Have you read the statistics about unemployed young people?
Right now, we have a big chunk of a whole generation of young adults who are
Stuck unemployed,
Stuck under-employed,
Or, just stuck on the couch.
Stuck under-employed,
Or, just stuck on the couch.
But in a recent Gallup poll, only 13% of Americans strongly agreed that today’s college grads are well prepared for workplace success.
So what’s being done about this? Many frustrated parents are sending their unlaunched young adult children to psychologists … or giving them “tough love.” Psychologists are the place to go if there is a legitimate mental-health issue, but aren’t much help when there is no such issue. And tough love can be hurtful for all involved!
So what’s the fix?
I’m an Executive Coach. I help leaders become better at their jobs. A couple of years ago, some of my clients began asking me to talk with their children … young adults who were stuck.
I applied Executive Coaching tools to my conversations with those young people.
And they all got jobs.
What I learned is that there are several fixable problems – gaps in skills and understanding that are hurting these young adults.
| Business is NOT what you see on "Shark Tank"! |
Some millennials have a bias against business. They think business is what they see on “Shark Tank,” so when they go into interviews, they think they’re
supposed to give their “pitch.” They express little interest in the employer – they’re busy talking about themselves.
| Businesses exist to make a profit. |
Although they say they do, many young adults don’t seem to understand that businesses exist to make a profit. If businesses aren’t profitable, they don’t
get to continue to exist. So, when a prospective employer asks, “What questions do you have?”, rather than asking about benefits and the potential
for promotion, they should be asking questions that will help them understand how the business serves its customers and how it makes money …
and then sharing how they might contribute to those goals.
| "You're FIRED!" - Working in business is NOT like "The Apprentice" |
Some millennials, especially young women, have told me that they think business is “brutal”. They envision Donald Trump on “The Apprentice” shouting “You’re
fired!” and they want no part of such a nasty and personal attack. I’ve learned that it’s helpful to draw a distinction between entertainment programming
and the actual business world.
| Times have seriously changed. |
Too many older adults claim they “just don’t understand” millennials (those born 1980-2000). It’s important to appreciate that these young people are the
product of a different time than Generation Xers (those born 1965-1979) or Baby Boomers (those born 1946-1964). Growing up during a time of serious
challenges in the economy, and seemingly endless war with nothing that looks like victory on the horizon … with few jobs available and lots
of debt due to the fast escalation in the cost of college, the combination of these factors adds up to discouragement for many millennials.
It’s helpful to remember that, while YOU went out and got a job, the skills you used to do so likely don’t apply in today’s marketplace. If you want to support a millennial in his or her job search, first familiarize yourself with today’s job-search realities. And if you’re interviewing millennials, you might keep this in mind; they’re not another species. Like all of us, millennials are just a product of their experiences.
It’s helpful to remember that, while YOU went out and got a job, the skills you used to do so likely don’t apply in today’s marketplace. If you want to support a millennial in his or her job search, first familiarize yourself with today’s job-search realities. And if you’re interviewing millennials, you might keep this in mind; they’re not another species. Like all of us, millennials are just a product of their experiences.
If you know a millennial who’s struggling, consider offering them a Coaching session with me. Let’s get them off the couch and contributing to the future of business!
