Why millennials can't land jobs

[Mixolydian]

Fucking Millennials. Their greed and sense of entitlement has left their country and economy completely in the crapper. They just don't get it like the baby boomers did.

Not sure if srs...

 

[BikeJunkie]

the most recent one we had at my job for a developer position was someone who said they were proficient in javascript. my coworker asked the guy to white board a small problem and the guy couldn't even get the syntax for a for loop correct. and not only could he not get it correct, when he was asked to explain some of the syntax and how the variable defined in the for loop was initialized, he couldn't do it.

needless to say, the interview was cut short. it only lasted 30 minutes instead of the planned 2 hours.

Wow... that's pretty bad. I honestly don't try to hold people's feet to the fire (unless they're rude or absurdly stupid), but I think I'd probably press the issue on this one - did you ask how they justified claiming JS experience?

I was helping to vet an architect. Our Lead Architect (to whom I reported) spotted the phrase "IoC Expert" on the fella's resume. Frankly I didn't think anything of it. At that level, you should have a very clear understanding of IoC, but my boss (who was very well respected and generally friendly, but had a sixth sense for this sort of thing) latched onto that and just went to work on the guy for 30 minutes. Turns out the guy had no idea what it meant at all. At one point he looked at me, as if to plea "save me."

"Sorry buddy... this ride doesn't have seatbelts..."

I felt bad for him and he didn't deserve the dressing down he got, but it just goes to show: there are EXPERT interviewers out there who can sense in a split second - before you even open your mouth - if you're full of shit. Were I conducting the interview, I would have gotten to it eventually, but not with such amazing efficiency.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Let's talk about sacrificing. People always talk about how they want to be successful. How are you going to do that when you spend your leisure time playing video games.

You nailed it here, but I think the change is in the society and not in the people.

I talked to my grandad (WW2 vet) about this the other day when I asked him how it was living in the generation that experienced more technological change than any others in human history.

He told me that it was a really exciting ride. He said that people back in the day (40-60's) were so excited about the potential of new technologies and being the ones to innovate. New whole industries were formed and people wanted to be apart of it as much as they could.

You look back at things like the moon shot or even something like the genius at early Apple and Atari and it seemed like in the past just a couple guys in a garage could really change the world. But it is not that way anymore and so the motivation is gone.

Neil deGrasse Tyson recently said something to the effect of he supported NASA because it pushed young engineers to dream. His point was better innovation came from the inspiration of trying to get to the moon, not being at some corporate desk job trying to make the next airliner 30% more efficient than the one your parents rode in.

It seems like nowadays the barrier to innovate is beyond the regular person. Sure a regular person can make a killing or be a success "making an app" or something, but to change whole industries takes real access to capital. Only a few are pushing the boundaries of mankind in more than stable incremental ways because stable growth is what the shareholders demand.

In my generation the real success, the guy who made the biggest impact, only made a webpage. He did not create this awesome hardware to go to the moon or build the back of the internet. He made sharing pictures easier. And he wasn't even the first one, he just was in the right place at the right time with an old idea.

I think the corporatization of innovation, high barriers to entry for entrepreneurs, non-compete contracts and a patent system that would take away your profits even if you did innovate removes much of the motivation for recent generations.

Why create that next great idea, if your company gets all the profit and the marketing team gets most of the credit if it is a success? Better to punch the clock, go home and relax on Xbone and let someone else worry if the ship stays afloat or where mankind goes next.

 

[88keys]

Every generation has scoffed at their successors claiming them to be the worst generation of all.

I'm not at all convinced that younger people today are that much different than the younger people from 40 years ago.
There was a dramatic increase in U.S. birth rates in the 1980's and 1990's and hence we are now in a transition between the baby boomers and the millenials who are now coming of age (some of whom are already in their 30's). And people with generational differences often don't see eye to eye on alot of things. Baby boomers tend to have a very narrow perspective and are extremely resistant to change or adaptation. Generation Y on the other hand are quite the opposite. Now if you are familiar with the culture of the 60's and 70's, you would see that the baby boomers were probably not that much different from the millennials of today and even heard similar criticisms.

My boss is an older guy and we don't often see eye to eye. Whenever I find a different way to do something he has to get involved and will look for reasons say that it's bad even long after I have proved him wrong. He may not like it when I choose my way over his, but I'll do this because I know the person above him values results over methods and is the one who decides whether or not I have a job in the first place.

All that being said. I hope I die before I get old.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=594WLzzb3JI&feature=kp

FWIW, I'm a millennial and I haven't been unemployed since 2001.

 

[jpiniero]

the most recent one we had at my job for a developer position was someone who said they were proficient in javascript. my coworker asked the guy to white board a small problem and the guy couldn't even get the syntax for a for loop correct. and not only could he not get it correct, when he was asked to explain some of the syntax and how the variable defined in the for loop was initialized, he couldn't do it.

needless to say, the interview was cut short. it only lasted 30 minutes instead of the planned 2 hours.

You'd be surprised. People get stage fright and their brains turn off. Besides, you are supposed to vet stuff like this in the phone interview.

 

[senseamp]

Jeans and polo is pretty standard interview attire for developers here in Silicon Valley.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Jeans and polo is pretty standard interview attire for developers here in Silicon Valley.

"The Hoodie"

 

[dave_the_nerd]

the most recent one we had at my job for a developer position was someone who said they were proficient in javascript. my coworker asked the guy to white board a small problem and the guy couldn't even get the syntax for a for loop correct. and not only could he not get it correct, when he was asked to explain some of the syntax and how the variable defined in the for loop was initialized, he couldn't do it.

needless to say, the interview was cut short. it only lasted 30 minutes instead of the planned 2 hours.

Dan?

Hey man, enjoy your trip this week.

(Probably not. but we had this happen recently too, almost verbatim.)

 

[videogames101]

being 21 i find jobs easy to come by, mainly by dressing appropriately and being prepared

huehue

the more idiots out there the easier it is for me

 

[cubby1223]

Let's talk about sacrificing. People always talk about how they want to be successful. How are you going to do that when you spend your leisure time playing video games. My parents owned two restaurants. They didn't have time to play video games. My dad was working 12-14 hour days. He'd wake up in the morning at 5am, travel to the restaurant, prep the food and clean the floors. After that he went down to the beach and sold ice cream until 6pm. I don't see too many Millennials making the sacrifice needed to succeed. Instead they would rather bitch and complain. My mother was reluctant to hire young people because of their work ethic. Most of her help came from Romania. They would put in 10 hours a day, and ask for more.

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.

 

[88keys]

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.

This.

 

[IGBT]

millennials..are they the ones with a proliferation of tattoos / nose bolts / fishing lures stuck in their face?? And somehow think it's not a indicator of mental illness??

 

[Attic]

My money is that it will get worse. College no longer means what it used to.

 

[jagec]

That anecdote says a lot more about the dad than the daughter. But go ahead and shake your head at millenials.

Their bad parenting totally torpedoes their kids' chances at a good life.

 

[Imdmn04]

Other than being tardy, the other 3 points are not really that big of a deal in the software industry. I have hired millennials, Gen Xers and occasionally baby boomers in this industry.

Casual clothing is okay because most software development jobs are not customer facing. If we are hiring for a manager position, then more formal clothing will be required. We want to have an environment in which software developers feels "free and relaxed" so that they can get their creative juices flowing.

No printed copy of resume - not that big of a deal. We usually have it printed already or opened up on my monitor if we are interviewing the person. In fact, not having a resume printed/opened up on monitor beforehand would show unpreparedness on the interviewer's part.

No portfolio pad/pen - we have the candidate write it out on the board. If I need you to jot something down, I'll give you a pen/pad.

I don't place much generational behavioral traits to measure actual job quality. If they can answer my questions (both technical and social) that satisfies the interviewers and company culture, then they are hired.

This is coming from an early 30 millennial hiring manager. I am sorry, but some of those old school etiquette is not really that big of a deal anymore. Just get with the times.

 

[Vic]

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.

We must have worked at the same company..

 

[jagec]

No printed copy of resume - not that big of a deal. We usually have it printed already or opened up on my monitor if we are interviewing the person. In fact, not having a resume printed/opened up on monitor beforehand would show unpreparedness on the interviewer's part.

It wasn't about the resume, it was about the attitude when confronted on it.

Saying "I'm sorry, I assumed that you would have already printed a copy" is very different from saying "Don't you have it already? You guys called ME here, remember?", despite conveying essentially the same information.

 

[bradly1101]

I don't care what your mommy told you. You are not special. Get over it.

I had quite the opposite experience. I was told I needed to be on my own after my 18th birthday, even though it came in the middle of my senior year. I was told to figure it out. It felt harsh at the time, but I'm glad it happened because I got my GED, worked really hard, and eventually went to college on my own dime. I had a very successful career that let me retire early. I just want the kids to have good jobs, and yes unless you're in a family business it takes hard work.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Casual Clothes:
I've been interviewed by managers wearing jeans and polo shirts. First class hotels are Not casual environments.

Late without explanation or apology:
I've lost count of the number of interviewing managers who do this when they set the interview time.

No printed copies of resume :
I've had interviewers ask me for a copy (which I always give them) when I can see a copy in their folder in front of them. They then begin to peruse it, obviously never having looked at the folder in front of them. A few have the grace to acknowledge they already have a copy when they open the folder to put the copy I just gave them away at the end of the interview.

No pen :
I've never been interviewed by a manager without a pen but, I have been interviewed by managers who couldn't answer my questions about specifics of the job being applied for.

Of course, I'm not a millennial.

 

[drebo]

I'm 29 and, by and large, those people who are 5-10 years younger than I am are lazy, unfocused, and have no desire to work. They all go to college and stay in college twice as long as they should.

There's definitely a difference.

 

[Jimzz]

Fucking Millennials. Their greed and sense of entitlement has left their country and economy completely in the crapper. They just don't get it like the baby boomers did.

Taps sarcasm meter. :hmm:

 

[cubby1223]

The worst employee I had the displeasure of working with, would arrive to work ~11am every day with a hangover, spend the next hour in one of the other employee's office just talking. Then we all went out for lunch at noon. At 1pm when the next shift went to lunch, she'd head out the back door and tan in the sun until just before 2pm when the others came back. Then the boss finally strolled in at 3pm and sees that our wonderful employee is so busy and backed up with work it was our fault for not helping her get her work done throughout the day.

Of course she was good buddies with the boss's wife, and the boss's wife was the boss of the boss.

Not a millennial.

I think most people start out as bad employees and learn how to become a good employee through experience. I think it spans most generations.

I wasn't a good employee early on. But I learned and grew. Am self-employed now, and have been bringing in higher income year after year for the past 5 years straight while most in my line of work have quit due to insufficient income.

 

[Rakehellion]

It seems that way to you because you're a certifiable moron.

So your deal is that you're an asshole. Looks like they dodged a bullet by not getting the job.

 

[destrekor]

So your deal is that you're an asshole. Looks like they dodged a bullet by not getting the job.

kettle?

 

[bradly1101]

I'm 29 and, by and large, those people who are 5-10 years younger than I am are lazy, unfocused , and have no desire to work. They all go to college and stay in college twice as long as they should.

There's definitely a difference.

Youngins seem to think that their brains are capable of parallel processing. There is so much going on, so many conversations to keep up with, so much media to consume that they're brains become very noisy places. I have to be careful not to fall into that myself.

Focus comes from a still mind. I'm sorry, no you can't drive and text and do either well. Our brains can only work on one thing at a time. We can switch between things quickly, but if there are a million things going on, can any one thing get enough attention?

Cell phones, tablets and computer games I think are sad in the hands of young ones; a noisy mind becomes the root from which grows all experiences later in life.

Imagine if kids mediated. That's all you do in meditation, concentrate and focus on one thing, and discover the nature of our minds and how we lose focus. This leads to a still mind that can take on almost anything.

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/...mory-problem-plaguing-teens-and-young-adults/