From iPods and Texting to Jobs and Paychecks: Facing Presumptions of Millennials' Work Ethic

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As a new or recent college graduate, your ability to do the work that a job requires isn't so much in question. The iffy factor is your willingness to do the work in a manner an employer prefers. While the work-ethic question isn't singular to 20-somethings (Gen X members used to hear the same gripes when they were younger.), it does hit your generation hardest. Here's what critics say about Millennials:

• You have an attitude toward work that looks like laziness and impatience.
• You had to overachieve to get through the most competitive college admissions process in history, so you don't feel particularly inclined to pay your dues.
• You make up the most pampered generation in history; you were expected to spend your spare time making the varsity team, not working part-time. You're like Gen X on steroids.
• You're likely to look at a job interview in the way one 20-year-old candidate defined it to a recruiter: "a two-way conversation where the company puts out what they want and expect from me, and I put out what I want and expect from the company." Not!
• You're more demanding than previous generations and dismiss as hopelessly old-fashioned the traditional work ethic that people should work hard and do the best job possible, regardless of the reward.
• You can't think on your feet. You don't work well alone, maybe because you grew up on a steady stream of organized sports and other team activities. You're comfortable only when pursuing well-defined goals as part of a team and can't solve problems independently. (Mom, help!)

Today's rookies are too often stereotyped as lazy and impatient to take a seat at the table, refusing to pay dues, slacking off, holding galling expectations, being unwilling to work hard or long, and being limited in the ability to make independent decisions and solve problems. No generation is of one mind. Nevertheless, if you don't meet the generalization head-on, it can cause you to miss out on a job you want.

The positive performance you give during an interview dispelling the poor-work-ethic stereotyping can erase doubts about your willingness to do a job.

Tips for Millennial Rookies

Concentrating on the skills and accomplishments you provide and on what you bring to the employer - not what you want from the job - go a long way toward wiping out unspoken concerns that chill job offers. Here are other tips for combating perceptions:

• Don't get sandbagged by generational myths. Every generation believes that it's substantially different from those who have gone before and therefore deserves a pass to rewrite the rules. That's true only in the methods and technology used to make one's way in life. As scholar and publisher Dr. Ron Krannich (www.impactpublications.com) says: "Despite a trendy Generation Y designation, today's college graduates still must learn to connect with the right people who can hire them for good jobs, showing they can add value to the organizations they want to join."
• Don't be a prancing pony in your interviewing persona, confusing attitude with confidence. Try to come across as able but eager to learn. Radiating arrogance that implies the workplace rules must bend to accommodate your preferences because you're young and tech-savvy won't play well with older bosses who have the power to choose someone else.
• Bring a notepad and take notes during the interview. This shows you're interested and paying attention. Think respect.
• Don't be shocked if an employer refuses to negotiate entry-level salaries. But after you've presented your value, do ask about the timing of performance reviews, as well as performance bonuses and how they're calculated. (See Chapter 8 for salary talk.)
• Storytell. Prepare detailed true examples of all your skills, with as many examples from off-campus as on-campus. But stay away from personal stories that may work on Facebook but are more than interviewers want to know.
• Don't apologize for a lack of workplace experience beyond internships and student jobs. The employer already knows that you're starting out. Instead, explain how your experience at your summer job waiting tables helped you hone your customer-service skills. This is a golden oldie but especially important to young graduates.