What Are Today’s Gen Y College Graduates Looking For?

As summer school sessions come to a close, more Gen Yers are entering the workplace. And employers everywhere who are looking to hire these highly interconnected young adults want to know—what exactly are they looking for?

“Gen Yers look at both the long-term and short-term prospects, trying to figure out ‘what role you might play in their life story,’” says Generation Y expert and author, Bruce Tulgan. “What concerns them most is the short-term probable.”

Bruce says there are eight self-building factors Gen Yers look for in employment opportunities:

1. Performance-based Compensation—they want to know that the work they do matters and makes a difference for the company they’re working for. Performance-based compensation is a great way to show Gen Yers the value of their work.
2. Flexible Schedules—some Gen Yers work better first thing in the morning while others don’t function at all before 10 a.m. Giving them flexibility in their work schedule will keep them happy, and will allow them to give you their very best work.
3. Flexible Location—the line between work and life is blurred for Gen Yers. They like to be able to work when they want and where they want, even if that doesn’t always include coming into the office. A flexible work location allows them to have a personal life while also completing their daily tasks.
4. Marketable Skills—Gen Yers always think about the future. They come into their first day on the job imagining where they’ll be a few months from then. Gen Yers are big dreamers, but in order for them to reach their dreams they are going to need skills that make them marketable for promotions and future jobs.
5. Access to Decision-Makers--according to Tulgan, Gen Yers want strong bosses. They want bosses who give them direction and mentor them throughout their time at the company. It’s hard for a Gen Yers to work for a company where your boss doesn’t even know your first name.
6. Personal Credit for Results Achieved—Gen Yers will work hard for you, but they want to know that any results attained from working hard will come with their name on it. They’re good working on a team, but they aren’t fans of doing work and not receiving any credit.
7. A Clear Area of Responsibility—although it often seems difficult for employers to grasp because they come into the workplace with only a little experience, Gen Yers want responsibility right off the bat! They don’t want to come to work and do menial tasks, they want to be in charge of a project. They want to own the work they do.
8. The Chance for Creative Expression—Gen Yers are looking for jobs where they can be creative and add their input to the projects they work on. They’re not looking for cookie-cutter jobs that include doing the same thing everyday the same way it’s always been done. They want jobs that allow for innovation, period.

As summer school sessions come to a close, more Gen Yers are entering the workplace. And employers everywhere who are looking to hire these highly interconnected young adults want to know—what exactly are they looking for?