“Millennials and Job Interviews”: What are they doing wrong?

Posted by on May 7, 2014 in Generation Y, Millennials | 0 comments

I recently attended a debate called “Millennials don’t stand a chance”. It was sponsored by Intelligence Squared Debates.

What I found most interesting was not the debate but rather the introduction. Sorry I can’t remember the gentleman’s name, but he said that his knowledge of Millennials came from a job interview he had recently conducted. In his opinion, the Millennial was unprepared, submitted a resume that was poorly constructed, and seemed to have no idea of what was needed to make a good impression.

So, check out this CBS news story about three job interview mistakes Gen Yers, aka Millennials, make.

In a nutshell:

– Millennials go in blind to the meeting – too much knowledge about themselves, too little knowledge about the company.

– Millennials don’t think about what the decision maker, in this case the hiring manager, needs to know to put the best candidate in the job.

– Millennials forget to follow-up.

…ask what the next steps are in the process, and when and how you should check in post-interview. Then get a great hand-written “thank you” note into snail mail ASAP, and follow up as instructed.

Generational knowledge is about the ability to put yourself into the shoes of another (person or company) for a little while. We hear about generations all the time as they relate to product development, marketing, and selling. But, it’s an even bigger deal in communication.