Why Gen Y is powerful but confused

When it comes to applying and interviewing for a first job, most Canadian post-secondary students and recent grads are clueless.

Workplaces are changing — some dramatically, but most slowly and steadily — and many students and new grads are caught between the past and the future.

They hear from parents and mentors how things used to be 20+ years ago when those people were first starting their careers, when entry-level candidates were expected to do anything, no matter how pointless or degrading; when the “put your nose to the grindstone” workaholic attitude was an ideal much more so than it is today.

We’re in a recession, so kids today should take anything they can get to pay the bills. Right?

Well… then they hear from the futurists that not only is there such a thing as meaningless experience, but that it can actually hurt their career; that within a few years’ time, employers will be begging them to work and offer all kinds of life-changing incentives, like flex hours, on-site fitness facilities and the opportunity to move up in the company within a short period of time like, say, six months or a year.

Some companies are already doing this to position themselves in a good spot when the labour shortage arrives.

No matter which camp you belong to, you’re probably shaking your head right now. Oh, those self-entitled Gen Y are at it again.

The truth is, we (yes, I’m lumping myself into this category) want to work. Hard. And we want our work to mean something at the end of the day. There are certainly some bad apples who try to get by doing nothing without being noticed.

But the rest of us want to work, go on Facebook for a few minutes here and there, work harder, exceed expectations and then go home each night ready to take on the rest of the world, whether that’s rock climbing or gaming or scrapbooking or volunteering…

And that means either employers have to change on their own so we can get all that in, or we’re going to change everything by force as we move into leadership positions. Are you ready? What are you doing to prepare?