We’ve all heard and read the millennial-bashing. Millennial employees want free food; they want unlimited vacation; they want to run the company two days after they arrive; they want to be coddled and given a trophy. If you’ve read my blog before, you know that I’m definitely not in the millennial-bashing camp.Why am I always so bullish on this generation? Because if you look past the stereotypes, you quickly see that mille...
If you’re a millennial, you’re probably humming along with Zac, Vanessa and the rest of the cast of High School Musical when you hear those words. If you’re a Gen Xer or baby boomer, you might not be feeling the music, but I want you to feel the love.As we approach May and a new crop of graduates heads into the workforce, let’s unite from a place of solidarity. Millennials often get a bad rap, but — as you know — I believe...
“But we were on a break!”(“Friends” references cross the generational divide, right?) Ross may have been talking about a relationship break, but I want to talk about career breaks – when employees leave for another company or a personal life event.Today, most employers realize that job-hopping employees are a fact of life. The 2016 Deloitte Global Millennial Survey found that 44 percent of millennials plan to change jobs wi...
The phrase “office politics” makes some people queasy. Maybe that’s because we tend to associate “politics” with people who are looking out for No. 1. Those who will say anything to get ahead. The backstabbers. The gossipers. Very House of Cards.But office politics is a different game – and one that savvy professionals know they have to play. That’s why it’s important to reframe your view of office politics and think about...
Remember the “house phone,” that apparatus we now call a “landline?” Every Gen Xer recalls the torment of the long cord that was just a little too short to get you away from your eavesdropping siblings, the annoying busy signal, and let’s be honest, the thrill of calling your crush and hanging up pre-caller ID.But as house phones became relics, so, too has the notion of practicing critical communication skills at home.I hea...
Are your ears burning? I know why: An HR person or recruiter is calling your references. Maybe you applied for a new job, or maybe someone’s got an eye on you and he or she is calling around doing intel.References are a very important step in the job-search process. Most companies do a deep dive into a candidate’s background before making an offer. And that’s a good thing: If you have awesome references, there’s no better w...
For 2016 lassrads who are starting to see job offers roll in, congratulations! You have your first chance to learn an important lesson that even my four-year-old daughter has mastered: “Don’t ask, don’t get.”A Salary.com survey found that a staggering 55 percent of respondents didn’t negotiate their salary at all in the past year, whether at a new or existing job. And first-timers are negotiating even less: 62 percent of ne...
As we head into graduation season, most grads-to-be are feeling a mixture of anticipation and anxiety as they prepare to launch into the real world. But there’s a percentage who likely have another emotion blended in: panic.If you are graduating this spring and still job hunting, it can seem as though everyone else has their future lined up, and it’s hard not to panic and be jealous of those who have already snagged a posit...
In today’s “pictures or it didn’t happen” world, millennials are all about experiences. In fact, three-quarters of young people would choose to spend their money on an experience rather than buying something, according to a study by Eventbrite and Harris.That doesn’t seem surprising when you consider other data we know about millennials – that they value a company’s culture over its compensation, for example.This quest for...
It happens to everyone. Without fail. The #workfail.In a recent post on soft skills, I shared why it’s so important to own up to a mistake at work. In my experience, other people remember how you handle a mistake, not the fact that you messed up. ‘Fessing up fast, resisting finger-pointing, and fixing your errors are key.Everyone makes mistakes. Keep reading for more in-depth advice on how to clean up your messes and move f...