Why Millennials Aren't Landing Jobs: 4 Common, Avoidable Mistakes
Millennials are doing lots right in the job hunt. We’re picky, purpose-driven and willing to take risks. But we also frequently make avoidable mistakes that waste our time and sabotage our career prospects. Here are four:
1) Taking what you can get.
Instead of just settling, get clear about what you want. This is more complicated than simply following your passion because many things compose what we want: our values, our desired lifestyle, work we enjoy, work that enables pursuit of other things we like.
Deciding what you want, then, requires honesty about all the boxes you want your career to check, not just a general field or activity.
Here are A few ways to define what matters to you professionally:
Sketch out what excites you and what randomly intrigues you. Write it down! The most successful people in all of eternity keep a journal.
Use an employer review site like kununu, and Yelp for the workplace, to help clarify the details of what you want in work.
Be a better person. The closer you get to the “Ideal You”, the clearer it becomes what Ideal You wants to do day-to-day. Read books that inspire your development—whether its self-improvement, books on your craft, books that are your craft or biographies. “
If you’re worried you’ll be fickle, consider Deloitte’s finding that millennials’ values tend not to change as they progress professionally; in fact, they become stronger as we move into management positions.
2) Being well-rounded.
Instead, get advanced training.
Ask three questions:
1) What do I want?
2) What am I good at?
3) What does the world need?
Perpetual job seekers often think they know what they want, but they don’t answer the next two questions.
You don’t need a $250,000 education to get trained. Take Lynda courses, do an internship alongside your regular job, take classes at a community college or trade school, watch YouTube videos. Many of the best developers taught themselves how to code; many of the best video editors and writers just fiddled around until they got it.
You don’t need an “A” in a class to show employers you know your stuff. Build your own website; freelance and showcase client work; work until you have something to show for it.
3) What does the world need?
Perpetual job seekers often think they know what they want, but they don’t answer the next two questions.
Asking “what am I good at?” can depress recent grads. When I asked myself this as a creative writing major, for example, topic sentences were among my most specific, hard-won skills.
Broad, generalized abilities sink in the job market. Indeed, career experts note increasing demand for advanced skills, particularly in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). But even if you’re not numbers or strange symbols oriented, you can create a specialty by developing distinct talents.
And you don’t need a $250,000 education to get trained. Take Lynda courses, do an internship alongside your regular job, take classes at a community college or trade school, watch YouTube videos. Many of the best developers taught themselves how to code; many of the best video editors and writers just fiddled around until they got it.
You don’t need an “A” in a class to show employers you know your stuff. Build your own website; freelance and showcase client work; work until you have something to show for it.
4) Over-polishing Yourself.
Tell your story.
To nail an interview, we think about dressing professionally, speaking articulately, a perfect resume.
Though we know we’re selling ourselves, we too-easily forget what sells better than anything: stories. For example, “you might talk about a life defining moment: what it taught you and how it changed your perspective for the better.”
Even early in your search, you can showcase your story with specific examples from work experience in your resume, a more narrative cover letter, or by linking to your bio story online.
As Millennials we instinctively build personal brands. More important for getting a job, however, is a professional brand. Even if you don’t want to maintain a brand for a living, write your mission and vision statement, tell your story as if you’re the founder of YOU, Inc., and set the stage for your success.
