According to a recent survey by JobFox, recruiters aren't too keen on Gen X or Yers. Only 20 percent said they were "generally great performers" as compared to 63 percent who said baby boomers (age 43-62) were great performers.
Ouch.
It gets worse. According to press materials, Gen Y (people under age 28) was also classified as 'generally poor performers' by the largest number of recruiters polled. Thirty percent of recruiters classified them as poor performers, followed only by 22 percent of recruiters who classified seniors as poor performers..
Double ouch.
But JobFox's CEO Rob McGovern thinks that managers and recruiters are missing the boat. Managers, he says, must "learn new ways to incorporate Gen X and Y views into the workforce."
OK, I agree. Managers and recruiters always need to be looking at how they can use an individual's strengths to help a company and boost the bottom line.
But I think it's more than that. I think both Gen X and Yers need to be better at their own personal p.r.. I think that if they wait around to get the respect they believe they deserve, they may find themselves waiting a long time. Because whether they deserve the slacker reputation or not, the problem is that it exists.
Believe it or not, however, you are being handed a golden opportunity to turn things around as the economy takes a nosedive. How? Let us count the ways:
1. Staying sane. Gen X and Y have lived a life of upheaval. They've grown up with AIDS, 9/11 and Britney not wearing any panties, so they don't get rattled easily. Right now the older folks in the workplace are pretty well freaking and stressing about everything from how to make their house payment to watching their 401(k) tank. If today's new workers demonstrate that -- while they understand the seriousness of the issues right now -- they are still upbeat and positive about life, it could have an enormous impact. Inspiring others to keep it all in perspective can demonstrate real leadership, and that's just the kind of reputation they need to develop.
2. Save others time. No one is more crazed these days that workers trying to balance the demands of their private and professional lives. But GenYers have grown up juggling, and have found technology enhances their lives. Young workers are in a great position to help other workers find ways to use technology to make their lives better. There's no way that anyone would be called a slacker for helping give someone more time with their kids or do their job better. Just be careful: You don't want your help to come off as smug or arrogant. Read Chris Brogan's post to make sure you do it right.
3. Provide the global view. The world has been delivered to GenY through television and computers since they were old enough to use a sippy cup. They have friends working in Darfur, they listen to bands from Japan and think nothing of IMing contacts in Istanbul or India. If they can keep their workplace informed on how events in Cambodia or Russia or Brazil may be impacting their business and bottom line, it could be enormously valuable. And let's face it -- those that contribute to the bottom line are seen as valuable -- and top performers.
While there are plenty of people telling managers that they need to treat GenYers better and learn to appreciate them, I think that GenYers may have to do some of the heavy lifting. They shouldn't wait around for someone to discover their strengths -- they should find subtle, but very meaningful ways to change perceptions that will have a real impact on their career success.
What are some other ways young workers can improve their image?
58 comments:
I am Gen Y and I know how much the older generations are not too keen about us. What they tend not to realize is that their previous generations had the same kind of feelings toward them so they shouldn't think of us as not "great performers". I grew up using technology and in a way that is an advantage because we tend to be more multitasking then previous generations. We can do some many things as once. We can text messages in seconds but still be tuned in what is going on. When I study I tend to do better when the TV or music in the background. We are more in touch with the global community due to technology and we have friends in different parts of the world and we understand what is going better than most people think. Also we are more team-oriented we learn that to succeed we need to work together rather than apart. Like in class, when we had the decision-making regarding the extra credit and what the next exam will look like, we realized quickly that we had to do what is best for the class and not only ourselves. I think that people also think more of us, therefore we push ourselves even harder but that also has its disadvantages because we will always be thinking that we are not good enough and we need to work harder. However we lived through tough times so I think that if we are put into a difficult position we will be able to make a good decision, of course not everybody will agree but times are changing and what were right 20 or 30 years ago are not technically the same as today. So I think that people should just have hope that we are not that bad because they need to think of themselves when they were our age.
I don't think that society gives Gen Yers enough credit. It is not that we are "slackers" as many may like to believe, I think that if we are placed in jobs where creativity is encouraged rather than disregarded, as in bureaucratic corporations, we would do great. I believe that progress should go both ways, the marketplace should readjust itself to keep up with the changing times, and Gen Yers and their successors need to adopt traditional work ethics but still maintain their limitless thinking.
Generation Yers need to buck up and go out there and show the corporate world what they can do. We are so used to having everything readily available to us that when it comes to promoting ourselves we have taken a backseat to things and kind of just ridden it out. We have potential and as a group we can affect change, all we need is one person to start off the "revolution" and others will follow in procession much like the domino theory.
Professor, I couldn’t agree with you more. My generation (GenY), I feel like at times, we are so use to getting things done our way, and we are often blindsided with what’s going on in the world and around us. Without a doubt, I think we are more technologically savvy than the generation before, but often times we tend to consume ourselves too much with the next big technological creation. That we forget to build relationships at work, networking I’ve learn is huge in determining how far you’re going to make it at a particular company. Someone once told me that all my generation does is bitch about the things that we can’t have our way… and for the most part I think that’s true, I mean I don’t even think half of us can take criticism well and use it to our advantage when our managers makes suggestions. Instead we’re quick to call someone an asshole if they don’t agree or see things our way. I also think Gen Y are fast thinkers and yet we don’t use this to our advantage. Most of us are happy and are okay with the way things are for us, however if we just keep the status quo we will never excel. I think one thing that my generation can do in these hard economic times is to try to be more proactive, I think managers sees that and they will reward you for it, it may not be a financial reward, but they might point or support for a new role that you might want to take on. I also think now is the time to network, introduce yourself to someone in a higher role than you, make your self stand out, and bring forth your ideas.
That was harsh... but real. I also believe that networking is very important for our future. My mom always told me about it but I just thought that it was related to each individuals kind of personality. I was wrong. Networking can be applied by anybody at anytime. My generation (Gen Y) needs to try to communicate and form inter-personal relationships with others to try to improve who we are and move forward in reality.
My generation is just too focused on gossip, dreams and others points of view. They can't really come up with their own point of view. They imitate or copy others ideas as a solution to success. I disagree, we need to come up with some critical thinking about what is going on, not only in America but also abroad. People think that the US is a one world and therefore their concern should only be there and not outside the nation.
We need to inform ourselves and start networking; I think those are the things my generation could do to improve our image.
Hoping not to make my generation (GenY) sound too arrogant, i don't think we need to change our image so older generations can "approve" of us. Sure, we don't do as much hard labor as the previous generations but thats because we don't need to. Advancing technology is helping us on that.
I remember having a conversation with my parents awhile back, and they complained about how i didn't do any physical labor. i argued back about how they didnt have to go to school, write papers, etc. At that moment we realized because we were raised differently, the type of "labor" i did were different. My parents grew up on a farm while i grew up in nyc. So anything i did growing up (image-wise) was something they couldn't adjust to. This "image problem" that Gen X and Y seem to currently have will always be there because of the world changing around us. When we become seniors we'll probably have the same arguments and debates about "those darn kids!"
I agree, Professor. Since the economy isn’t doing too well right now, it’s the perfect time for us Generation Y’ers to be proactive in selling/branding ourselves to companies looking for new innovative ways to doing things. We’re the fresh faces that can change the current economic atmosphere because we’ve gone through constant bombardment of change all our lives. Since we have the upper hand with experience with technology, we have the ability to multi-task, improvise, think quickly, be incredibly creative and much more. As well as being open to change, we are racially and culturally more tolerant than those older than us – a major plus in the diverse world that we live in. Even with so many advantages over the generations before us, why are we still are considered “poor performers?”
My theory is that since we are so used to using technology for almost everything, we have also diminished our experience with how to deal with face-to-face interaction. Sure, we can type faster, think/perform quicker and multi-task, but we don’t know how to properly communicate what we have to say and offer to other people in person. Perhaps that’s why when it comes time to looking for jobs, a lot of Generation Y’ers resort to just filling out online applications instead of being forward and attending events like Baruch’s Career Fairs, where actual representatives are present. We aren’t being lazy; we’re just so much more used to doing things with technology that we do things differently than those older than us in the workforce, as Carolyn mentioned. Times are different.
While the managers and recruiters have to start accepting us, we have to accept them too. Generation Y’ers should each find their own personal brand so that they can market and present themselves better. When I attended an event called “Brand Yourself” in Baruch last semester, I learned that it can be really helpful to know your personal brand. Managing your brand of yourself shows that you are confident, know your strengths, know what you can offer, know your own mission statement and know what makes you unique from everyone else. That will surely improve our image.
Slacker? Ha. That reminds me of a tv commercial where an old couple was yelling "slackers" to a group of young punk rockers. But seriously, I don't know how Gen Ys got such a bad reputaion with the baby boomers, but we are just as capable of performing as well as any other age group. The key to correcting our image problem is to show the older generations how capable we are. But to even get that far, we should first assest what advantages we have. As mentioned earlier, we grew up in an environment that was fast paced, constantly changing, and rich with experiences. The result was a generation of people who are more stable to change, can multitask, and welcomes diversity. I'm pretty sure that there are other traits that each of us has indiviually, but these basic traits of Gen Ys must be used harmoniously with older gens to correct this image problem we have. In stating this, I believe that each one of us as Gen Ys has a responsibility to our peers and youngers gens to put out our best performance so that others can benefit.
I think our(Gen Y) reputation was kind of deserved. We have so many technological advantages that make our lives easier and in a way make us a tiny bit "lazy". Meanwhile baby boomers did not have this advantages, they "struggled" more for what they wanted and had to work hard for it. This is why I think our efforts are not well appreciated by baby boomers, is not that we can not perform well but we have the technology to do things faster and in a different way and since we don't have to work tooo hard to do it it might not be seen as real effort.
I think Gen Y has the same capability as Baby boomers to do things. We can still use what we have and work hard for what we want just the same way a baby boomer would have done it in their time. They just need to give us a chance and Gen Y needs to step it up a little bit to show how capable and driven we are.
It’s obviously that seniors get more credit than Gen Yers since most people will think that Gen Yers are less experienced and incapable to handle critical assignments. And they will think of us as a “slacker” since we are playing and using advanced technologies everyday, such as playing with cell phones, I-pod, computer and etc. However, I do not agree with it, in this new generation, technology changes the world everyday, companies implement new technology constantly to improve the operating pace. By playing various technologies, we learn the functions of them and adapt to them. We gain the advantage of manipulating new devices since we are born to adapt to them. We have the advantage in learning new technology faster than older people, we adopt more easily in new environment and that makes us not to afraid of new challenges and things.
Beside this advantage we have, I think that working hard is an important way to improve our (Gen Yers) image. Today, many young people enter a job with knowledge of technology but lack of impulse to learn more from the traditional way of doing things. If younger workers modestly show their desire to learn more and do not complain of hard works, they will gain the trust of senior workers and build a positive image among them. By working hard and humbly, younger workers can improve the relationship between senior workers and gain access to learn more. Despite of how highly developed we are, we also have to learn the old way of doing things. By comparing or combining both ways of doing things, we gain the best new way out of them.
i think we get a bad rap because of too much multi-tasking. we manage to spend way too much time having fun at night while still managing to get our other priorities taken care of. Seeing as how the people doing the survey are probably older they dont actually know what gen xyers actually accomplish.
Technology made the Gen Y generation this way. With Televisions, cell phones, computers, PSP, Wii, and online access,being available 24/7 gave us reasons to have fun. And with Commercials and Ads on TV, promoting produces, the overall message was fun and relaxation. All these things around us gave us ways to have fun that we don't actually spend time doing reading in our free times. Gen X they'ver actually been through many huge events in life such as the great depression and WWII where people really suffered a lot they experienced a meaningful lesson about life that they appreciates it more. Gen Ys had never had anything that's huge that it has such a great impact to them where they learn to appreciate life more. I guess because our life has been too smooth that we don't really go to the extreme to get everything perfect in life. Things that we get are given to us and all we do is just take it, there's not much of a earning going on.Which lead people to be indifferent with work. Also because now you get all these unemployment benefits, people just don't want to work anymore and still get money.
To a certain degree we, the Gen Y, are slackers, and poor performers. We are not used to hard work ethics, and we love to procrastinate. Look at us we like to behave like kids in our private lives, we don't want to take adult's responsibilities, but we don't like to be treated like kids by the others. It is true that we own many skills and qualities, but we simply don't know or don't want to use them to our advantage. We like to have things done ready for us. We like it the quick dirty way. Well if we want to be taken seriously, we need to get down to some serious business. What every one values nowadays is hard work, motivation to meet new challenges, and willingness to always succeed and exceed. We need to prove to the other generations that we are not lazy, and we need to show that we are smart enough to manage ourselves. We need to prove that we are not spoiled kids waiting to find things ready, or wanting to have everything our way.
You’re absolutely right about us doing some of the heavy lifting. I am proud of being a GenYer, but many of us have a lot going on in our lives. We have more distractions then previous generations. We have smart phones, laptops, HDTVs, PS3’s, but I think this benefits us. We are able to joggle many things at once, which can be important in our careers. I think many of us can adapt to new environments and we’re not afraid of change.
On the other hand older generations need to change their ways of management because they won’t be the managers forever; we will take over some day. Maybe if they take a chance to understand the environment that we grew up in and the challenges we’ve overcome. That’s a good start to uniting GenYers with the Oldies.
I have to be honest that I am somewhat annoyed by these statistics. Growing up as a Gen Yer, how is classifying an age group any different from classifying an ethnic group? Classifying an ethnic group and believing that they are poor workers would cause quite a controversy. I think these stereotypes are nonsense and because of poor experiences by recruiters, they have generalized a very important age group. I am prepared to enter the work force post-graduation and hope that the recruiter does not have a first impression of me already based on my age. Gen Yers are tech-savvy, have the wonderful ability to multitask and will be an integral component to the world in the years to come.
I partially agree with the aforementioned observations regarding Generation X and Y. Yes, I agree that Generation X and Y have very unique personalities and approaches towards social behavior, acceptance and appearance. However, that is not the case of all members of these age ranges. Some of us display the characteristics of older ages such as the baby boomers, while others have the ability to switch to different personalities of the ages dependant upon the situation. I believe that I am the last of these personality types, and I am positive that it has benefited me rather well thus far. To me, it is simply a matter of best adjusting to my environment, like a cameleon does. Generation X and Y is a lush, amazon green, while the older ages, baby boomers, are a sandy, desert tan. Quite obviously one does not belong in the others environment, just as acting capriciously, finnicky, and sociably in a professional setting is inappropriate, as well as a bar or park is no place to be acting proper, restrained, and low-key. Although each generation has its own characteristics, there are certain characteristics that all are capable (and primarily expected) to assume when we enter a professional or business like mindset. This business mindset is essentially the medium through which all professionals are taken seriously, and their ideas and presentations are accepted. For instance, if a young man entered the room and was disheveledly dressed and appeared to be haphazard in his movements and actions, he is giving nonverbal cues that he does not take his work very seriously, regardless of whether that is or is not actually true. If a finely dressed man entered the room and conducted himself in a concerted manner, he is giving off the impression that he cares about the work he created. If the work both are presenting is the same, most likely the edge will go to the man who is finely dressed and acting professionally. I have had to learn this in my jobs. I have dreams of entering the workforce of the financial industry. However, two issues have thus far been brought to my attention and I have had to deal with them in the same manner. The first issue is that although my work is solid, I am from generation X, and my generation has a reputation that is unbecoming of a financial professional; Quite simply put, you do not want someone who looks as if they just rolled out of bed managing one million dollars. The second issue is that there are very few individuals with a Hispanic background working in the financial industry. Please make sure to note that I am not accusing anyone of racism; I am simply pointing out the fact that the world is used to having sophisticated, older white men managing large sums of money. In my case, the issue at hand was very clear. Although I am very capable of performing the work and the job function of my employers, the issue is that I do not always appear as they do. To rectify this, and have these "financial captains" and their clients value and respect my input, I have had to change my appearance. Instead of wearing dockers and a polo shirt, I now wear Ralph Lauren suits or J.Ferrar Suits. I also pick and choose my words carefully. On many an occassion my boss has pointed out that the way I speak with him and the way I speak to my friends on the phone is very different; Not that I use slang words with my friends, but that I make sure to "dot my i's and cross my t's" as well as use sophisticated language when talking in a business sense. Although these suits and my speech do not scream out sophistication, the impact is very clear that I am far more accepted when I do act in such a manner. In fact, although my boss would never dare tell me that I have to act and speak a certain way, I believe he is counting on the fact that I will choose to represent myself that way when he asks me to wear a specific suit on days we are going to meet important clients of his. Hence, I believe that although there is a place for GeneraItion X and Y members in the professional workforce, I believe they would be best served by learning a new personality to apply to different situations as may be called for. This versatility would allow the young generations in a new age start up company to be themselves, as well as appear "professional" in an established business mogul of the old world such as Morgan Stanley. However one could suggest that the rigid personality and social behavior of older generations such as the baby boomers is the reason for the impersonal business crimes that were seen at businesses such as Enron. One could argue that the unethical actions would not have happened if managers from generation Y and X were in charge. The argument would be that generation X and Y managers woiuld be so organic and rely so heavily on their interpersonal skills and backgrounds, that they would be far less likely to perform actions that would hurt other individuals, no matter what the benefits woiuld be. Perhaps in the future, as more Generation X and Y members enter the workforce and climb the corporate ranks, we will hear of new terms such as "Generation X and Y Professionals", or "Professional X and Y" Regardless, I believe that all generations must work together to infuse and instill the best traits of both within the working environment to ensure the most efficient and advantageous economy.
Generation Y workers have a lot to offer. First and foremost we tend to be technology savvy. We have been dealing with computer technology all our lives, in almost all of our daily activity. This makes us very knowledgeable. We also can adapt to new technologies very well. I worked in places where the concepts and use of certain systems like databases and spreadsheets are a difficult transition for the generation X workers. For generation y workers it is not as difficult.
I think generation y workers are more diverse and can be helpful in many departments. Generation Y often have a wide variety of jobs and experiences: The generation x workers who tend to stick to certain jobs for long periods of time. Although they are specialized the more specialization does not lead to diversification. Also as the world changes so will the workers. I think our generation is more adaptable to change.
Technology has mad thing easier for us but we have to master and understand these technologies more than ever. So to call us slackers isn’t something I don’t agree with. Every generation will advantages and disadvantages the previous didn’t have.
Well, Well, Well... We have a reality check here and going by the numbers I don't think we will have many people agreeing with this reality. I totally agree with these numbers. I am always a firm believer that in order to improve our image, we got to look at ourselves in the mirror and accept the reality. Ask ourselves a question, have we done our part to deserve being classified as poor performers. I remember going to church one Sunday morning and the priest gave a sermon and he said many young people tend to pray for good grades for their final exam. But he (the priest) said praying alone will not earn you a good grade, you got to do your part and study to earn a good grade. Therefore, in order to improve your image you got to put in an effort and work hard. When I earned a low grade in the mid term, I asked myself was the grade fair and probably it was. I probably did not put enough effort and cannot blame it because I had an accounting mid term to prepare for or I work full time during the day. But at the end the buck stops with me and how I manage my time. I choose to go to college and work at the same time; therefore it is my responsibility to work hard. I got to avoid shying away from criticism and take it with a positive mind. I am sure with hard work Gen X and Y's image will improve with time.
I am in the Gen Yers group. I disagree that Gen Yers have low performers then baby boomers. From my point of view, recruiters have such opinion on us is because we are not that experienced. It is true that we won't have many experiences as the baby boomers, and we won't perform well on some tasks, but we need chances to learn from failure. Gen X and Yers are groups that know how to play new technology. I am sure that we will finally bet down baby boomers. The world is changing and progressing everyday, baby boomers will get outdated because they can’t catch up our speeds on learning new things.
I think we need to be more serious on our job, not like playing around with technology and be lazy. Also, we can't be arrogant and look down on the coworkers. Because have to learn more from the experiencing people.
This is actually very true and I’m quite delight to express my opinion about this matter.
I am GenY and seriously I have been going through more than hell to be recognized and be as valuable as the older generation in the workforce. The reason been is because it is really hard for old people to finally understand they need to give us the opportunity to show them that besides we have fresh new ideas that could be a very important asset to any corporation, we also count with the ability to focus on the job rather to mess around and read about Kim Kardashian’s buttie…
I truly believe that GenY is more than that, however we need to push harder in order to make our point cross and erased that stereotype that older generation tend to catalog us on: we are just a bunch of kiddos who the only thing we think is party, drink and adventure, nothing else.. And that is wrong people!!!
I partially agree with this statement since, besides the fact that I am GenY, I had the opportunity to managed 10 subordinate between the ages of 21-25 and what I found was very sad. I found young people who did not have enough aspirations in life to get the job done. Young people who tend to think that life is nothing but to get a degree and then wait when the perfect job opportunity will reach their hand. I noticed lack of enthusiasm and passion for their job, making them to slack off and present this “careless” attitude towards any job assignment.
We need to get more serious about what we really want and have the passion for it in order to get higher in life and earn the respect we truly deserve. Is not a matter to wait until we graduate in order to think what will be our next step, we need to act from now.
I think my generation has to much and got it too easily. And its not that we are spoiled, it just that the world has changed, with the technological revolution and the global economy there is more of everything. its not our fault that there are more products and we can afford them, and that life is a little easier in terms of just living, but i think older generations resent the fact that we have it a little easier.
But now that i think of it, it just boils down to us being a different generation, what our parents had to deal with, we dont have to deal with, and what we deal with, our parents never thought of. So when we complain about our problems, it seems alien to them. they dont see what we are fussing about, but the problems they do understand, we dont deal with. So to them it seems like we are slacking.
My parents automatically see the computer as something i play games on. Im sitting there writing a paper for hours, my father would walk by and ask if i am tired of playing games all day. To him, you write a paper by sitting at a desk with a piece of paper and a pen with books lying around. and if he doesnt see that, well then you arent writing a paper...
I think alot of Generation y has a.d.d. And what I mean by this is they do everything at once and they want everything now. They come off like they wouldn't be controlled by the typical command and control type of management, still very typical in todays workplace. That creates the image problem seen today. Generation Y also has also of skills they need to be noticed more. They also more have real life experiance such as the 9/11 and financial meltdown. As far as getting the respect from managers; Do something extremly unique, in which baby boomers wouldnt be able to do. Use the technical experiance for you. Stand out from the crowd to show your not like the rest of the "slackers" Or get the credentials that show you have an expertise in that certain area. Focus real hard on something. That will get Generation y to improve their image
First of all I actually think that it is a great opportunity for Generation Yer’s to stand out of the crowd. From an egoistic point of view I would say, great that my generation has this slacker image because I am totally not like them. All I need to do is make this fact known to the people who hire and I am very confident to have excellent chances of landing a great job. Rolling up the sleeves, standing out with hard work and service in the community, dedication to detail and a track record of reliability taken together will give me a leadership image and a head start on the job market.
What can young workers do to improve their image? I would say don’t engage in any of those stereotypical things that everyone thinks you are doing as a member of the Generation Y Club. Don’t do facebook, twitter or myspace on the work computers, don’t call in sick on Monday’s, be professional in your appearance and work attitude and you will get the respect, the job and the place you deserve. I don’t believe in generalizations anyway, and generalizations can only be fought by individual behavior that counters those general expectations.
I am also part of Generation Y. I agree with The Lexington Express. Although our generation seem to have a couple of more commodities than the previous generation, we are held at a higher standar and have improved our quality of life. For this reason, the equation balances out. We are expected to do things quicker and with accuracy. At the same time, we use less resources to get our work done. For example, instead of flying off to another country to check on how our business is doing, we can find out through the click of a sent button either email, cellphone, iChat, etc. Furthermore, living in today's society it has worked to our advantage. The benefits of utilazing advance technology, affects us positively in both extremes. Through techonology we can break up with our partners without having to do it face to face. At the same time, having the appropiate technology has helped us discover new medicines to help cure the ill, we are conducting research to find the cure to cancer, and we even have a better chance to put the puzzle together of an unsolved crime. It is rough to live in our times being surrounded by so many negative things going on around the world such as global warming, AIDS, and among others. Generation Y has the capability to continue to make positive impacts throughout the world with the usage of technology, so lets not be so harsh on the Yers, Generation X.
I would fall under the category of Gen Y and i believe that as every new Gen Y becomes a Gen X and so forth they tend to frown upon the younger generation. Currently Gen Y has higher tech savvy skills built in because that's just what we grew up with and although most of the time it may seem like Gen Y types tend to fall into their own trend to get things done their way we're still able to get the task done. I believe that other people just have to try giving a little more credit and taking things from our point of view, younger generations will always try to be more enthusastic about things because they want to gain a more well known and respect of their peers plus their seniors, so just try looking more for the postive aspects instead of the negative.
I agree that the conflicting perspectives of the different generations is a major problems.
Perhaps, just to play devil's advocate for a moment, that it is necessary for the older generation to realize that these young people are the future of the world and rather than agonizing over how they are insufficiently prepared to succeed in it, they should be giving over the tools for how to do so.
I believe that many of the issues can be solved with a mindset change. Many individuals i know who are of my generation are very frustrated with the lack of technological knowledge of the older generation and i think many of the older generation think that the younger generation is too busy with technology (ie blogging, facebook, youtube) to actually do something worthwhile.
I think the problem with the image problem is due to the stereotype older generation gathered from the media. Nowadays, the crimes and wrongdoings from SOME Generation X or Y cover the media once in a while, which may result in the bad impression to the older generation. When they’re presumed that Gen. Y and X are “slackers” and “poor performers,” the prejudice thoughts can carry them to even workplace. From my personal experience, the senior employees from my past internships tended to be more careful of the works done by interns and young employees as they don’t trust our fast work (all thanks to our technical ability). However, when it comes to technology, they desperately needed our help. I believe to change these generation image problems; we should show some respect and patience toward these elderly (and maybe show our abilities subtly if we can), everyone needs time to adapt to the fact that we’ll be in charge of the world in the future.
I am part of generation Y. Creating a professional image is always my concern. Since I am also looking for the solution, right now I can only provide my opinion. I think there are two ways that we, generation Y, can do to improve our image.
First, set clear goals and achieve them, meaning we do what we promised. For example, I promised my manger that I will send her June’s Budget Amount by 5am tomorrow. I would not let any excuses come in and destroy my promise.
Second, be energetic and positive. These are health and emotional related issues. We are Generation Y, we represent the future. We have unlimited energy.
Above information are subjective. Welcome for any disagreement.
Hmm.. I may have to disagree with this strongly. Fine we grew up with all the technological changes and have adapted and become heavily dependent on these forms of operating and dismissed the classic and simple solutions that older generations are used to; Not our fault. But this is the future and by being exposed to these advancements as a child, I believe our generation will be the ones people turn to when something needs to get done. For example, if we were to ask baby boomers to operate a newly developed computer or media device, they would have no clue how to do so. By us Gen Yers having the knowledge on these innovations, we have an upper hand in today's and the upcoming society. What may have caused us to be deemed the "slackers" is the fact, like I mentioned before, that we have become so reliant on technology and do not think to resort to traditional solutions when there is a technical problem. Now to address the issue of protecting our "image" I believe that we have been too careless within our social networks. The internet is probably the worst place to share your business. Millions of viewers are able to see any and everything you put up. With that said, we should limit the amount of reckless photos, conversations, videos, etc. that we post on to our personal social pages and the like. In essence, we are a work in progress needing the most guidance and support as possible and with the right leadership, our generation can shape up and provide the productivity society was used to.
I am a generation Y as well and I feel that this perception of us is all wrong. The fact is we are different, we grew up in different times from the older generation. We're in a world where there are many enhanced communication tools like text messages and e-mail. One can basically do anything on the world wide web. We can improve our image by providing more knowledge of how to use these new tools. These tools might be complicated for the older generations who are unwilling to acknowledge that times are changing and that the way people work needs to be changed. That's where the younger generations come in, provide insight and try to implement new ways of working where things can done better faster and more efficient.
I think young workers can improve their image by changing some of their behaviors and attitudes. Constant texting is not going to improve their image at all. Also they need to know when it is ok to send someone an email and when it is better to talk in person. I know far too many people that would rather email than talk to people face to face. I also think the reason why Gen Y got slap with a lazy sticker is because of the technological advances during the last decade. I firmly believe that as technology advances, the more people become lazy. The T.V. remote control is a good example. I know some people that would rather spend 6 minutes looking for the remote control than walking up to the T.V. and change the channel. Technology replaces the need for workers.
What are other ways that generation X and Yers can improve their image, you ask? That is a pretty tough question for me to answer. Especially considering yesterday my brother and I were talking about how everyone our generation believes it to be A-OKAY to live off of mommy and daddy's money for, well, as long as they damn well please.
I think my generation could more then use an attitude tune-up. How to give it to them? If I could figure that one out I don't think I'd be spending my time typing it in here. I suppose there really is no way to give an entire generation an attitude adjustment. And let's face it, the majority of us kind of need it. I can only imagine a complete revolution of the professional industry, making working more appealing and worthwhile to people my age. Starting from the bottom up.
Who in their right mind wants to intern for a company, for free, in which they are filing papers and answering phones? Especially when I hear about a friend, who is lazy and completely apathetic about everything, getting paid $15 for doing the same thing. How did they get that job? Probably daddy or Uncle Freddy knew someone who knows someone who I definitely don't know so I would be stuck working for free.
Companies expect students to enter into the professional world having experience FILING PAPERS or ENTERING DATA. My nine year old cousin could do that. Corporations want us to have this useless, completely unappealing experience that someone with an IQ, lets face it, a lot lower than mine could do. I think corporations need to figure out a better transition for newcomers to the industry and make interning for them, whether it be for free or being handsomely paid, more appealing and fulfilling for generation x and yers, because lets face it, with every sort of entertainment or stimulation being available to us from our living rooms why on earth would we want o leave our house? Give us work that stimulates some part of our body and I promise we will give you results.
I have a mix view of agreeing and disagreeing at the same time. It is true that Generation Ys use a lot of technology to enhance and make our lives so much easier. But I think we deserve some credit for using the technologies and perform our tasks more efficient. I believe we are who we are today is due to the environment which we grew up in. But I also believe that we are less hard work than the previous generation and we use way too many shortcuts to accomplish our task. In addition, I think the recruiters that completed the survey by JobFox are most likely much older than us. They are recruiting for managers and CEO that are much older than us too. They have different set of beliefs and work in a different manner from our generation that they failed to appreciate GenYs.
i am kinda agree with the finding by JobFox. My dad always says people in the Y generation are not as smart as people in his generation. sometimes, I feel like it's not fair to compare us in that way. i think he should compare himself in his generation rather than in my generation. I always believe environmental factors can influence a person's strength and intelligence. therefore, people who grow up in harsh environment may have exceptional strength and I believe that our strength can also be stretched when we are forced to face the difficulties.
Many older people believe that we are lazy slackers that want money but don't want to work for it. Although this may be true in some instances, it is no worse than past generations. People think that becasue we listen to loud music and live a different life that we are not as good as them or cannot perform in the workplace as well as they can. I do not believe this to be true. It is the older generations, not us, that put the country into the financial mess we are currently in. In addition, like every generation, there are different challanges that we all must face. I believe the only way to make our image better is to prove the doubters wrong. I believe the name we have acquired can be removed if we work hard and turn the country around, and fix the financial mess!
I think one way young performers can improve their image is just work harder. I do agree with most of this study, young kids (me included) or just not as hard working as the older generations. We have been somewhat spoiled by the wealth our parents accumulated over time.
Another thing we can do is try to limit the amount of entertainment we consume daily. Watch TV for only 1 hour a day, play your video games 2 hours a week. If we limit ourselves to this level, we can use the extra spare time studying, working, or improving society as a whole.
complain less and work harder. I think that is all young performers should do. people are getting more sensitive and easier to be angry than before. I always hear people complain about those tiny things on the subway, some of which are nonsense.It might because of different culture, but I do think young performers in Asian are more practical and hard-working;and they do receive some respects in return.
I am Gen Y and I agree that the working ethics of the younger generation is a lot more different than those of the older generation. It might appear to others that the younger generation are "slackers" but the truth is, advance technology has helped us with most of our basic jobs. jobs that needed to be manually done before can now be easily done with advance technologies with just one touch. The younger generation will be the ones that provide us with new ideas and creativity. However, what the younger generation lack is work ethics. the older generation has stronger work ethics. Gen Y is prone to calling in sick more than those of Gen X. and the truth is, they are not really sick. Gen Y is more likely to go into work late. So what we have here is, the difference in work ethics, but i disagree if gen y were to be classified as slackers.
As a Gen Yer, I think that we've had it easy, but we're going to have to repay that back in full price. I think the biggest problem between a Gen X and Gen Y workers is that, the Gen X workers are expecting too much, being more harsh, or just being a little more biased about us gen Yers. But i speak with no actual experience, more of a speculation. I say this because i relate it to my parents, them being the Gen Xers while me being the Gen Yers. My parents never understand why I'm always at the computer, nor do they understand why my work schedule and the things i do are always all over the place. They always seem to think i fool around on the computer (bias) when I'm really doing work, they just don't understand how many resources are now on the computer. Then they also expect me to be a better version of themselves, they expect me to follow a similar path or do things in a similar fashion except just better, but that's hardly possible with all the advancement in technology, and we just have different ways of getting things done (expecting too much). And sometimes my parents would complain about how easy we have it and how back then they had to write papers out or how they had to walk to work and everything. (harshness) but its the same with us, we don't really have everything easy either, because we are known as the technology savy generation more is expected out of us, and whose responsibilty is it to be up to date with all these innovations ourselves. We Gen Yers are working as hard as the Gen Xers did. Just with time, the things we must prioritize is different. I think Gen Yers, have to just step up to the plate, and show everyone that we do work, we do try, and we aren't just kids who need to be spoon fed. Gen Yers need to find a way to show Gen Xers that we just as capable, but we have to show them in a way they can accept us.
“63 percent who said baby boomers (age 43-62) were great performers”- Of course they are better performers because they have more experience and expertise. I think Gen Y is more aware what’s going in the world, because of the technology: it takes seconds to get any information we need. The biggest advantage of Gen Y is the knowledge of technology: it’s very natural for us to use technology and to learn new aspects of it. The second great advantage is creativity. I think that it’s fair that people think that Gen X are better performers, because let’s imagine that Gen Y are better performers, they know technology better than Gen X, and they are more creative; who would want to hire Gen Y? I guess no one. So I am actually glad that the surveys show that baby boomers are better performers.
Wow... mean, but true. I do think that generation Y don't do that much. I believe that we do sometimes sit around and expect others to do everything for us or expect others to respect us without giving them anything to respect. However, I believe that our generation is very bright, creatuive, and smart. All we need is a little motivation or boost to bring it out of us. It is tough times and we as the new upcomers are put in very tough positions. I believe that if generation x can help us a little instead of just stating that we are slackers than it might actually help us. I believe that we ourselve do need to work harder to earn the respect that we are expecting but, i also believe that it will be even better if we were given a little respect first. Another thing is that we are a very bright generation but that doesn't mean change our image to bring it out of us. It just mean that we need a little support and motivation.
The Gen Y generation are the next to lead the world, and if recruiters keep that mindset about us GenYers, then who's to do it?
I definitely agree that with the shape of the economy the way it is right now, it's certainly time for Gen Y to shine and show the world just how capable we really are. I think the reason that Gen X and Yers aren't seen as "generally great performers" are because we are often overshadowed by the work that baby boomers do, so our subtle achievements don't seem to be getting us anywhere. But with the decline that's happening right now, I'm sure that we will be noticed more for the things we are able to accomplish no matter how big or small.
We can improve our image by taking initiative here and now. Do the things that we aren't expected to do, or do it without having someone direct us to do so. This way, our accomplishments will stand out and shine through the mess that the world is currently in.
ironically, i can identify why baby boomers feel gen y have big shoes to fill. as stated, we are in the fast lane; a generation, rich with technology, and everything we (gen y) need to know, is at our disposal due to previous generations. in other words, math formulas were developed, philisophical theories are matured, case-studies have been performed, mistakes have been made, re-evaluated, and as a result we (gen y) should learn and thank those generations for the lesson. yet despite these lessons, we still have H.S. dropouts, gangs, ignorant and obnoxious people. whos to blame? technology? or perhaps theyre a product of their environment? regardless, the problem exists and must be irritating to the older generations. however, instead of complaining, i think they should accept us for who we are and accomodate our strengths for their advantage.
I also agree that Gen Yers should do something greatly to change their image. Maybe one day someone will discover their strength but until then, are they just going to sit around and wait like losers? No! They should put some effort and come up with something creative or work harder on their skills to improve it. They should try to change people's perspective about them. I am sure not all the Gen Yers are horrible. Those who have great talent should try to help other Gen Yers and improve their image.
We, Generation Y, think and behave very differently from Baby Boomers or Generation X. We are independent, free thinkers, and in charge of our own life. We not only know how to use technology, they think and breathe it. They use it to solve problems, to find answers, and to keep in touch with friend. By having the new technology, we are fast- moving and can do multitasking.
We are the group who really want to have a work and life balance, enjoy our life and want fun as well as work hard. We care more about the world and believe that we can make the world a better place to live. We have friends all over the world thought internet.
With all those advantage, I don’t believe that GEN y have a poor performance. We just have different view of life and expectations for work style and performance. Once those manger get know us well and know how to work with us, I believe they will amaze by our performance.
I can't say i am surprised by these facts and numbers. I think our generation is in some way paying the price for our parents' success. They lived in much harder times, and worked harder to escape them, while we've grown up in a society where being below the poverty line practically means having a 40inch plasma tv instead of a 52 inch one.
So how can we improve our image?
We need to play down our flaws, or find a way to get rid of them, and then play up our strengths.
Maybe we don't focus or work as hard as we should because we do not fear the consequences as much, but to solve that problem, we could devote more time to finding something we are truly passionate about, so we find this "drive" the older generations have had, even if it comes from a different place.
Also, we can hone our technology skills, and find a way to really apply our extended understanding of the world that we should have been picking up thanks to the media/internet.
I agree with this article. Whenever i am in an observant mood, I always pay attention to the way my peers act in public. they are part of the generation that does not care the way they treat are and how they are perceived in public. sometimes i feel they differ from older generation in terms of how much etiquette they posses. Basically young people are quite rude to their peers and older generations, i think it's a national attitude problem.
Well. The Gen-Xers and Gen Y-ers may be getting a bad rap as a whole, but where does someone antagonize and isolate an entire Generation? (with the exception of the Beat Generation. but I digress). I think that companies will continue to look at the individual rather than generalize based on discriminatory tactics.
The younger generation could improve their image in public by being more decent in general. We as a whole generation seem to be too loud and freaky. Being in NYC makes everything easier but outside the city people do look and talk... I wish the younger generation would be more polite towards co-workers and focusing on the job taks instead of backbiting constantly.
One of the main reasons that I believe Generation Xers and Yers have a bad image is because top management have, for the most part, grown up in a different period. They do not understand the views of Generation Y especially. To correct this I believe that more young, experienced, and people who have proven themselves at such a young age should be promoted more quickly. I think that another reason that Generation Yers have a bad image is because of technology. We have become less dependent on ourselves and relied too much on the outside world. We should become more personal with the people we interact with in our everyday lives. We should also be aware of what is going on in our community, state, country, and the rest of our world. We should not just stay behind in our own little world. We should try to be more unique and not just try to fit in with the crowd.
I dont believe that our generation has that bad of an image to change. And i also dont believe that our generation has to change in order to gain the approval of other generations. It goes without say that people will have to age. And even if the older generations dont like us right now they will have to depend on us in the future. In the future generation X and Y will be the generations with the majority of money and majority of power. And our generation will have its time as well. Even if older generations dont like us they dont have a say in their time in this world. It might be harsh but its a reality that come to everyone. Things change in this world, and even if you dont want change to happen, it will. That is the truth of this world.
As a Generation Yer, I find that my peers and I are extremely laid back and find that we are better than others for various reasons, probably relating to our experiences involving our natural abilities in technology usage and a deeper awareness of international and cultural issues. We assume so much because we've had much more to learn that the generations before our time. Thus, the smugness kicks in, the cockiness rears its ugly head into the scene, and our ability to think that we are deserving of the best takes over our mentalities. I agree to a great extent that my generation does not consist of "great performers". At least not in the traditional sense. We are very opinionated and find that our opinions should count for a great deal. We are distracted very easily. We think things will just land in our laps because we were raised in a time when opportunities were bountiful.
But we do have a much larger sense of multi-tasking and keeping a cool head about juggling everything at once. This sort of abilities are most likely excellent for jobs that are within a matrix structured company. We can keep our minds straight during a crisis. We are able to finds ways of getting things done if the first way doesn't work. We are an innovative bunch that has high expectations and therefore, the result has greater potential to end up in high-quality performance. We can respond to change and disturbances quickly and efficiently. I think Generation Yers have a lot to offer to companies and employers. The problem is that employers think in a more conventional sense, and thus, can't see how our abilities are able to contribute to their needs or expectations.
Comparing the work performance between Gen x and Gen Y is a very difficult task. While this can be done on a quantitative level it is difficult to assess what our generation brings to the organization. While the research indicates Gen X out performs Gen Y, it does not explain the type of organization that took part in the poll nor it does not indicate the organization culture. We are living in a new age characterized by Marshall Mcluhan as technological determinism. Our generation works well in an environment were interaction between processes and technology is crucial. Mcluhan argues that our lifestyles are shaped by the way we process information. When we place technology in the equation, our use of technology becomes an integral part in our perception of the world. McLuhan is asserts that the new media is changing the way we think, act, and feel. Therefore, companies that have an open technological polices usually extract the most from Gen Y. Contrastingly, companies that have a limited or no interaction of technology and processes cannot extract the most of Gen Y; we are thus classified as slacker.
It has always been the responsibility of the employee to demonstrate their value to the firm, but it has also been the responsibility of the firm to give the employee a chance. If they're not willing to do that, then they could lose a very valuable opportunity. The generation gap is nothing new--it happens with every generation. The generation before the Baby Boomers likely saw them in the same light.
It's often hard for people to realize that times are different and while no, GenY and Xers usually don't read physical papers, that doesn't mean we're not informed of what's going on. There's nytimes.com, msn.com, cnn.com, bbc.co.uk, and countless other websites where we can get any kind of news we want instantly. We're just as intelligent and just as informed as previous generations, we simply receive our information in a different way, just as they watched the news on television rather than listening to the radio as their parents did.
Of course, compromise is necessary--it usually is--but my generation was lucky enough to be raised in a global world with the latest technology at our fingertips, and sometimes firms need to realize that our differences are strengths, not weaknesses.
yea... multitasking can be good and bad.. People are not enough patience so they like to be multitasking in order to get few things done at the same time.. It can be good at work sometimes because the person who is able to do multitask could get work done faster.However, that brings a huge gap relationship between different generation. When generation Y come home, they are busy with texting, emailing and watching TV.. Even at the dinner table, they can't just talk with family. Good and bad!!!!
That was pretty rough that article--but true! I am also part of Generation Y. Although our generation seem to have a couple of more commodities than the previous generation, we are held at a higher standar and have improved our quality of life. Therefore, the equation balances out. We are expected to do things quicker and with accuracy. At the same time, we use less resources to get our work done. Furthermore, living in today's society it has worked to our advantage. The benefits of utilizing advance technology, affects us positively in both extremes. Through techonology we can break up with our partners without having to do it face to face; which kind of steers us away from receiving the benefits of interpersonal interaction--yet the work still gets done. Anyway, I feel that Generation Y has the capability to continue to make positive impacts throughout the world with the usage of technology, so lets not be so harsh on the Yers.
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