Millennials Lack Knowledge for the Real World

Summary: The skills of personal finance, organization, leadership, communication, and “street smart” are lacking in the Millennial generation.

Most hiring managers agree that the most recent college graduates are not being accurately prepared for jobs in their field while in college. Graduates ten or even five years ago were better prepared than those graduating now. The Millennial Generation grew up with actively involved parents. They rarely had to experience failure or struggle at home. Participating in activities was celebrated as an accomplishment. Building creativity and self-esteem was more important than hard work and discipline.

The education system has greatly changed since the time that the Baby Boomer Generation was attending college. Now universities allow students to design their own majors so a student that dislikes math can avoid taking any math classes. Our society has changed and the demands for certain skills sets are not the same as they were ten years ago. It is unrealistic to expect a university to keep-up with the ever-changing skillsets required for today’s graduates. Students have to be responsible in determining and seeking out what skills are needed through other sources such as internships and part-time jobs.

Overall, hiring managers list organization, communication, leadership, “street smarts” and personal finance skills as the most lacking qualities of the Millennial Generation.

Companies expect their employees to be able to manage their time so that they can get all their work done each day. This requires prioritizing multiple projects and assignments in a cohesive way.

Written and oral communication is a daily requirement for any job. These skills have changed since the rise of texting, instant messaging, email and other forms of electronic communication. Their conversations have become unfocused, casual, and imprecise. Employers have to give basic writing lessons to new hires as a solution to this problem.

A leader is one that takes responsibility to get a job done. Being a leader doesn’t require a management position and is not a skill learned only through classes. This skill relies on the desire of new employees to excel in their careers.

What was common sense is no longer the case. Certain things that are considered inappropriate for the workplace are common among this generation such as corresponding directly to the CEO or wearing earbuds. Everyone is accessible through social media, even the president of the United States so it doesn’t seem like such a big deal to Millennials to send an email to the company CEO.

Thorough background checks are often carried out on potential hires, even credit score checks. The belief is that personal finance is reflected in how responsible a person is. Many college graduates wish they had learned more about the skill of salary negotiation, stock option plans, apartment lease agreements, and employee benefit choices.

In the end, employers just want Millennials to learn more about workplace etiquette for their industry. Observe the way people dress, communicate, check their phones during meetings, etc. to better understand what is expected of you. If you are the employer, then hold professional etiquette training sessions or provide mentors for your new Millennial hires.

Photo: forbes.com