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Today’s Millennials and Their Take on Careers with Hilary Sutton

Today’s Millennials and Their Take on Careers with Hilary Sutton

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For my Gen X and baby boomer listeners, it’s time to listen to millennials about their take on work. My guest, Hilary Sutton, speaks as a writer, a researcher, and a millennial.

Here are three ways you can let us know:

  • Call and leave a voicemail at 708-365-9822, or text your comments to the same number
  • Go to TheVoiceofJobSeekers.com, press the “Send Voicemail” button on the right side of your screen and leave a message
  • Send email feedback to mark@thevoiceofjobseekers.com

Let me tell you a little bit about Hilary:

Hilary Sutton and she has a podcast “Hustle and Grace.” She contributes career advice for USA Today as well as other publications and an actress.
Earlier this year Hilary wrote a long-form report called “Marketing Hiring Trends” for McKinley Marketing Partners.

Highlights from our discussion:

  • Fewer millennials are actively on the job search than non-millennials. The numbers indicate greater job satisfaction.
  • Millennials are not as money motivated as you might think. In many cases, they would accept lower salaries if they come paired with other perks like a clear path for advancement or an open PTO policy
  • Millennials are by and large NOT drawn to perks that seem to make the workplace “cooler”: beer in the fridge or a ping pong table, etc. The more ‘perks’ an office has, often the more employees are expected to work long hours and not achieve a high value of millennials: work/life balance. Millennials like to keep their work and personal lives separate. If they value working from home, most likely they have already found a job to do that. It’s not a long-term career goal.
  • While they don’t care about those ‘office perks,’ millennials are hyper-aware of culture in the office, and it can make or break an experience for them. Taking the time to coach and congratulate millennials on job performance is huge and will impact their loyalty and retention. Regular team events (more than once a year) also builds bonds that mean a lot to millennials.
  • Millennials also value mentors and professional development and would welcome an optional mentor program in the workplace as well as professional development opportunities.
You can also sign up for my weekly newsletter at the top right of my page to be on the early list of my free e-Guide, “219 Modern Job Search Tips for 2019” to be sent to subscribers the third week of October!

About Mark Anthony Dyson

My name is Mark Anthony Dyson, and I am the Founder of The Voice of Job Seekers. I am a career advice writer, but more importantly, I hack and re-imagine the job search process.. I've worked with hundreds of job seekers one-on-one helping them to construct a narrative and strategy that appeals to hiring managers and recruiters. I present at colleges and organizations, and facilitated many workshops including my volunteer effort through a Job Lab. I write and create useful job search content on this blog and write career and workplace advice for blogs such as Glassdoor, Payscale, Job-Hunt.org, Prezi and more. Media Feature highlights: Forbes, Business Insider, NBC News, Glassdoor, LinkedIn's #GetHired, and NPR Freelance writer and content contributor: Glassdoor, Payscale, job-hunt.org, The Financial Diet, RippleMatch.com and more. Contact me to contribute career, job search, or workplace advice for your site at markanthonydyson@gmail.com.

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5 Ways Sentimentality Is Ruining Your Career

5 Ways Sentimentality Is Ruining Your Career

I have a Spotify playlist called “Endorphins.” As of today, it contains more than 200 soft rock love songs/somebody-done-somebody-wrong songs. These songs take me somewhere pleasant and calming. I’m sure you have a playlist that does the same for you.

Similarly, you may also look back on a previous workplace the same way I look at my playlist. Perhaps you remember an office where you once felt wanted, needed, and even praised. There are good reasons to feel sentimental when someone or something makes you feel valued.

But unlike my playlist, which is harmless, sentimental feelings toward a workplace aren’t always good news for your career. Never should such feelings drive your job search or your career choices.

Many of us are sentimental about our ex-anythings — friends, loved ones, and yes, even jobs. For a period of time, these may have been the best things in our lives.

The company you used to work for might have been the place where you cut your teeth. It was good for you at the time. Maybe now your sentimental feelings have you wondering if you should return as a boomerang employee.

Read 10 Job Search Strategies Beyond The Resume

But returning to old workplaces doesn’t always work out. LeBron James and Dwayne Wade worked together twice on the basketball court. One time was hugely successful — the other time, not so much. We as basketball fans bought in for a moment, but they weren’t winning like the old times. They had to part ways.

Are you, as a job seeker, ridden with sentimentality? If so, you may be derailing your own career path

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. You may be headed down a dead end because your feelings are getting in the way of making clear decisions for the good of your career. You can’t build a career on the way you used to feel.

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Unsure if sentimentality has infected your career journey? Consider the five ways it may be harming you:

1. Sentimentality Distorts Your Perception of Reality

Just because you received several promotions and did some memorable work doesn’t mean the company is still the right place for you. A lot can change.

Instead of relying on fond feelings, check in with your old employer. See what has changed about the organization overall and your former position in particular. Make career decisions based on what the company really is, not on what you remember it to be.

Read How to Create Realistic Expectations During Your Job Search

2. Sentimentality Makes You Confuse Relationships for Results

You’re friendly and hold great conversations. You built great friendships with the people you used to work with.

But did you really accomplish much in that role? Try to write out a clear list of concrete accomplishments to see if the job was really as good for your career as you think it was.

3. Sentimentality Comes and Goes

The feelings you have about that old job may not last, and you should never make career decisions based on what your mood is at a given moment.

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Step back and soberly dissect each aspect of that old job. Did you really love everything about it? Or are you letting sentimentality cloud your judgment again?

4. Sentimentality Doesn’t Account for How Much You’ve Grown

It took me years to swallow something one of my mentors taught me: “Never do your old job.” We’re supposed to outgrow our old positions as we progress. You can’t produce more value for employers if you never move beyond your old job.

Listen to Layoffs? Did Someone Say Layoffs?

5. Sentimentality Hinders Rational Judgment

When we’re facing challenges at work, we have a tendency to romanticize our old jobs — but we probably had problems there, too. Romanticizing rarely helps us understand the situation or address the issues at hand.

Your job search strategy must rely on facts as much as possible.

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I will admit that elements of emotion and faith may enter the equation, but a strategic approach requires a foundation of truth.

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Relying on the way it used to be is not good intel, and it could misguide you. Instead of letting sentimentality guide your career, try to put yourself in a clear, objective mindset. Make the choices that are best for your professional journey — not the choices that your fickle heart urges you to make.

About Mark Anthony Dyson

My name is Mark Anthony Dyson, and I am the Founder of The Voice of Job Seekers. I am a career advice writer, but more importantly, I hack and re-imagine the job search process.. I've worked with hundreds of job seekers one-on-one helping them to construct a narrative and strategy that appeals to hiring managers and recruiters. I present at colleges and organizations, and facilitated many workshops including my volunteer effort through a Job Lab. I write and create useful job search content on this blog and write career and workplace advice for blogs such as Glassdoor, Payscale, Job-Hunt.org, Prezi and more. Media Feature highlights: Forbes, Business Insider, NBC News, Glassdoor, LinkedIn's #GetHired, and NPR Freelance writer and content contributor: Glassdoor, Payscale, job-hunt.org, The Financial Diet, RippleMatch.com and more. Contact me to contribute career, job search, or workplace advice for your site at markanthonydyson@gmail.com.

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5 Lessons on Career Success I Learned in College

5 Lessons on Career Success I Learned in College

 

For mass communications majors at college, getting a television or radio reporting gig was a major career stepping stone. I was not one of those mass communications majors, but when I saw a job posting for a reporter position with a radio program, I decided to apply.

I knew the competition would be substantial, and that I would be at a disadvantage. I was a communications major, but not a mass communications major. Most of those students had experience writing copy and talking in front of cameras. Even if they had only practiced in simulations, they still had more experience than I had.

But I knew I had a few things going for me: gumption, a recorder, and a profound sense of curiosity. I also paid attention to detail. The application process required candidates to submit sample interviews, which I did. An associate dean at my university was kind enough to give me 20 minutes of his time to discuss his enthusiastic study of ghosts. I knew I had nailed a topic no one else would think of.

I got the job, beating out the dozens of mass communication majors who applied. Anne, the news director at the program, told me I was the only candidate to submit an interview. She said she kept telling applicants, “You have to go and talk to people!”

Being compensated for doing something I loved was a dream come true. That job had everything: flexibility, fun, and adventure. It also taught me a few valuable life lessons that I still carry with me:

1. Your Job Search Won’t Be Comfortable

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The associate dean gave me an impressive interview, despite my fear and anxiety. The collaboration accomplished precisely what the employer wanted to see — but it was still a harrowing experience.

Don’t expect to operate from your comfort zone during your job search.

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2. Treat People Extraordinarily Well

I eventually got a chance to work with the dean of the college for a week, and it set up some other related job opportunities. I only had this chance because I treated people well and focused on my relationships at work.

Don’t view jobs as one-off events. See how they can have long-tail effects on your life and career. Build your relationships.

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Listen to Giving Women The Courage to Negotiate Salary

3. Be Ready to Prove Your Worth

Landing a job will require some evidence of your value — like the interview I did with the associate dean.

There are other ways to showcase your value, such as social proof on your website or LinkedIn profile. Online assessments and behavioral testing are becoming more common parts of the hiring process as well, so you must be ready to perform on demand in order to show employers you have what it takes to succeed.

Read Be a Consultant, Not a Job Seeker nor Anything Like Your Competition

4. Adopt a Consultant Mindset

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Unless you’re aiming for a contract job, you need to show you can do more than just fix a single problem.

You want to prove that you can collaborate with various partners in your organization in order to create new value.

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For example, the news director was impressed that I interviewed the associate dean for my demo tape. I learned later the dean was at the top of his field, and I was fortunate to get any time at all with him. The dean was also impressed: He thought my genuine interest in his studies offered a value rarely available to him.

Read 10 Ways to Stay in Demand for Your Work – And Career

5. Do Great Work t0 Stay in Demand

It takes time to master your profession or craft. You won’t immediately be the best, but you can build a portfolio of white papers, articles, videos, interviews, and other relevant projects that show off your skills. Without my interview with the dean, I probably would not have gotten the job. Regularly producing great work is how you stay in demand.

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Your road to job search success can be difficult at times, but it doesn’t have to be unproductive. Do great work and forge valuable relationships with like-minded people — even when you aren’t looking for a job. This is how you will stand out and get noticed before you even need to be.

About Mark Anthony Dyson

My name is Mark Anthony Dyson, and I am the Founder of The Voice of Job Seekers. I am a career advice writer, but more importantly, I hack and re-imagine the job search process.. I've worked with hundreds of job seekers one-on-one helping them to construct a narrative and strategy that appeals to hiring managers and recruiters. I present at colleges and organizations, and facilitated many workshops including my volunteer effort through a Job Lab. I write and create useful job search content on this blog and write career and workplace advice for blogs such as Glassdoor, Payscale, Job-Hunt.org, Prezi and more. Media Feature highlights: Forbes, Business Insider, NBC News, Glassdoor, LinkedIn's #GetHired, and NPR Freelance writer and content contributor: Glassdoor, Payscale, job-hunt.org, The Financial Diet, RippleMatch.com and more. Contact me to contribute career, job search, or workplace advice for your site at markanthonydyson@gmail.com.

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