More and more millennials (born between 1980 and 2000 ) are on the move in their job search as they struggle to find employment in their home states. Millennials comprise 24% of the US population– 77 million total people between the ages of 18 and 35. MoneyRates.com recently compiled a list of the best states for millennials in 2016 and our great state of Iowa was ranked fourth.
The analysis focused on eight factors including the unemployment rates for young adults; the availability and average cost of residential rentals; and the percent of state populations composed of young adults.
Iowa’s unemployment rate among young adults is only 5.8% which is the state’s best strength according to the study, although the state fared well in most of the other categories.
At Dale Carnegie Training of Northern Iowa, we are passionate about helping people reach their maximum potential. Organizations that open job opportunities to millennials can capitalize on their can-do attitude by following these steps.
1. Inspire vs. Instruct- Millennials want to be coached and guided vs. managed. They need to understand how the tasks of their role within an organization support the overall company mission. They must know where their career is headed and which steps are required to get there. Embrace their preferred forms of communication such as text, chat and even video messaging instead of relegating them to countless meetings and PowerPoint presentations. When it’s time to give constructive feedback, push the purpose aspect, e.g. how making specific changes will positively impact the bigger picture.
2. Turn to Teamwork- While earlier generations may have performed best as lone rangers, millennials are used to working in networked teams and will thrive on collaborative projects. They work well with teams comprised of diverse coworkers which also provides mentorship and growth opportunities. By encouraging and rewarding their joint team efforts, you will ultimately maximize their individual potential and overall accomplishments.
3. Engage and embrace them- Labeled as “job hoppers,” millennials typically chase bigger paychecks because most earn enough income for their needs, but not their wants. Interestingly, a recent Gallup poll found that millennials actually place other attributes ahead of income when considering job opportunities. Opportunities to learn and grow, and in advancement, are extremely important to millennials, especially since there are few boundaries between their work and personal time.
Tap into their entrepreneurial spirit by engaging them on every level possible—asking for their opinions on how to tackle a task or approach a large project. Try to avoid the mistake of getting hung up on how much time they are spending on personal emails and text messages when they are ‘on the clock,’ because you can rest assured that they will be working during off-hours. This generation is used to constantly being plugged-in to communication networks and don’t view responding to questions or working on reports during their personal time as ‘work.’ If you’ve done your job as a leader to inspire them, they’ll go above and beyond to deliver.