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There’s buzz in the media that Generation Y is finally being put in our place. The recession won’t play favorites and Gen Y will see just what Gen X and the Boomers have been talking about. Besides this being ridiculously sad – honestly, are we really a society that beats down optimism? – it’s also completely erroneous.
The Economist reports that “the touchy-feely management fads that always spring up in years of plenty (remember the guff about ‘the search for meaning’ and ‘the importance of brand me’) are being ditched in favor of more brutal command-and-control methods.” (h/t The Schiff Report)
Except companies that operate according to the latest trend and resort to command-and-control methods are neither Gen Y-friendly, nor anyone-friendly. You cannot have one set of values one month and a different set the next, because what makes individuals productive in one economy does not change in another.
If you value an open, collaborative approach, that shouldn’t change when times get tough. Especially when Gen Y values are so beneficial to everyone.
The Economist goes on to say that Gen Yers “have labored under the illusion that the world owed them a living. But hopping between jobs to find one that meets your inner spiritual needs is not so easy when there are no jobs to hop to.”
Except that those who can perform will always be able to find a new, exciting position. And Gen Y knows how to perform, especially under pressure. We’ve been multitasking since we could make a to-do list and we readily embrace change. We came of age during 9/11 and as Nadira Hira argues, “corporate America often appears just as scary and unstable (and untrustworthy) as the world at large, if not more so.”
Just because we’re experiencing an economic meltdown for the first time does not mean that we’re going to hide in the corner. We’re not going to settle. Really, we’re not surprised. We saw all this growing up– lay-offs, bankruptcy, politicking - and it’s exactly why we wanted to change the workplace in the first place.
As the Financial Times reports, “today’s younger generation are better prepared for economic hard times than their parents or grandparents: they were not expecting jobs for life… switching jobs and reconsidering careers are second nature to them.”
So, stop listening to those who say Gen Y won’t survive the recession. Here are four ways to really feel secure in today’s economy –
1) Turn down job offers. My mother was horrified and I was elated when I turned down a job offer a couple months ago. But it is one of the most empowering career moves you can make because you get to practice negotiating, you get feedback, you’re in control and you have the option of using it as a bargaining position later.
2) Get paid what you’re worth. I’ve increased my salary 60% since my first position out of college. If you’re keeping track, that’s a 20% raise each year. Silvana Avinami, a self-proclaimed strategic job-hopper reports on Brazen Careerist that she does even better than that, averaging a 30% raise with each hop (see comments).
You simply cannot do this by staying at the same job unless you’re there for a very long time. You just can’t. “Loyalty is about delivery,” and when you deliver, you should be rewarded accordingly.
3) Over-perform. You probably don’t love what you do. And if you don’t like your job, even a little, you’ll start performing badly. That’s bad because high performance is the key to a successful career.
“It makes sense,” Penelope Trunk argues. “If you don’t need to get another job anytime soon, then you don’t need to perform well in the next six months. You can coast. Job hoppers don’t coast or their resume will look bad.” Job-hopping allows you to find out what you like and figure out your strengths by forcing you to make an impact quickly.
4) Risk everything. Because safe is boring and maybe that’s good when times are easier, but they’re not. Safety doesn’t create innovation. But innovation does create new jobs and new opportunities. Innovation creates new markets and cures for illnesses and ideas that make us excited to get up in the morning.
You really want to help the economy? Put yourself out there. Risk everything. Do it for you, your family, your friends. We’ll all thank you.
Recession proof.
Great post.
What makes this difficult is that the world is still run by the boomers who dont value gen y's value and contributions.
There are no jobs to hop to because the boomers and xers refuse to accept the workplace evolution.
Thanks for the comment, Chris! And while I agree with the sentiment, I have to disagree that there are no jobs to hop to. I could be biased since Madison, WI was just called the best place to find a job in '09, but there are lots of jobs, you just have to look with a different lens. Like, a lot of entrepreneurial companies are still hiring in my area - and they all need accountants, HR, and innovative, hard-working people too :)
Rebecca, KILLER post! As an HR guy, my favorite quote was this one: "Except companies that operate according to the latest trend and resort to command-and-control methods are neither Gen Y-friendly, nor anyone-friendly. You cannot have one set of values one month and a different set the next, because what makes individuals productive in one economy does not change in another."
Booyah! The companies that best ride through a recession prepared to dominate post-recession are the ones that do everything they can to set their employees up for success, regardless of the economic climate.
Keep up the great writing!
- Chris
Thanks, Chris #2! :) Great viewpoint on companies. It's not that it won't be hard for good companies, but that they will be able to survive the recession in a much better position than those who volley their values back and forth.
On one hand, I think its unwise to job hop during a recession that could take a turn for the worse. You could unknowingly be jumping from a lifeboat onto the Titanic.
However, a "crisis" is also an opportunity. There are companies and industries that are poised for growth despite the downturn. You may just find that diamond in the rough if you look hard enough.
Gen Y feels that we have more to give the world than our time between 9 and 5. Why should we settle for anything less?
I can't believe there is so much buzz around people beating down our optimism. There's huge opportunities here to outsmart everyone else, and Gen Y is bold enough to do it.
Absolutely you should jobhop during a recession, especially if you are less experienced and cheap because companies will be looking for bargains.
But you also need to take some precautions - such as making sure you have savings to live on if you find yourself unintentionally in between jobs when a risky career move doesn't pan out.
You have a lot of options to keep your living expenses low right now - driving a used car, renting, having room-mates.
Folks with marriages, kids, and mortgages need more stability.
@ Keith - If you don't already like your job, or aren't getting paid what you're worth, or aren't challenged, then you're already on the Titanic. What we perceive as safe really isn't. Thanks for the comment!
@ Matt - Love the Gen Y optimism, thanks :)
@ genXmom - I don't think it's even about less experience and cheap, but I definitely agree you should be financially responsible. But just because you have a family and a mortgage doesn't exclude you. I have a mortgage, a car loan, student loans, and I put money away each month. It's about making smart choices, not ones that society tells us to make. Thanks for making me think a bit more!
Here's my take on job hoppers, after having been one and dealt with many of them:
The money questions are: You said you were involved in all these great projects. How many did you finish? How long did you stick around to see the effects of the projects you finished?
If you can't be bothered to stay to finish what you start, why should I bother hiring you?
Great perspective Rebecca. I have a mortgage and still job hop. Even though living in a city like Chicago has made finding a various positions a bit harder, it's still to my advantage to keep my options open by working in different industries and trying different things. From my experience, being diverse is just as great as being "specialized."
@ jrandom42 - Really? Because if a candidate can't answer those questions correctly, then I wouldn't hire them either. It's not about not finishing what you start, but making an impact quickly.
It takes me around 9 months to make an impact and I usually stay at jobs around a year, sometimes more, sometimes less. I mentioned on my blog I would love to stay at a company longer - and am longing to do so! - but only if it continues to be mutually beneficial. I don't think we should judge the impact that an employee can make by the amount of time they spend. Sometimes employees take two years to do something great, but if you have a candidate that can do that in six months, wouldn't you hire them instead?
@ Raven - Yay for mortgage women! I definitely agree that it's a great advantage for knowledge workers to learn from a variety of fields and positions just as it's an advantage for a neurosurgeon to specialize.
I found the Gen-Y thing interesting in that as a trailing edge boomer, I have had some similar experiences with making an impact right away and knowing or not knowing my position will end in a few months. Unfortunately, it has not made any difference in pay rates, in fact, I have had to take lower paying positions.
I suppose that starting something that makes a big impact on the growth of the company/organisation is important. If the project is "unfinished" when you leave, there are others whose strengths lie in picking up a ball and running with it.
It will be interesting to follow trends here as well as in your country to see which cos/orgs manage to make it through these hard times. The cos/orgs that treat employees well are a good example for the rest.
One reason for sticking around to see the finish of the project is the implementation and the support. Also, I want to see how an applicant handles the Law of Unintended Consequences that always seem to follow projects.
Did you stick around and clean up any unintended consequences? Or did you just fly in, do your thing and fly out, leaving the finishing, clean up and support to other people? You may have had a big impact on an aspect of a project, but I want to see if you can handle the unglamorous but necessary parts of a project.
@jrandom42 - I think you make some really good points. I do think that project development and project delivery/daily management are two rather different skill sets. Someone could be (and often is) great at one but not the other.
Some people are great are developing, and others are great at doing. That's why teamwork is so crucial in today's business world. We can take full advantage of people's strengths and minimize the impact of their weaknesses.
- Chris
jrandom42 wrote:
"Did you stick around and clean up any unintended consequences? Or did you just fly in, do your thing and fly out, leaving the finishing, clean up and support to other people?"
__
Actually, in two instances my job was ended for me in a downsizing/restructuring move. In another instance, the job had an end as in a contract. I tried my best to provide as much documentation as I could, and in one instance, I think one of the projects virtually replaced me. It was an internal company website I had built from scratch that served all kinds of information like forms, procedural helps, company news, HR info, etc.
I have wondered if us "older" folk are more inclined to stick around *too* long.
Hmm. I have a tendency to stay at a company for more than the average Gen Yer. I joined a start-up right out of college and staid till the bitter end, nearly 3 years later. I've been in my current role for 19 months, and plan to stick around for at least another 6-9 months before leaving for business school. I'm not sure I would leave it otherwise.
Here's the way my jobs have worked though - while I'm at the same company, I am promoted upwards quickly and change roles every 6-12 months. I've increased my pay by 50% since my first position, not dissimilar to your 60%, though I'm a year or two ahead of you. ;)
My point is, don't job hop for the sake of job hopping. If your company continues to challenge you, reward you, promote you, etc. then is it worth it to hop?
Project management means (at least to me) management of ALL aspects of a project, and that defintely includes implementation and developing the support model.
A perfect example is the ERP project at a large company I worked at as a contractor. The project manager developed the project plan and it was concise and direct. The developement and deployment got done in record time. She left to take on another ERP project overseas, leaving the implementation of the project to others. Some of things that she left to others was the data migration, training, and developing the support model.
Data migration was a disaster, often requiring several restores of critical data a week. Training was slapdash at best, and in the end, the users only used a fraction of system's capabilities, because "it was too hard and different to use."
Support was almost nonexistant, because no one, other than the contractors had time to train the support people, who were too busy fighting the fires that the new system was causing amongst the user community.
No, if you just fly in, do your thing and then fly out when you feel your role is finished, that's NOT project management. That's being a sea gull.
@jrandom42 - I hear what you're saying. I agree with you on many aspects of what you're saying. I'm not in any way advocating job-hopping solely for the sake of job hopping. As Holly noted earlier, if your growing, learning things and moving up in your company, the solution isn't necessarily to leave.
I do strongly believe though, that the ability to develop a strategically aligned program, and the ability to deliver it, are two very different skill sets.
It may be two different skill sets, but if you are a project manager, shouldn't you be managing those who are doing the delivery as well as those doing the developement?
As for the difference between those who do the developement and those that do the delivery, cross-training is the key. Nothing helps developement like seeing the details of their development brought into the real world and taking a dose of reality. An appreciation of the design and developement (what was decided on and why) helps make implementation more coherent and better aligned with what the developers imagined.
Neither of these things happen when people voluntarily hop in and out jobs before they finish projects and see the effects of what they've worked on.
If your job title is Project Manager, yes, you should be great at both. But for knowledge workers, technically everyone is a project manager of sorts.
I'm a big believer that truly great people focus more on their strengths than on their weaknesses. The best teams are the ones in which people's strengths compensate for the weaknesses of others. Therefore, I'd rather have a two person team, where one is stellar at development and one is stellar at delivery, than a one man team who's mediocre at both.
Sure, the idea is someone great at both, but that's rare. If you're a designer, you may be awesome at creating a design concept but not so hot at sketching it out with computer software. The computer software person may do fantastic renderings but not be so hot at developing concepts. I think that's ok (hell, it should even be encouraged!).
@jrandom42 & @chris ferdinandi: Not to butt into your convo, but it sounds like you two are describing the difference between contract work/outsourcing and career movements. Some work is contract work by nature, even if you are being paid salary... it's project by project and it uses a developed skill set, like programming. But it has the ability to be contracted out, even though that might not be the way the company has chosen to handle it.
I could've completely misread that though. ;)
Please stop lumping Gen X with the Baby Boomers. We really are more like Gen Y. Let's SUPPORT EACH OTHER!
I'm a Gen Xer who have stayed at my last 3 positions for a little more than a year. Like most of you who have posted, I completed big projects so I could demonstrate my value, left for jobs that better matched my career interests, and yeah, made more money.
I used to think the whole job hopping concern was overrated. Lifetime jobs at a corporation don't exist anymore so you have to look around. At my last interview, it went well, I could tell that they liked me, but it ended with some "How long are you really going to stay" questions that came in the guise of "What's your 5 year plan?"
I obviously answered that it involves growing at this position/company but I could tell they weren't convinced. I found out later that the conversation afterwards was basically, "Do we want to hire Deadhedge for a possible 1 year, knowing that he could leave?"
Someone's anwswer was "I'd rather hire a smart guy for 1 year than a dumb guy who stays for 20 years" and I was hired.
I learned that if you job hop, you'll need a good answer to the invariable "Are you just going to stay 1 year with us" question and.
2 cents poorer,
DH
@Holly
What I'm talking about is the two different parts of a project:
1) Design and Developement
2) Implementation and Support
The first takes the needs and the "wants" of the customer, and designs the system and builds it into something tangible that works, at least in the test lab.
The second rolls it out to the customer, solves the integration problem with the current environment, trains the users in the new system, and troubleshoots and fixes any unforseen problems that come up during the implementation and use. They also develope the plan to maintain and update the system.
This a little slanted toward software projects, but it can be applied to any kind of project.
As I said, nothing invigorates design and developement like a dose of reality. Also, nothing aligns a project to its original vision than when the implementers can see the decisions behind why certain things were included or excluded, and why and how they were developed a certain way.
@Dead Hedge: "I found out later that the conversation afterwards was basically, "Do we want to hire Deadhedge for a possible 1 year, knowing that he could leave?"
Someone's anwswer was "I'd rather hire a smart guy for 1 year than a dumb guy who stays for 20 years" and I was hired."
AWESOME quote!
Rebecca,
Judging from all of the responses to your post, I think you've hit a hot button. I hope you don't mind hearing an opinion from a former Baby Boomer executive but here goes. I worked for one company for over twenty years and I certainly don't recommend that for Gen Y'ers (and they wouldn't listen to me even if I did recommend it!). However, on the other hand, you have to be extremely careful about being labeled a "job jumper." There are many employers who are going to assume that if you change jobs every year or less that you won't last too long with them and they may not hire you because of it. The key in life is to find a job and a career that you love and that does involve changing jobs from time to time. As I found out at the beginning of my career, you're probably going to spend some time finding out what you don't want to do before you find something you do want to do so taking risks, especially at a young age, can be beneficial. Just be careful about how you go about doing it.
Andy Teach
Author, From Graduation to Corporation
I think this hit a button becuase it's what many "want" to hear. But I think you're mistaken and as an emloyer I'm not looking for this. Sorry that's a bummer for some -- but it ain't about you anymore.
Job hop away. Idealism has its limits. I read the resume. Hopping tells me what I need to know about where the priorities are -- move on to some one that wants it. Too many out there. "Boo Yeah" isn't a catch phrase that's going to work.
Now go do it, then tell me that it has worked. We're in for a doozy.
get over it. in a bad economic cycle, companies are doing whatever they can to survive. They are not thinking about the future, they are thinking about making payroll. when things even out, they will think about millenials. Right now, it's survival of the fittest.
What I find really interesting is that there have been several people who have disagreed with aspects of this article, and pointed them out in a constructive way. And then there's been a couple of rude, incendiary comments... made behind a veil of anonymity that the internet is able to afford people.
As an employer myself, I disagree with the statements made. As someone who majored in anthropology, I find the "hide behind the internet" phenomenon rather interesting. I mean, if you believe that strongly in what you wrote, why not stand behind it and use your name?
@Chris
Because some of us actually have jobs that are actually influential enough where airing ourselves to the world may not be the most advantagous thing to do in order to increase wealth.
These same individuals also understand that most "job hoppers" are incompetent and this opinion provides them with a convienient excuse. That's reality.
@Thorman
The job hoppers who are "start-up rock stars" are a different story. They'll network their way around.
@Anonymous 3
The problem with this site is too many people say what they think others want to hear, or something with the word sex in it to try and drive blog traffic that doesn't make them any money. As the employee count at Brazen falls this becomes apparent.
Reality is tough to digest sometimes!
You're mixing two different pieces of advice here.
The idea that you should get the job that's right for you and turn down ones that are inappropriate is excellent advice.
The perspective that job hopping is a good idea... it concedes the idea that you can grow with a position and make it into something you want.
When I came out of college, I worked in private equity--something I had no prior experience in. It took me at least 9 months just to figure out what private equity was, how it worked, etc. Then, I actually did my job for a year... vs just trying to learn my job. That's when I realized what particular aspect of private equity I wanted to focus in on and I morphed my job over the next year to focus more on venture capital vs. buyouts... and within a year of working on venture, I actually got a job at a venture fund, which is a ridiculously hard to get position.
Where there stopoffs along the way that I could have taken for a shorter term gain? Absolutely... but I really do think that unless you dive in somewhere, build up a rep, and take the time to learn an expertise, your longer term results will suffer.
That being said, my last two jobs were a year, and a year and a half respectively, but they were opportunities that came to me... I wasn't job hopping and I owe my ability to do those jobs better to staying at the first job I took out of school for four years.
I stumbled across this post as I was gathering up some facts and ideas for a report and presentation that I'm working on relating to Gen Y and the recession.
THANK YOU FOR THIS!
I (a Gen Y-er), started launching a personal "discovery mode", as I call it, back in the fall, and began the networking and learning path towards a major career change. My goal has always been late spring 2009 since I began this process in the fall, but lately, I've been having doubts because of the current economic situation.
I'm back on track and really feel that this is the right Nowtime for a move - 30% raise...here I come!
Agressive article. And good. But I am not sure if everybody can risk anything in these moments. I think a lot of people don´t. Salvador Trinxet
Now children ... are we all just a little full of ourselves? All this gen Y HS sounds like the elan vital of the French army of WWI. I got news for y'all -- there's a real nasty economic landscape taking shape out there. You go flitting from job to job. I'll keep my head down and keep my boring job. At my age I wouldn't easily find another. Enjoy your youth -- it gets tougher the older you get and the more responsibilities you incur.
"They Shall Not Pass!" Gen. Robert Nivelle June 23, 1916
GrandpaBoomer, is right about taking what you can get. Employers can be biased against young job hopers who are perceived as not having much specialized project experience, especially they view it as a way for an incompetent person to stay employed by job hoping (due to not being somewhere long enough to look bad and make mistakes). The only time job hopers are valued is when they bring some specific experience needed for a project, which cannot be found elsewhere within the company. I know a lot of engineers that successfully employ this strategy; however they have document job skills and project experience that merits it. I can't imagine how a 20 something could gain such specialized experience due the need for decades of starting and finishing such projects on the job.
Like GrandpaBoomer implied, many generation Y applicants have mistakenly assumed that they got their positions based on the specialized experience which they brought to a particular company, however in reality all they have experienced is a “good economy” with lots of job openings. Yes, they are cheap to employ and are both flexible and fast learners. That is definitely and advantage, but in a tight economy specialized skill that are in demand are more valuable to companies that have to run and manage long term projects that can sometime run for decades. It’s an employer’s market now. They can get experienced people for less, so why settle for someone cheap and less experienced? Generation is Y is just too new to the job market to know what coming. I also predict that if this recession is exceptionally long that Generation Y will be far more “underemployed” than Generation X ever was. Please note I don’t mean unemployed, I mean people with advanced degrees functioning as admin assistants or retail clerks for a large portion of their early careers ( a decade or more).
This is good, but you're in a very small market, with limited competition. Living in NYC or LA--completely different worlds. Especially if you're in a popular field like media or fashion, just to name two. I think that being able to juggle two or three part-time/perma-lancer/consultant gigs at a time will be the best way to survive.
Oh, since Brazen missed a payroll in Dec. is this a polite way of telling the boss to shape up or you're out?
This is somewhat frightening to me as an employee that justification for job hoping is so broad. It is great that we have these creative new minds within our workforce however staff training is now so expensive due to high turnover. This struggle has had a negative effect on parts of many business such as customer service (in particualar, lack of genuine passion for the success of the business with employees these days). In recent years I have heard so many more people complaining about customer service. I am not saying that it is all gy'ers but as an employee I find it harder to train all staff effectively when there is such a high turnover with the gy'ers these days.
I now dont employ job hopers, many of which are gy'ers! Why? I train my staff in customer service. I think this is one of the most lacking thing is business today due to high staff turnover. If they are a job hoper it may not mean they're going to be bad at customer service but you will be building a relationship with my customers. When this relationship ends due to resignation, it has a negative impact on the customer business relationship. This is just the way it is no matter what.
My advise to employees is to still reward performance AND even more for performance and loyalty. If your employee stays with you for 18 months send them on a free holiday for a week or give them a nice big bonus. If you can keep a trained employee you make more money. Induction training costs a lot of money which is passed onto consumers, job hopers cost a lot more money.
to add,
if gen x'ers (me) or baby boomers had been given the oportunity as g'yers, we would have behaved the same way.
The comment: "And Gen Y knows how to perform, especially under pressure. We’ve been multitasking since we could make a to-do list and we readily embrace change", definately makes the x and baby boomers giggle, especially the word pressure. This is the thing that Gen y will have some real issues with over the next 10 years or so. I have been through it. It will be tough and you WILL need to change. EVERY generation goes through it. Those who deny it will struggle. Be the best you can be.
Job-Hopping is great! I've even done it a few times myself *starting out*. The first 3-4 hops help you learn how different companies cultures operate and what works for each employee group. HOWEVER excess use of this process will prevent any long term career progression. The company hires you, trains you, buys you business cards, a company car, golf club membership, takes other employee's/clients time out to introduce you/put you in their company printed directory and then.. you leave? I don't think so. Sr. managers don't get there or stay there by popping people in and out on a weekly basis. But don't just think of it that way, think of it this way. You get a job in place x, your spouse in place y, your children go to school place z. You & your spouse both now spin the wheel of job hopping, one job in place a, one in place h. Do you move? Do you split up? How do the children get to school.
And I haven't even touched on the retiree's who have seen their pensions go bust and are now re-entering the workforce. Should be interesting !
I've never worked at a company that printed me business cards or gave me a golf club membership. Excess job hopping may hurt the white collar crowd, but for the dude without the celebrated-college degree or the guy just starting out, it certainly appears help-also a new job a year does keep things interesting...
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