Job Hunt 3.0

As the first generation to hear the words, "When you grow up, you can be whatever you want," -- restaurant owner, astronaut, musician -- the Millennials are showered with limitless options. As such, they're expected to work in a variety of careers throughout their lifetimes, none of which will be structured by the parental employers or career ladders that defined their parents' generation.

The Millennial generation is not one that gives its undivided attention. The individuals in this generation demand inspiration, acknowledgement and the ability to stay connected to their peers.

This means that K-12 educators, university decision-makers, employers and online career companies are tasked with moving young job seekers from the classroom to the cubicle in non-traditional ways -- and striking a balance between the traditional ways of working and the way in which Millennials prefer to work.

A talent-supply pipeline

Now more than ever, employers are confronted with the challenge of recruiting young employees. As baby boomers reach retirement, approximately half the top people at America's 500 leading companies will leave their positions in the next five years, according to a study by Monster.com.

"If you don't have the people -- the resources -- you're not going to be able to grow your business," said Dan DeMaioNewton, director of Business Development for Monster Government Solutions. "There's definitely going to be a shortage of people. For the first time -- maybe ever -- there is the opportunity for no person to be left behind. There is the opportunity for everyone who wants a job to have a job."

To avoid being affected by vacant positions, companies are engaging with academic institutions, appealing to student demands and becoming increasingly innovative to attract candidates.

Google and Best Buy, for example, have created incentives that appeal directly to the factors young talent is seeking.

In addition to creating a work environment that emphasizes fulfilling outcomes, Google lets its employees know they're valued by providing them with benefits that go above and beyond standard medical and vacation benefits. New hires will enjoy tuition reimbursement, an on-site doctor, free lunch and dinner, and on-site sports facilities, to name a few. These perks are especially attractive to Millennials because of their affinity for multitasking.

Not only does Google provide its employees with a relaxed work environment, but it also adopted the 20% Project -- the perfect incentive for a generation of workers who demand flexibility. With the 20% Project, Google engineers allocate 20 percent of their time to projects they are passionate about, often resulting in the creation of the Google products consumers love.

A strategy more lenient than Google's 20% Project is Best Buy's results-only work environment (ROWE). For Best Buy's corporate employees, ROWE allows them to work anytime, anywhere, as long as work is completed. The company demolished the archaic business practice that equates physical presence with productivity and replaced it with the demands of a mobile workforce.

Millennials who demand an on-the-go lifestyle will flock to employers who adopt such policies.

It's not all gravy

Job seekers of the 21st century refuse to wait in long lines for a job opportunity -- employers must first offer the benefits that bring them to that company.

"Kids going to school today don't put up with the same things the previous generation did -- and, in many cases, they don't have to," DeMaioNewton said. "One of the things young job seekers are focusing on is balance. They don't want to work incredibly insane hours. If there's something that they don't like, they'll just say no."

When it comes to jobs that do offer this balance, however, graduating students must figure out how to set themselves apart from thousands of other equally qualified applicants. Candidates have to create a story for themselves that gives them greater edge, more experience and value that the company needs.

Part of this includes proving they're dedicated and hard-working, and that multitasking is a pro, not a con.

"Employers are concerned that the younger generation can't focus," DeMaioNewton said. "And younger workers are concerned because they want jobs where they can do many things at once."

Steve Ross, a career expert and executive-in-residence in the College of Business Administration at San Diego State University, teaches a career-planning class at SDSU; he said there are four components students need to create their story:

• academics;
• work experience and internships;
• clubs, organizations and leaderships roles; and
• community service.

"Employers really want all four of those things," Ross said. "They want students who have degrees with respectable GPAs, any type of honors, and good internships or jobs. More than ever, they want to see leadership and proactive behavior that shows students are going above and beyond. It's a student story."

Decision-makers in Oregon's Department of Education are preparing students for their story, beginning in kindergarten. In 1998, Oregon introduced Career-Related Learning Standards to its curriculum. Local businesses noticed that prospective employees had specialized skills to fill jobs, but they needed more hires with soft skills -- communication, teamwork, problem solving and critical thinking.

"Oftentimes, employers would have to go through a lot of applicants before they found someone who had the skills they were looking for," said Jeanne Yerkovich, the Career Pathways Program Manager for Oregon's Portland Public Schools. "They're not lacking the job-specific skills, but it's the basic skills."

By incorporating these proficiencies into other subjects, such as health, science and math, students are held accountable for learning them. Students have to demonstrate command of these essential skills to receive a diploma.

"These standards are taught in every school in this country," said Marcia Arganbright, the district's director of Curriculum & Instruction for grades nine through 12. "The bigger question is: Are we holding anybody accountable? If they don't learn it, does anyone notice? Having these skills will help them no matter where they are since they will have a variety of jobs in a variety of careers."

Filling the gap and looking ahead

In the face of high unemployment and a financial crisis, the future for young job seekers and Generation Z -- to follow the Millennials -- doesn't look as grim as projected. Millions of jobs will need to be filled, and today's talent is already beginning to rise to the occasion.

Even with this plethora of jobs opening up in the next five years, there's still some ambiguity as far as finding those jobs, Ross said.

"The problem with technology and the Internet is there are so many options that it's not clear," he said. "Students don't know what's out there, and they don't know how to get it. There's just a big gray zone."

But as intelligent search technologies improve, job hunt trends will continue to evolve. Job seekers will have the ability to further customize their career search by ranking jobs, blocking certain companies and job titles, and creating a dialogue with online career companies. The more users customize their likes and dislikes, the better equipped the career company is to send job seekers the jobs they are looking for -- job hunt 3.0.

"The idea is a connected generation: We're going to send you jobs to your cell phone that are of interest to you," DeMaioNewton said. "Imagine a scenario where the only thing you're going to see is exactly what you want. We're working for you to help you get the jobs that are absolutely right for you."

*This story is from Converge magazine's Winter 2009 issue.

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