My Secret

Okay you guys, I have a secret to tell you. I guess I wouldn’t call it a secret, but it is definitely something that I don’t go around telling people. Not that I am ashamed, but because I know how this information is received by some. (Looking at you Gen Xers and Boomers.) That’s right, I am a Millennial! I said it. There it is. I. Am. A. Millennial.

To be perfectly fair, I am proud to be a millennial. We have grown up with all the information in the world at our fingertips and I would like to think that we are better for that. We have lived through recessions and a terrorist attack on American Soil. And still we continue with our heads held high and our student loan debt on our shoulders.

And now, here we are. The largest pool of candidates currently entering the work force. And if I do say so myself, we are awesome! Companies should want us to work for them. More of us have bachelor’s degrees than our predecessors and rather than looking for a higher salary, we can easily be compensated with food and extra vacation days.

As a millennial who graduated college recently, I spent about a year looking for a job that was in my field. And to be fair, if I was going to make a career out of something I wanted the company I worked for to align with what I wanted.

I look for places with the basics, health insurance and a 401K. But I got so stoked when I would find a company that had a gym on site and a free snack shack so that I could grab a healthy snack for free rather than pay for chips out of a vending machine.

While some of these perks may not have been the norm 40 years ago, they are what the millennials are looking for before making a decision about where we will work. The other huge bonus a workplace can offer is tuition reimbursement / student loan payments.

As mentioned above, we all carry student loan debt. And when a company offers to help us pay those off? Sign me up and take my first born child! (just kidding but kinda not cuz kids are expensive)

After college I moved back home to help out my dad and our small town doesn’t have huge companies that offer all these benefits. However, I did find a company that offered many enticements that grabbed my attention.

I have the basics, 401K, health insurance, and a free life insurance policy provided by my employer. I also get my gym membership paid for through this company which a total score! We get a decent vacation plan as well as the opportunity to earn additional personal days which I love.

Overall, it was a great option for the place I am at in my life right now. However, I see myself expecting more from the next company as I become more experience and move to bigger locations. There is definitely a lot more to looking for a job now-a-day than just the salary. I would 100% take a lower salary in exchange for more vacation days or the opportunity to work remotely.

I believe that millennials are much more about time freedom than financial freedom and companies need to realize that. As more and more millennials come into the work force the benefits will change with the tide and I look forward to seeing what comes next!

Tips on Landing the Job

1. Dress professionally

a. Don’t just think about what you wear to the interview. If it is a place you frequent, show up looking good every time you walk in there. If you want to stop by and talk to the secretary about the progress of your resume, dress up! Dress for the job you want includes every step of the process.

2. Create a unique resume and cover letter

a. Don’t go as far as pink parchment sprayed with perfume (unless you know the person hiring is a huge Elle Woods fan) but definitely don’t hand in a cookie cutter resume! And heaven forbid you use a Word template. THEY WILL KNOW!

3. Study up on the company you are applying to

a. There is nothing worse than walking into an interview and getting asked if you know who the CEO of the company is and staring at your interviewer blankly. Not that this has ever happened to me before but I did watch it happen on an episode of Hired. Ever since then I do my research and learn the background of a company before any interview!

4. Be confident in your interview

a. Walk into that interview exuding confidence. If you know that you deserve to be hired then it will show. Part of this comes from being prepared so do a few mock interviews and study common interview questions. And if they throw a curveball question at you be creative!

5. Follow up!

a. I know that people have told you this before. College professors, mentors, your parents. But it is so true! A phone call or an email a few days after an interview is not annoying, it shows interest! I can tell you right now that without follow ups I may not have gotten the job that I have now.