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What are students today, expecting from their future
employers ?
(November 7, 2008)
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Current graduates have grown up in a rapidly changing information age
and rely on text messaging and online social media for daily
communication. Most students now were born in the 1980’s and are often
referred to as Generation Y. They grew up with video games, cell phones
and the internet. Employers want to anticipate the expectations and work
ethic of this generation, to help predict if there will be dramatic
changes when they enter the work-force. The ITEE hosted a panel of six
students from different majors to give employers an opportunity to ask
questions about their future employment expectations.
The students on the panel were accustomed to quickly and efficiently
managing several schedules at once; part-time jobs, coursework, friends,
family. They know that too much multitasking can be distracting and how
to recognize when it is important to focus on completing one task at a
time if concentration is critical to effectiveness. This is not all that
different from the current work-force; the difference though is in the
tools Generation Y uses to manage all of this information.
This generation has become accustomed to instant gratification and
communication using internet social media; five of the six participants
on the panel had Facebook accounts. However, the panel agreed with the
employers in the audience that at most companies social networking like
Facebook can be a distraction to getting work done and should be
blocked.
For the students, multi-tasking to them is more of a means to manage
down time. When focus is needed to finish one task, they will
appropriately prioritize tasks and only work on that task. But if
they’re waiting for a conference call to start for 20 minutes, they
don’t want to sit and stare at the phone; they would rather check their
e-mail while waiting.
The ideal career for most of the students on the panel is one that
offers at least (or would build up to) some form of telecommuting. A
flexible schedule is important because this will help them balance
careers and personal aspirations. The students know that technology has
made telecommuting cheaper and easier to implement. The panel understood
that it is likely most entry-level jobs will not have this option, but
would like to work where an employer would be open to the idea in the
future.
Another important expectation these students had was for future
employers to allow or offer career development opportunities whether
through continuing education or offering different positions within the
company every few years.
A few of the panelists had internship experience. At these jobs, the
students appreciated having a lot of mentors and friendly cultures. One
panelist candidly expressed that he is not very comfortable talking to
older employees. He said they many times are easily offended and
sensitive. Another panelist shared that the company she interned for was
not prepared for her to start. She sat at her desk for the first few
days having nothing to do but read policy manuals. The rest of the
internship was productive, but she was surprised that the company was
not better prepared.
Given the current financial market turmoil which has affected many
companies in different industries, the panel was more likely to take an
offer from a large conglomerate than a small business. To these
students, larger companies seem to offer job security and a fast track
to experience. The panel is eager for opportunity and willing to take a
job that doesn’t exactly meet their ideal pay requirements, because they
are willing to work hard and prove themselves to achieve future
opportunities within a company.
Many of the panelists that have been interviewed have found that a lot
of companies offer positions with lower pay scales and opportunities to
reward performance with more pay. Traditional pension and medical
benefits are attractive to the students as well.
During interviews, the panelists’ developed a positive opinion of a
company when encountering hiring managers that were enthusiastic abouta
the company they worked for; someone that was able to thoroughly express
the mission of the company and inspired the candidate to work at the
company. The students also were more likely to take a position at a
company that stressed social responsibility during the interview.
Environmental issues and giving back to the community are high
priorities for the students. The students also preferred role playing
during an interview and not goofy questions such as “if you were a
kitchen appliance, which one would you be and why?”
Employers in the audience expressed that even though the economy is in a
downturn, they are still focused on growth and attracting the best
employees. For high level positions, employers like to look from within
to employees that have worked hard, understand the product and have good
social responsibility ethics not just to the outside world but to fellow
employees.
Students on the panel expected their future leaders to understand the
dynamics and challenges of their entry-level positions and be
down-to-earth. They appreciate supervisors who are not condescending and
open to listening to work-related struggles. The students also seek
leaders who want to use creativity to solve problems and interested in
employees’ point of view.
Travel and relocation are attractive career opportunities to the panel.
The students are able to keep in touch with friends and family easily
through the internet so are open to changing their geography. Some of
the students also experienced in the past study abroad trips that
exposed them to different cultures, and they became more open to working
somewhere new.
The biggest challenges employers attending this forum have had to deal
with when hiring Generation Y have been outcomes and accountability. The
employers would like to see their young employees getting tasks done and
taking responsibility for achieving results. Sometimes it is challenging
to inspire these employees to focus on these issues.
Overall, Generation Y doesn’t seem to have extremely different
expectations of future employers from previous generations. They
understand many of the current challenges employers face and have a lot
of energy and enthusiasm. The panelists are eager to enter the work
force to start building their career experiences and apply the theories
they have learned to solve real business problems.
This summary was prepared by Sara Lucas, The
University of Akron | | | | 
