About two years ago all the online chatter about GenY was that they are… how do I put this… better than all the other generations. They multi-task better, they understand technology better, they are better team players, more flexible, etc. etc. etc.
It was really interesting to hear both sides of the fence… those saying GenY really was the bomb (and better) and those who said they were just a bunch of entitled, inexperienced people who didn’t know what they were talking about. There’s a lot of talk about the entitlement and growing up coddled…
Fast-forward to today… I don’t read much about that at all. The divisions of “we’re better” or “they’re entitled” is not being talked about.
Why?
I think what has happened in the economy has really calmed those discussions. Before, a recent grad had no problem getting a good job. Today, recent grads aren’t seeing the same opportunities, and they are either going on to more school (because that’s a decent option – it means you can put put off paying the student loan for a while longer) or they’re moving back home.
Here’s an article about the current job search for a recent college grad. One line that stuck out, because I thought the same thing, was:
“It’s so hard anymore because an undergrad is having a high school degree anymore so you have to go to grad school,”
It’s not necessarily true… but here’s my advice. If you are a recent grad you shouldn’t rely on your generational branding to get you a job, and just having a degree (even if it’s an MBA) isn’t going to provide you with any type of job security, or make your job search necessarily easier.
You need to do what the current professionals and executives in a job search are doing – network, network, network!
(oh yeah, if you are looking for a sample resume for a college graduate, here you go)
