Entrepreneurship, Non-profits, and the Recruitment of Millennials

For those young adults that are 29 years old or younger, the pursuit of career satisfaction is mixed.

This Millennial Generation is considered to be the most highly technically skilled group to come along. They are also the most frustrating because they think they are so special.  They often don’t want the entry level jobs offered to them by upper management; they want the upper management jobs.

“What do you mean I have to start in the mail room?  Mail rooms are for losers.  I deserve better then that.  I know so because my parents told me so, my softball coach told me so, my club volleyball coach told me so, my trainer told me so, the camp counselor told me so, and, oh did I say my Mom and Dad told me so“.

Years of conditioning has generated a wave of young adults that think they are good at what they do and they can get what they want.  Sacrificing and compromising is a thing of the past.

This generation isn’t willing to make the sacrifices in lifestyle and company politics.  They want to build a better life and live the dream. They want more balance then their parents experienced.  They see work as a necessity but don’t want it to take over their lives like it did for Dad.  In addition, many of them have watched their parents suffer from corporate disloyalty and don’t want that to happen to them.

If they don’t want to wear the clothes, work indoors, meet quotas, be on time, work overtime, climb the ladder, collect the watch, they won’t. If being the president of their own company that makes the rules gives them the freedom they demand, they are more likely to form a corporation then complete a job application.  If they feel what they want isn’t what the boss offers, they would rather go out and develop their perfect job themselves.  Even better, they might form businesses with their friends.  Why not?  When they grew up together playing baseball, going to camps, chillin’ at the mall, and taking a party bus to the prom, why not form a company together.  With their expertise on the net, their ability to shortcut routine start up costs with virtual offices and their ease with techno-gadgets, more and more Millennials are finding it easier to become entrepreneurs without the financial burdens of their ancestors.

Have Millennials Learned The Challenge of Entrepreneurship?

Have they learned the challenges of running their own business means longer hours and more stress?  According to a Pew Research Center poll of 2,003 Americans over the age of 18, the self-employed are more satisfied with their jobs than are other workers.  They are more satisfied with their salaries, the job security, opportunities for advancement, the flexibility of hours and the degree of stress associated with their work.

So popular is this trend, more and more colleges are offering curriculum’s in Entrepreneurship, sometimes offering seed monies to help their graduates launch their endeavors. Having grown up with the mentality of having it all and being funded by their parents, what could be better for this Millennial Generation to go after exactly what they want and get funded the money to make it happen.

Talk about flexibility and humanitarian efforts and you have won the hearts of this generation. And nonprofit organizations are taking advantage of that.  They are directing their recruitment efforts to include this new generation of worldly-do-gooders.  They emphasize the benefits of doing good in the world and the nets are filling up with an abundant supply of employees seeking personal satisfaction over financial gratification.  Non profits have learned that it is more important to emphasize how they are adhering to their organization’s values rather than offering lucrative employee benefits (because they can’t). Instead they are revamping their benefits plans to include lifestyle benefits like “family care” and flexible working hours.  It seems to be working.

Millennials and Non-Profits: How To Recruit and Keep Millennials

According to the Johns Hopkins University Nonprofit Listening Post Project, “appealing to the millennial generation is one of four key workforce recruitment and retention strategies identified by the nonprofit practitioners.” The study goes on to report that if the non-profits can attract Millennials to consider working with them as interns and learn the “essence” of their mission, they have as high as a 60% chance that the interns will remain with them in (low) paying positions each year.

Regardless of their GPA, research has indicated that graduating seniors are selecting up to as many as four non-profits out of the top ten companies to work for.  Certainly, there is a shift from seeking jobs on Wall Street to jobs with a cause.

Private sector companies are struggling to find their place in this arena of recruiting Millennials.  They are having to make adjustments to their communication style, working conditions, quotas, and the true meaning of success and “service”.   More importantly, they are having to address the “programming” that has taken place with their concept of an “authoritative figure”.  While Millennials respect authority, they interact quite differently than previous generations. From their parents to personal coaches, this generation is accustom to mentoring versus disciplining.  Much greater attention needs to be devoted to their “wellbeing” than to their “performance”.  Nurture this group and let them know you care and they will do whatever they can to hurdle that challenge, take it into the end zone or hit it out of the park.  After all, that is what they can relate to.  They are not a lazy group but a group that is used to coaches that teach them the techniques.  Once they get the confidence of their superior as one that wants them to personally achieve, they will rise to the challenge.  They want to make Mom and Dad proud.

Corporate America Needs To Adapt to Needs of Millennials

Corporate America must tackle the institution of family or bridge the gap between performance and “holding their hands”.  Colleges are introducing freshman orientation programs that not only emphasize the separation of student and parent but enforce it by removing the parents from their child’s orientation by providing two entirely different orientations.  One throws the student into the responsibility for making their own decisions while the other repeatedly reminds the parents (politely) to “back off”.  They ask parents to not get involved in their child’s roommate disputes, conflicts with their professors, or interfere in their academic studies.

Following suit, Merril Lynch has held an orientation for the parents of their new Millennial employees in an effort to soften the separation of the “overly involved parent” with their child in their new job.  This generation of parents perceive their involvement in their child’s employment is reasonable because they see it as an investment.  All those years of sacrificing for their child’s “excellence” cannot go unrewarded when it comes time to their career.  This is truly a mind set of these Millennial’s parents.  That is why many Fortune 500 companies are developing job application forms and interview packages with the parent in mind.  They have come to accept it, like it or not, they have to get past the “gate-keeper” as well as the applicant if they are going to be successful in recruiting qualified new employees.  Human Resources, be forewarned: with the growing number of Millennials living at home, don’t be surprised by the ongoing involvement of Mom and Dad requesting copies of their employment benefits package or a meeting with their supervisor to discuss their recent evaluation.

It’s not all bad news. Successfully understanding this group can make the difference between frustration and exhilaration.  Key adjustments need to be made when you are recruiting.  Millennials are more likely to take a job if they recognize the following:

• Let them know that they are part of a “big picture” and you’re your company has great integrity in making a difference in the world.  They are a vital part of making that happen.

• Demonstrate a fun and relaxed environment. Show them that you are committed to the balance of work and play.  Tell them about your Friday-After-Work-Romps or your company softball team or your Monday Morning Continental Breakfasts or your mid-week Power Massages. Who wouldn’t want to work for you?

• Introduce your TEAM concept where the Millennial will have a team mentor and opportunities to do projects with a group of people.  This job is NOT all about independent study.

• Set up programs that reward the employee for initiative and excellence. They like trophies.  Help them establish career goals and benchmarks to meet along the way.

• Let them know you care. Learn to ask questions rather than make demands.  Be willing to change the way you motivate or reach quotas by connecting more at the heart than at the mind.

This is a generation that adheres to “they don’t care about how much you know until they know how much you care”.  Those companies that give up the fight of what’s reasonable and accepts the beauty and the brilliance that resides within this generation will experience increased sales, higher employee productivity, greater employee satisfaction and retention, and a satisfaction that comes with those that place global consciousness over greed.

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By Mark C. Hughes, Teen Life Coach for Parents & Teens @ The Karma Institute: http://www.beyourverybest.org