Guest Post: Give me a mentor, not a boss

Jaerid Rossi offers an interesting perspective on Millennial life. He’s 27-years-old, a proud parent and has five years of work experience under his belt. We hope Jaerid will continue to share his experiences with us in the future, but until then, check him out on his blog, “Life’s Lessons.”

I’ve been out of college for five years now and recently started my third job. I have had a variety of experiences already, including a technology startup and a very large multi-national company. I’ve had the experience of a horrible boss who passes blame and judgment for his own gain, but also had an amazing mentor who guided me where I wanted to go.

The story of my first job (the startup) is a bit of a worse-case scenario. When I first joined the company (literally in a garage, as the 7th employee) the founders were very supportive and eager to teach me. Then we grew, got funding and hired more people. Soon, there where 16 people and we had 5 VPs, a CEO, a CFO, and a CTO. I was now working for a new VP of engineering. He was a boss that micro-managed me, pressed personal agendas and sacrificed my reputation for his own personal gain. He would give me philosophical talks about how I had to be a company man and should work long hours to show my commitment to the company. However, what I saw in him was a man on his third marriage, a man who had not spoken to his own children in 15 years, a man who had been fired from countless positions and a man who cared for himself alone – he had no interest in my success. Despite my better judgment, I worked hard for that company. I still felt there was an opportunity…financially if nothing else.

Then I was on a business trip presenting at a technical conference. I checked out our brand new website and found my job posted as an open position. When I challenged my boss on this, he stammered and couldn’t give me a reason for it. I had a good relationship with a board member who told me in confidence that my boss had sold me out. That I was the reason he was behind on his projects – projects I had no knowledge of. This resulted in me being passed over for any sort of financial incentives and walking away from the opportunity. (By the way – that company eventually folded)

After that experience, I had a bad taste in my mouth, but I managed to hit gold in my next position. I had an excellent mentor as a supervisor. He spent a lot of time understanding what I was interested in learning and what my career aspirations were. Then he helped devise a plan to make it happen. He suggested books I could read, helped me reflect on mistakes and showed me how to do the same with other people. Once he told me that it was his job to train employees to do what he could do. If one of us eventually took a similar position, or even his if he moved on, he felt successful. He and I would have long conversations where he would challenge me and help me see outside my realm of thought. I knew that he wouldn’t give me the answer, but would help me find it.

What I look for when I interview at a company is an opportunity to learn and grow. I want to gain experience and knowledge while also contributing to the company. I look for mentoring qualities in a supervisor, because I know that such a person will help me achieve my goals in development. I’m much more eager to do work for a mentor than a boss. I don’t look at things as being mundane when a mentor asks me to do them and I become as interested in his success as he is in mine.

I know many Millennials feel this way. We want to learn and grow in a position. We want our colleagues to be successful and have very little tolerance of those who are only looking out for themselves – especially those who are supposed to be guiding us. So please, be a mentor, not a boss.

The Importance of Interns

by Ryan Healy 

Since starting our blog only a month or so ago, we have received a number of responses from young people complaining about their lack of work and oftentimes, pure boredom.  Strangely, I hear the same complaints from friends of mine in full-time positions.  I’m sure some people are thinking, “It is your own responsibility to find more work.”  To an extent, I agree with this statement.  Whether I consider myself an adult or not, I am expected to be one, and adults sometimes have to figure out what to do next, without being told. 

In today’s work environment, it is the norm for young people to leave a job within a few years or even months as they grow weary of the same old “busy work.”  So I can see why a young employees boredom might not be a companies first concern, especially if the issue is never discussed with a manager or Human Resources.  That being said, I believe this kind of talent management is absurd.  But I’m only 22.  What do I know? 

On the other hand, not providing interns with enough (or any) work is a whole different story.  I will not mention any names, but a few of the aforementioned responses came from people who identified themselves as interns.  And when I think back to my two summers as an intern I notice a similar pattern – there really wasn’t much work to do.  When there was work, it was often oversimplified, mundane, busy work.  Of course, this type of work should be expected by interns because of their virtual non-existent rank on the corporate totem pole, but I can promise you that these sporadic, mundane assignments will send your brightest interns looking for another job come graduation time. 

Not only do companies risk losing their interns to competitors, but the interns will probably tell their friends about the negative internship experience.  Their friends will then tell their friends, who will tell their younger siblings etc.  Before you know it, ignoring the intern whom you never wanted in the first place can lead to a company being bashed on MySpace, and personal blogs throughout the internet.  If you think this is an exaggeration, just look at some of the comments on this blog from readers fed up with their jobs.  If the idea still doesn’t resonate, then check out this great article titled, Why Generation Y Hates You. 

I get the impression that hiring interns has turned into something that companies feel they have to do rather than something they value.  When I think of an internship, the first word that crosses my mind is learning.  An intern is (usually) a college student, who is taking time away from learning in a school environment to go to a company and learn in a work environment.  Why so often do these interns become glorified secretaries?  If nothing else, pair the young intern up with a different mentor each week and let them shadow employees at all levels of the organization. 

Full-time employees will eventually realize that the amount of work they do is up to them.  Some will sink and others will swim, but the interns are the ones who desperately need the guidance.  My advice to a mid or upper level manager is; take an intern under your wing.  Show them the culture, show them the office politics and test them out with a tough assignment every once in a while.  An intern is there to learn for now, but who knows, they could be a vital part of the organization in a few years. 

 

Brazen Careerist: Paychecks are Boring

Unless you are a professional athlete or working on Wall Street, an entry level salary is not very exciting.  When you couple this with the fact that the average college student graduates with tens of thousands in student loan and credit card debt and the cost of renting a place in any major city is an absolute rip off, a paycheck does not go very far.  If I am paying an arm and a leg just to have a roof over my head and pay back an education that wasn’t exactly optional, how can I possibly save any decent amount of money?  Realistically, I can’t. But that is alright. 

If I stay in the corporate world, the paychecks will keep coming, I will pay down debt, I will pay my rent and I will spend the majority of the rest on food, entertainment and happy hours.  The remainder will go to savings.  One thing I will not waste my money on is “stuff.”  Nothing bothers me more than seeing people living in houses above their means and driving cars they can’t afford. 

I am not foolish enough to believe a paycheck will ever make me rich.  The only reason I get excited about a 3% raise is because of what it represents; my hard work.  The increase in money is barely noticeable and will disappear into my 3% lifestyle increase.  Sure, I could invest that 3% in stocks, mutual funds or better yet an IRA, but what exactly am I saving for?

Read the rest at The Brazen Careerist

Millennial Activism: “The New Community” in Action

by Ryan Paugh 

If you didn’t already know, “the Guys” of Employee Evolution bleed blue and white. We’re die-hard Penn State alumni, and whenever we get the chance to revisit “Happy Valley” it’s a take-no-prisoners all out bash honoring the best years of our life. This past weekend, we hit up State College, Pa, for the Nittany Lions’ annual Blue and White game, which is basically an excuse to tailgate and watch our football players show us what they’ve got, but this year was something different, something absolutely astounding…

After we posted Virginia Tech and the New Definition of Community, we had some comments questioning how exactly technology could significantly impact Millennial activism. This weekend, the answer was as vivid as maroon and orange could be at an event founded on blue and white.

Students, alumni and fans of all ages showed up on Saturday wearing Virginia Tech’s signature colors. It was a tribute unlike anything I had ever seen and the most astonishing part of all – it was all started by a handful of inspired college students. The event was organized through the power of the Internet. Facebook groups encouraging students and alumni to invade Beaver Stadium with maroon and orange began popping up early in the week. By the time Saturday rolled around, Penn State was “Hokie” State.

George Thompson and Bill Solomon, two students, gathered over 5,000 of their peers to form a “VT” in the student section where the traditional Penn State “S” usually stood. The Penn State Blue Band wore bright orange during their rendition of Amazing Grace and even Joe-Pa sported a Virginia Tech cap while he coached the team from the sidelines. How can Internet technology help us make a difference? The answer in Happy Valley was clear…

As one of our friends and critics pointed out in response to last week’s post, “the amount of effort we put into our causes is what will create change.” But it’s hard to believe Penn State, what becomes the third largest city in Pennsylvania on a football weekend, could have rallied the way we did without a little help from the World Wide Web.

Guest Post: Making My First Post-College Career Decision

Today’s post is by Devin Reams.  We met Devin after he left some great comments on our site.  Devin is a college senior.  In his post, he discusses his decision to go corporate rather than diving straight into entrepreneurship.  Enjoy.

I sometimes suffer from an identity crisis. Am I an entrepreneur? Do I want to be my own boss? Would I like to climb the ranks? Can I grab for power and get what I want in life? The decision I’ve made right now, coming out of college, is my attempt to answer those questions.

Last October, over a half-year ago, I saw job postings for all the public accounting firms. I shrugged it off “knowing” these jobs were for the December graduates. Haha. Apparently not. I panicked. “It’s time to job search already?!” I had already missed deadlines. So, I scrambled, contacted professors, talked to the companies and within a week landed a job. Phew. I felt relieved. I had taken care of my future. It was November and I wouldn’t even start until the following July.

But why did I feel the need to grab onto a job so quickly and so easily?

Cubicle Hell?

I went with one of the Big Four because I’ve already seen the corporate world and want to see more. I’ve been interning at a large telecommunications company for a year now. I’ve seen what the cubicle world is like and I don’t always enjoy it. But, I’m glad I’ve been there and experienced it. I’ve learned what I do and do not like, I’ve learned about people, communicating, working with others, office politics, and so on. I liken it to a romantic relationship: my first girlfriend taught me a lot about myself, but I’m sure there’s something better out there.

Learning is Key

In the last few years I’ve become interested in accounting (and always interested in technology). All the firms have groups that are a bit smaller, more specialized and end up working less hours with more pay. I figure, out of college this is the perfect job for me! I want to see new companies, new industries, different people and of course, learn a lot about what I already enjoy.

But, once I stop learning, the job is no fun. The firm is no longer doing for me what I, as a millennial, demand. Out of college my motivation to learn is intrinsic. If I’m no longer motivated and my needs are no longer fulfilled there’s no reason to stay put. Right? Therefore, I picked a career in public accounting because I want to learn. I’ve talked to the companies, I’ve heard from employees: I know I’ll learn.

Creating Opportunities

I see myself doing one of two things in life: becoming an executive somewhere or starting something successful on my own. Do I have lofty goals? Sure. Do I know how, when, or where I will achieve them? Hardly. But I know new opportunities can come with this job.

Additionally, since I have no ideas and little experience I’d rather go to work, learn on someone elses’ dime and see where it leads me. I have time, right? I will either come up with something on my own or continue to learn, do well, and fit into a position which I enjoy. It’s win-win because if I don’t I can simply move on to a new opportunity.

With all that said, I’m only 20. I’m young, I have time to make decisions. I’m far from my quarterlife crisis. I’m ready to go get my feet wet and see what this Employee Evolution is all about…

Guest Post Series

Today we are introducing the first post in our Guest Post series.  Since creating the Write Your Own Post section, we have received multiple requests to be featured.  Currently we are working with five people to be featured in the upcoming weeks.  The more interest we receive, the more frequently we will publish these guest posts.  Anyone interested in discussing their career decisions, office culture or anything remotely similar to the topic of Millennials at Work, please send an Email to Employee.Evolution@gmail.com. 

Dirty, Rotten Scammers: A Post for the Recent College Grad

by Ryan Paugh 

As a journalism major, finding my first post-college job was no walk in the park. It seemed like for every ten resumes I delivered, there was one response that read something like this:

We have reviewed your resume and have given your qualifications careful consideration. Given the skills and qualifications needed for the position, we have decided to pursue other candidates who more closely match the required skills and qualifications. We will keep your resume on file for six months…blah…blah…blah.

Ah, the token rejection notice – the politeness police’s answer to respectfully obliterating your self-esteem. If dealing with these every couple of days was not bad enough, then there’s the companies that can’t seem to get enough of you, put you up on a pedestal and tell you how successful they’re going to make you. These of course, are the scum of the corporate earth, the scam companies.

I first learned about the scam companies a few weeks out of college. The add jumped out of the classified in its bold text, perfect bait for any naive “17th grader” fresh out of his vain college surroundings: “ENTRY-LEVEL, COLLEGE GRADS! SALES CAREERS IN MANHATTAN!” I guess I should’ve known better…

Nevertheless, I got excited and immediately applied. A day later I received a call from a young woman telling me her company was extremely interested in me and wanted to see me tomorrow. I said I’d be there, hung up the phone and started wondering how I got so lucky.

The next day I cruised into the city looking like a pro. Suit and tie, fresh haircut, leather briefcase – I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

After pacing around the block a few times, waiting for my appointment time, I walked into the building. My first reaction was an uneasy one. The place was smashed between clusters of second-rate apartment towers and as I walked down the hall I wondered if I had made a wrong turn.

As I finally found the place my attitude took a 180. Fresh wood floors, industrial designs, pop-music playing – could I actually work here one day? As my “future” boss came out to greet me, I had no idea he was really “the boss.” He couldn’t be more than five years older than me!

He took me into his office and won me over with talk of how he made it big in under a year of working for the company. He told me I had a lot of potential, that I’d be able to do it too. Basically, he tried to say all the right things.

After I left, he told me I would get a call this evening telling me whether or not I got the job. Sure enough, that evening I got the call, they said to come in the next morning for orientation and I said yes. I barely had time to take it all in before they were stuffing a job down my throat. It seemed unbelievable…and it was.

When I finally had time to digest, I decided to check out the company online to see what other people had to say about them. The first three links that came up were “Scam-Reports” busting the business for its pyramid-like schemes and ill-treatment of employees. I didn’t believe it, so I searched my would-be boss’s name. Who types in their name on Google and gets a Scam-Report as the first result? This guy!

So I learned my lesson, if it’s too good to be true, it probably is. If you’re a recent college grad, it’s likely that someone will try and take advantage of you too. So look for the telltale signs I discussed in my story.  Most importantly, if you’ve never heard of the company before, Google the hell out of them!

Virginia Tech and the New Definition of Community

by Ryan Healy

We are going to stray from the norm on today’s post because something much more important than workplace issues has occurred. 

Since hearing about the unbelievable massacre at Virginia Tech yesterday afternoon I have literally felt sick to my stomach.  I don’t think I realized it until right now, but all the talk of this horrific act of violence has dramatically altered my mood.  To think that someone could open fire on innocent classmates boggles my mind.  It just doesn’t make sense.  I guess there is no reason to even try and make sense of the situation, because a rational human being could never understand what was going on inside the head of someone sick and twisted enough to gun down 30 people. 

Tragedies like this tend to put things in perspective.  Life is a precious thing and should never be taken for granted.  One day you are about to graduate from college and dive head first into the real world, the next day you are laying in a casket while not only your friends and family, but the nation, mourns your death.  April 16, 2007 was a terrible day that will never be forgotten. 

The aftermath of tragedies often bring out the best in people.  I already see this happening.  The students of Virginia Tech will rally behind each other to create a wonderful caring community that will never forget, but will overcome this tragedy, together.  I am absolutely amazed at the outpour of support and the communal bonds that this tragedy is creating.  The multitude of Facebook pages created to honor the lives of the fallen and to help the families is mind blowing.   

I now understand why our generation truly is different and how we will change things.  It is not because we are special and it is not because we think that much differently then our parents or our grandparents.  It is because of technology and the new definition of community that this technology has created.  We have the power to share our thoughts, feelings and goals with everyone, unrestricted by geographical limitations.  When Columbine occurred we did not have this community.  Young people mourned throughout the country, but we were still somewhat isolated and disconnected.  Today, social networking sites, blogs and cell phones provide us with the opportunity to share our feelings, mourn, and eventually overcome, as a community. 

As terrible as this incident is, I can’t help but to think, this will be a turning point that will eventually define the legacy our generation leaves.  Think about what can be achieved if everyone bands together and sets up social networking pages dedicated to ending the global warming epidemic or funding cancer research.  With enough support from the community, these simple pages can turn into all out non-profit research centers, or hospitals or whatever other crazy ideas come from the MILLIONS of people involved.  Nearly everyone in our generation is a part of this online global community, if we use this wonderful resource for the greater good, like I see us doing in the wake of this tragedy, there is no limit to what we can achieve. 

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victim’s families, and the Virginia Tech students, faculty, and alumni. 

Brazen Careerist: I’m in 17th grade

Most of my friends would love to run their own business some day. Me too. However, we believe the first logical step is to get a few years of work experience, make connections, and save money.

A couple of months ago, my good friends from college, Matt, Cole and Adam, came to visit for the weekend. These three want none of that work experience I’m talking about, so they are opening up a sandwich shop in a college town.

The first thing Adam said when he saw me was, “What does it feel like to be in 17^th grade?”

He was referring to the fact that I live in an apartment complex with hundreds of other “young professionals” who are basically living the same boring (his words) lives. At first I laughed it off and told him that he was just jealous that I was making money and could afford to live in a nice place like this….Read more at Brazen Careerist by Penelope Trunk.

A Unique Generation

by Ryan Healy 

As you may or may not know, older generations have been studying, surveying and writing about what makes us millennials so unique for years now.  It has already been established that we as a generation are different.  As always, no traits can define an entire generation, but we all grew up in the same time period and share some similar life experiences.  The question now is why are we so different? And, how are we going to change things in the work place over the next 5 or 10 or 20 years? 

We may be different because of the enormous amount of new technology that we have grown up with and now take for granted.  We have always had computers; we can’t imagine our teenage and college years without cell phones, AIM and the ability to have information at our fingertips through the internet.  Is this what makes us so unique?   

We may be different because we have grown up with constant change and therefore have an innate ability to thrive in any new circumstance.  From pagers and car phones to the internet and cell phones, we have seen and adapted to new technologies at a pace unparalleled in American history.  Maybe we need this constant change to continue in our jobs.  Maybe we can’t simply adapt to the status quo of the corporate environment.  Is this what makes us so unique? 

We may be different because we really are the children of a new age.  Not since 1850’s Has America seen a fundamental shift like we have seen in the past 10 years.  We are indeed in a new era in history, the Information Age.  Maybe us millennials simply do not understand how or why we should fit into a corporate structure that was designed over 150 years ago during the industrial revolution.  Is this what makes us so unique? 

We may be different because our parents, teachers, aunts and uncles have told us since day one that we could do “whatever we set our minds to” and we should “find a job/career that we love.”  Now we find ourselves in careers that we have settled for and jobs that we don’t even like. We work for corporations large and small that deny our creativity, passion and drive to do what we set our minds to by telling us what to do rather than asking for input.   

Why didn’t they tell us this harsh reality growing up? Why weren’t we warned that doing what we love is not always practical in the current environment if we want to sustain or improve on the life our parents provided for us? 

Maybe it’s because they knew we were different.  Maybe we were being groomed from birth to change the way things work.  Maybe the answer to getting out of working paycheck to paycheck at a dead end job is not to find a new, better job.  Maybe the answer is to change the fundamental structure of the corporate world so everyone can enjoy their jobs.  Maybe we can achieve this if we make our voices heard. 

We have been labeled “Americas next Great Generation,” It is my prediction that by the time we are leading this country, things will be different and eventually we will live up to the title.  Why should we wait 20 years to do this?  Maybe I’m crazy and maybe these are the same thoughts everyone generation had at 22 years old.  But there is one glaring difference, the numbers are in our favor.