Instead, they are more focused on creating lives defined by meaning, community as well as shared values.
Data suggests that the United States needs a new way of defining and shaping careers. Employers need to embrace instability and experimentation among its younger workers. Moreover, they need to help the millennial workforce make meaning; not just money.
Millennials should treat their careers as a lifelong experiment and not a preordained system that they need to rigidly follow. Every job offers an opportunity to learn something new about your interests, your strengths and what impact you will have to the world.
Companies need to adapt to the evolving workforce as well. They should be able to foster a working environment that encourages employee learning.
It was previously reported that fresh graduates should work on their soft skills. Technical skills are easier to learn but some are industry-specific. Fresh graduates can emphasize on their interpersonal and communication skills to become a more attractive job candidate in any industry.
