A week with a "Y"
I recently spent a week with a typical generation Y-er: Sean Aiken, 25 years of age. From Vancouver, he learned to speak French in Trois-Pistoles during a summer trip. This brilliant administration graduate and surfing aficionado decided in February 2007 to launch himself into a highly out-of-the-ordinary personal adventure. He is devoting this year to testing as many jobs as possible to find the one that's right for him. Each week, he changes employers in his quest for the "perfect job," zigzagging the country along the way. He is adamant about refusing to lock himself into a system he does not fully believe in. In light of the opportunities open to him, he has created a blog (www.oneweekjob.com), found himself sponsors (this week's sponsor is www.nicejob.ca – yes, I know, it's my husband's company. . .) and a good cause (www.makepovertyhistory.org—a non-profit organization dedicated to fighting poverty, to which he will give all his earnings for the year.
Sean joined my company for his 14th week of work, proudly sporting long, blond dreadlocks in a ponytail, and a grey suit. For an executive search firm such as ours, whose clients tend to be on the conservative side, the experience promised to be and eye-opener. I had the opportunity to spend a week with a representative of generation Y, who are all too often described as egocentric, impatient, uncompromising and extremely self-assured.
At first glance, I wondered what on earth I could possibly have him do. His lively spirit, curiosity and attentive listening melted my doubts. I got to know a sensitive young man with well-structured ideas, who is trying to create meaning in his life by combining work and pleasure. My first lesson was that if Sean Aiken is the archetype of his generation, then we are dealing with young people who are a lot less individualistic than it appears, and whose values are similar to those of the baby boomers, who also had life ideals.
For a week, Sean therefore became a "talent broker." He attended recruiting interviews, took part in conference calls, entered records, drafted interview reports and even performed searches to find the ideal candidate. "It's real detective work!" he concluded, amused. Now that Sean is gone, here are the conclusions I've reached about generation Y:
- It's useless to give them a task to do without explaining why. You have to give them some perspective and show them how they are contributing to the accomplishment of the whole. You need to take the time to explain your vision of things.
- Develop an "employer offering." They want to know what YOU have to offer them, and what they will gain from their experience with your company. Describe which skills they need to develop to be effective, and how you will help them acquire these skills. Provide them with ongoing learning opportunities. They will question you and put you on the spot, but be ready to answer them. The time will be well spent, because these inquiries will feed your own reflections.
- Rely on your credibility instead of your authority. It's up to them to recognize you as the boss, and not up to you to impose yourself as such.
- Be consistent in your strategy. These young people are better trained and more educated than you think, with highly developed critical thinking skills. They will certainly let you know if they spot any weaknesses in your plan.
When Sean left our office for his next job, he didn't yet know where he was going to be working. But not to worry, he had the whole weekend to find something and offer someone—who could be you— a new experience.