Why millennials can't land jobs

[BikeJunkie]

You know what is really funny, and you will get this joke in 20 years, is that we said the EXACT SAME THING. We were not going to take it. We were the youth gone wild, or crazy babies. We were going to change the world.

Then we grew up, the same as our parents did.

Sshhh you're going to spoil it :twisted:

 

[BikeJunkie]

It's quite comical to have you angirly type the words "reading comprehension" when you yourself have failed miserably at correcting my grammar previously in this thread. Regardless, you seem to think that WHEN you were a coder is relevant to the fact that you have their atypical entitled arrogance.

I'm simply pointing out that it's not. If the shoe fits.

Whaaaaaaaaaaaambulance.

And I owned that mistake (see how that works?).

Now you try it!

Oh wait... real men just bury their heads in their asses as far as they'll go, right? (I'm genuinely asking, since you're clearly the expert on the matter)

 

[shortylickens]

Also, online job applications are fucking shit. Thats where resumes go to die.
You will never advance in life if you play that game. You need to stand out and impress potential employers and there is no way in hell you can do it with those fucking web forms.

Even if you flat out lie and doctor your submission to look like exactly what they want, your odds of getting a call back are piss poor.

You have to get face time and make a good impression. Thats getting harder and harder to do. Half the time when I walk up and talk to people they dont even wanna listen to me. They tell me to go submit an application online. Hiring people while looking at an spreadsheet of generic info is fucking horrible. And its only going to get worse.

Try to make friends with somebody, weasel your way around, and find a back door to the bullshit automated process. Online submissions are a huge waste of time. You'd stand a better chance dropping fliers all over town from god damn Cessna. At least that will make you stick in peoples minds.

 

[roguerower]

I'm a millennial and have been fortunate enough to only have done one interview since starting college. I was in college and was looking for my first internship and attended the construction career fair. Since I was in the Corps of Cadets I decided to forego a suit and wore my dress uniform instead since it was just one more thing to help to set me apart from the crowd. I had a good interview and got the internship. That led to a second one and that led to my job.

I've been with this company now (construction management) for 4 years (I'm 26). I've been promoted twice since I started and cracked the six figure mark earlier this year. I wear jeans and a polo to work, however there are days I say "screw it" (like today) and I'll wear a t-shirt, usually one with the company logo on it. I spend at least 50% in the field these days and that will only grow as I take my desired career path. I've gotten on my hands and knees to help out subs, I've spent hours cleaning up the building and taking out trash, I've driven loaders, forklifts, & backhoes, etc. Basically, I'll do whatever the fuck I need to do to get the job done.

I wonder if the attitude has something to do with the field of study the individual takes. Most of the guys in my CM program at school understood that they'd have to work at the bottom and move up. I would think most architects/engineers would be the same way because of the process required for them to get their stamps. Those in the sciences would probably fit that mold. Is the "problem" more of an issue for those jobs which required liberal arts degree? Just a thought.

 

[Ruptga]

This thread wouldn't have made it past page five if those in it were actually reading the posts they're "responding" to. Almost all you people are reading just enough to find something you can make a straw man out of, you don't actually care about anyone else's opinion or where the truth may lie. It's like a kindergarten playground fight in here.

 

[shortylickens]

You know what is really funny, and you will get this joke in 20 years, is that we said the EXACT SAME THING. We were not going to take it. We were the youth gone wild, or crazy babies. We were going to change the world.

Then we grew up, the same as our parents did.

Yeah, except the WWII generation busted their asses to make life good for you and your generation either fucked off, or worked hard at fucking everything up.

And America will NEVER recover from it. Even if we somehow manage to get things back on track the country will never be the same. Most of us will rent until we die and have nothing to pass on to our children except maybe debt.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Also, online job applications are fucking shit. Thats where resumes go to die.
You will never advance in life if you play that game. You need to stand out and impress potential employers and there is no way in hell you can do it with those fucking web forms.

Even if you flat out lie and doctor your submission to look like exactly what they want, your odds of getting a call back are piss poor.

I get called back on most of them and get calls from employers looking at my resume all the time. And yes, they've ended up as job offers.

You have to get face time and make a good impression. Thats getting harder and harder to do. Half the time when I walk up and talk to people they dont even wanna listen to me. They tell me to go submit an application online. Hiring people while looking at an spreadsheet of generic info is fucking horrible. And its only going to get worse.

You should use all means at your disposal, including any contacts. That helps regardless of industry.

 

[reallyscrued]

You know what is really funny, and you will get this joke in 20 years, is that we said the EXACT SAME THING. We were not going to take it. We were the youth gone wild, or crazy babies. We were going to change the world.

Then we grew up, the same as our parents did.

 

[Veliko]

I don't remember exactly which douchebag you are, but I do know I've seen your douchebaggery on display elsewhere in these forums. Your opinion is meaningless.

Oh noes!

Someone who's named themselves after their favourite Star Wars character thinks I'm a douchebag!

Will somebody please think of the huge manatees?

 

[reallyscrued]

I'm a millennial and have been fortunate enough to only have done one interview since starting college. I was in college and was looking for my first internship and attended the construction career fair. Since I was in the Corps of Cadets I decided to forego a suit and wore my dress uniform instead since it was just one more thing to help to set me apart from the crowd. I had a good interview and got the internship. That led to a second one and that led to my job.

I've been with this company now (construction management) for 4 years (I'm 26). I've been promoted twice since I started and cracked the six figure mark earlier this year. I wear jeans and a polo to work, however there are days I say "screw it" (like today) and I'll wear a t-shirt, usually one with the company logo on it. I spend at least 50% in the field these days and that will only grow as I take my desired career path. I've gotten on my hands and knees to help out subs, I've spent hours cleaning up the building and taking out trash, I've driven loaders, forklifts, & backhoes, etc. Basically, I'll do whatever the fuck I need to do to get the job done.

I wonder if the attitude has something to do with the field of study the individual takes. Most of the guys in my CM program at school understood that they'd have to work at the bottom and move up. I would think most architects/engineers would be the same way because of the process required for them to get their stamps. Those in the sciences would probably fit that mold. Is the "problem" more of an issue for those jobs which required liberal arts degree? Just a thought.

Go Hokies!

Hope to be making your salary at your age, damn that's impressive.

 

[Veliko]

Yeah, except the WWII generation busted their asses to make life good for you and your generation either fucked off, or worked hard at fucking everything up.

And America will NEVER recover from it. Even if we somehow manage to get things back on track the country will never be the same. Most of us will rent until we die and have nothing to pass on to our children except maybe debt.

Youth of today.

Blah blah blah.

Blah blah.

Blah.

 

[sze5003]

Also, online job applications are fucking shit. Thats where resumes go to die.
You will never advance in life if you play that game. You need to stand out and impress potential employers and there is no way in hell you can do it with those fucking web forms.

Even if you flat out lie and doctor your submission to look like exactly what they want, your odds of getting a call back are piss poor.

You have to get face time and make a good impression. Thats getting harder and harder to do. Half the time when I walk up and talk to people they dont even wanna listen to me. They tell me to go submit an application online. Hiring people while looking at an spreadsheet of generic info is fucking horrible. And its only going to get worse.

Try to make friends with somebody, weasel your way around, and find a back door to the bullshit automated process. Online submissions are a huge waste of time. You'd stand a better chance dropping fliers all over town from god damn Cessna. At least that will make you stick in peoples minds.

I've had my resume on career builder and monster since graduating college in 2010. I still get calls up until a few weeks ago when my monster resume expired same with career builder. I was getting 2-3 calls a day from small companies and recruiters. Location has a lot to do with it as well as how well you format your resume and put the important stuff short and sweet at the top.

 

[tcG]

^ What was on your resume that made it so impressive? 2-3 calls per day sounds like a lot...

 

[vi edit]

Linked in has been a pretty incredible resource for me. I'm getting emails at least a couple times a week for very job specific opportunities in my profession. Most of them are 1000+ miles away, but I've had a few really interesting ones pop up that were within an hour of me. I've also used it to research some prospective employers and get a bit more information about them by backchanneling some information with employees.

You could take all of the hits I get in month for careerbuilder/indeed posted resumes and they can't come close to as relevent as what I get from Linked In posts every other day.

 

[Virge_]

Linked in has been a pretty incredible resource for me. I'm getting emails at least a couple times a week for very job specific opportunities in my profession. Most of them are 1000+ miles away, but I've had a few really interesting ones pop up that were within an hour of me. I've also used it to research some prospective employers and get a bit more information about them by backchanneling some information with employees.

You could take all of the hits I get in month for careerbuilder/indeed posted resumes and they can't come close to as relevent as what I get from Linked In posts every other day.

The only major downside to this is there are a lot of resources that cache Dice/Monster/LinkedIn/etc - so even months (or, in my case, years..) down the line your resume may no longer be public but the calls/e-mails still come in for those amazing POSITION OPEN NOW, IMMEDIATE NEED contractor jobs..

Unless I'm oblivious and there is a way of scrubbing that, because I haven't had an e-resume for a few years and still get about one e-mail a week for various positions..

 

[sze5003]

^ What was on your resume that made it so impressive? 2-3 calls per day sounds like a lot...

Honestly I have not changed my resume since 2010. If I were to do so now I would have a hard time because I've been working with different programming languages, different material, it would take me a while to get it right again.

It was annoying actually, mostly recruiters who wanted entry or intermediate developers sometimes senior level too in asp.net, c#, sql.

I had my major and minor, gpa, languages I used in school and internship and two companies I worked at, one during senior year of college part time so the pay wasn't so great but it got me gas and books for school, and a company I worked at after college for a year.

I was making more my first year out of school than I did three years after..pretty much now at the new company after the economy went to crap. This year I've caught up to my salary matching pretty much my first job out of college.

The thing is, I live in an area now that takes a ton of local and city wage tax out which has a lot to do with it since the first job out of school I didn't have those taxes and had just started paying my student loans monthly. I don't know if I'm worse of now than before but I make enough to pay my bills and that is about it, plus some toys here and there so I can't complain.

 

[Ruptga]

Services like linkedin and monster are fantastic for people with good credentials seeking professional positions, they're completely useless for everyone else. If your GPA is unimpressive, your degree not spot-on, and/or you have no in-field work experience you're not going to get many responses. Once you get a foot in the door those services will push it open wider, however.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

I've gotten 3 calls/emails today from headhunters for various positions, all based on online resumes. I usually get several per week. The online sites do work but as Ruptga said, they favor established professionals. If you're a new grad or have no major experience, you probably won't benefit from them.

 

[CADsortaGUY]

I can tell you that the heavy industries are in very large need of electricians and welders. All of the old guys are retiring and because of this college education kick, we're not getting anybody to replace them. We're paying out the ass to get decent electrical help, and we're doing all we can to attract more. A lot of people think solely in residential electrician terms, but trust me... industrial equipment control is where we need help.

This. Very decent living if you have 2 licks of common sense and can put in a bit of time and REAL effort.

 

[sze5003]

You have to have at least one company on the resume to get interests in the web resume exploitation.

I don't use linked in but recruiters add me on there and you know I add them back because you never know when you may need some opportunities.

But as far as the web goes I've had more luck with monster and career builder. If I usually get a call from a headhunter I'll tell them straight up if I'm interested that I don't want a BS interview with the headhunter. He won't get to know me or my skills by having me travel 30 min to talk to the recruiter about myself. I just tell them get me an interview with said company because obviously you contacted me thinking I'm good for that position and go from there.

I've waisted time before interviewing with recruiters and this was right out of college so I learned my lesson. Half the time they just want to sell you as best they can and more than half they fail.

 

[BoomerD]

I heard an interesting saying the other day. I don't remember the exact wording, but to paraphrase, it was something like this:

"If the first person you meet today is a jerk, he/she is an asshole; if everyone you meet today is a jerk, well, you're the asshole."

The message here, shorty, is that if you went on 30 interviews and can't find a job, it isn't the employers conspiring against you and you most certainly haven't done "EVERYTHING" correctly. That's bullshit and you know it.



There is some truth to the first statement, but if that is what is truly happening to you in 30+ interviews, want to take a wild guess how to address it?

"If you meet an asshole in the morning, he's an asshole. If you meet assholes all day, YOU'RE the asshole." Raylan Givens

On the flip side I know some businesses where the majority of people clocked in 15 minutes late, stopped working a half-hour early, thought nothing of the job when they were not in the office. And there would be one or two people who actually had a strong work ethic, and worked the long hours to keep the business afloat.

I've seen the hard workers who spent countless hours devoted to the business be the first ones to be fired. Yes these companies have serious other problems and most I've known like this have gone under in recent years...

but the point still remains - dedication and hard work is not always rewarded with a secure future.

Ain't that the truth.
I worked a much different industry than most people here.
In the construction trades, you'd better not show up late...or they'll have called the union hall for someone else...and you are out of a job.

I always took the attitude that "If you're not at least 30 minutes early...you're late." There's always something that needs to be done before you start...piss, coffee, get lined up for the day's work, check engine oil and fluids, etc.

 

[88keys]

^ What was on your resume that made it so impressive? 2-3 calls per day sounds like a lot...

I think someone is blowing smoke. Monster and Career builder are a joke.

 

[Ruptga]

I think someone is blowing smoke. Monster and Career builder are a joke.

I think you need to chill out. Walk away from the computer and go to a bar, and don't take your phone. It doesn't matter what kind of bar it is, sports, hookah, lounge, whatever, just go. Chill the fuck out and come back tomorrow.

 

[Dumac]

ITT: Blame 'millennials' for their lack of work ethic when the reality is that the job market has changed.

I say this as a 'millennial' who got a job out of college, and internships during.

Looking down the newer generation is an easy out that most people seem to have taken throughout time.

 

[88keys]

You again left out the rest of what I said professionalism was. You are also trying to argue a negative. Just because my motivation for being a professional is my word doesn't preclude me from being paid for it.

Honestly, I've heard "company men " referred in many ways but, I've never heard that implied professionalism.

Now, I've said the same thing with regards to professionalism three times. One more and you're out.

Sorry, I was tired last night.

But here is what I've been thinking.

The generation difference is due mainly to a change in the needs of the current workforce vs the old. Our previous generations were much more blue collar oriented when our economy was driven by manufacturing. Professional etiquette in many was is nowhere near as important as it is today when it comes to getting a job. Most people would get their first job out of high school, gain experience from that, and then move up from there. And if you look at any manufacturing operation today, you would see that they are dominated by older people (baby boomers). These people are the machinists, tool and die makers, low level management, quality techs, etc. etc. And most of these people got their experience on the job while getting paid which doesn't exist anymore.

And not to bash any specific group here, but I have found that the most of these people don't have much of a concept of things like how to conduct themselves in a professional setting. They don't see anything wrong with wearing a T-shirt and jeans to a job interview, or the occasional (or frequent) swear word as these things haven't stopped them from moving ahead in the past. And once you reach a point to where you have the skills that employers are looking for, your conduct during an interview is just not as important. The last generation most likely made similar mistakes when they were younger, but they didn't dwell on them because again; it never stopped them from getting ahead. One place I used to work for hired a tool and die planner who was pushing $100k IIRC, and he dressed and acted just like a typical biker. Ponytail, gnarly beard, everything.

Today, the workforce needs have changed, and manufacturing in general is no longer a viable sector of employment and on the job training mostly doesn't exist. This means your best option to become gainfully employed in a professional field is generally 4 years of college with an unpaid internship. And when you are interviewing for your very first career oriented job, and you don't have any working experience outside of an internship (if that).
And when you aren't working with much, your conduct and attire during interviews becomes alot more important. And most of our (my generation's) parents didn't have to contend with this when they got their first job, and so little things like wearing a suit, or making sure you have additional copies of your resume didn't get passed on from parent to child.

And one reminder for those who scoff at the unemployed. When there aren't enough jobs to meet the demand; some people will have to go without jobs. If you had 10 people, and they all worked hard through college, networked via internships, wore expensive suits to their interviews. It would amount to nothing for a few of them if there are only 7 jobs available for them to take.