Career Guidelines for the Millennial Generation

Generation Y, also referred to as the millennial generation, is the generation of people born after baby boomers. They are typically born between the 1980s and early 2000s, though there isn’t a set year for the generation. Millennials grew up mostly in a more technological age, which has really shaped the way they think about their careers. Here are some helpful tips for the millennial generation entering the workforce.

Know Your Industry

While this may not be true for everyone, the millennial generation tends to go all in with their decisions without knowing the facts. This makes it vital that they really pay close attention to the industry they intend to go in, and they role they want within that industry. If you know you want to be involved in marketing, don’t just assume you have learned enough in college. The industry changes daily and you need to keep up. Read industry blogs and journals, network, talk to experts, and continue getting all the information you can. Not only does it help you with your job performance, but showing how much you know during interviews can help you land the job you want.

Keep Educating Yourself

This is related to knowing more about your industry, but bares repeating; keep learning and growing. Just because you grew up as generation Y and have learned a lot simply by having access to the Internet doesn’t mean you know everything. Even after getting a degree, if that is the path you chose, you have more to learn. Never stop educating yourself, and make it a goal to learn something new every single day.

Help Others

Try to remind yourself that you should share the wealth and help others. The baby boomer generation has a better reputation and helping others, especially colleagues and co-workers, than the millennials do. If you find you don’ really lend as much help and support as you could, start stepping it up at work. Help individuals with projects, lend a hand to supervisors that are looking for volunteers for new assignments, and help ease the workload of someone in your department.

Be Outspoken

If you know your stuff, make it known that you do. You have spent all this time and energy educating yourself, learning about your industry, and perfecting your skills. Prove to your supervisor that you deserve for your voice to be heard and become more outspoken. Don’t be overly confrontational, but when asked for opinions, don’t be afraid to give yours.

These are just a few guidelines the millennial generation should be following for advancing in your current career and choosing the right path.