Don’t Judge A Millennial By Their Smartphone

Millennial-stereotypes-at-work

Millennials – taking the industry by storm with their fancy gadgets, flashy clothes and a fresh-out-of-college attitude. This is usually what comes to mind when most people think of the newest generation of workers…but why?

Over the past few years, millennials have been categorized and judged by their age, attitude, and work ethic. In fact, they have earned such a bad rap, even Saturday Night Live wrote a skit making fun of the technology-crazed twenty-something’s! Although it does make for a good laugh, something needs to be said about the misconceptions people may have about millennials.

In collaboration with the 4A’s, St. John Fisher College hosted a panel featuring millennials from the Buffalo, Syracuse, and Rochester areas at the fifth annual Agency Transformation Conference in October. As part of the event, panelists shared their take on some of the common millennial stereotypes they have experienced:

 Misconception #1: “Millennials act like entitled know-it-alls.”

Reality: Millennials want to be engaged and experience everything they possibly can. We have a hunger for new opportunities and are eager to learn from our colleagues that have been in the industry for years.

 Misconception #2: “Millennials complete tasks too fast, it must be sloppy work.”

Reality: Millennials have a desire to be quick and nimble with anything they do. We want to contribute to the team, make an impact in a collaborative project, and ultimately, assist in delivering fantastic results to the client in a quick and effective manner.

Misconception #3: “Millennials don’t want to work hard.”

Reality: Millennials will work their butts off to prove themselves to a team, client, or company. We know that nothing worth remembering comes without relentless effort and passion, which is why millennials are so determined to deliver on every project they are given.

See….millennials aren’t so bad! We are hard-working, passionate go-getters that want to experience as much as we can. You can even call us the “office sponge” during the first couple of months on the job, just because we’re trying to absorb everything we possibly can. We want to feel like we are a part of the company culture, feel like our work matters to the overall success of a client project, and most of all, we want to help the company grow and flourish to its maximum potential.

 A huge thank you to everyone who participated in the Millennial Panel: Doug Parton, director of Human Resources from Partners + Napier; Emily Bowe, public relations content manager from Eric Mower + Associates; CJ Gaffney, director of strategy and branded content from Jay Advertising; David Grome, account director from Butler/Till; Dan Beca, director of marketing technology from Catalyst; and Traci Togias, senior account executive from Roberts Communications.

[image via]

Posted in Millennials and tagged , , , , , .

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *