What Do Young Professionals Seek for in their Careers? For almost a decade, young professionals have been the central point of numerous deliberations. These young professionals are tremendously deadline driven and remarkably insightful for their years. In fact, these individuals have become the quickest evolving sector and biggest generation represented in the workforce. As more workers from early generations start to retire, these young individuals start to engage in a bigger role in dictating the future of how businesses function.
Important Elements Young Professionals are Looking for in a Career
The first component that young professionals aim for in their career is meaning. Meaning is not something a person should settle on. People devote a large amount of time at work; therefore, it should be something they perceive has purpose in their life. Whether that is serving their community or performing something they are passionate about, a sense of meaning will likely make them a greater employee and a gleeful person, driving them towards a satisfying future.
Young professionals are not like the “original clock-punchers of the previous century.” They are persistently propelled by opportunities to supply community service, aid people in need, originate things and predominantly make their mark on the world in a worthwhile way.
This yearning could be traced back to various sources. Quite a lot may have noticed a deficiency of contentment from work during the previous generations and wish to place a distinctive course. Others may have shifted their personal concerns due to coming of age during difficult economic times—more may be comfortable with not wanting to be denoted by a paycheck but preferably satisfied by a purpose (Zimmerman, 2017). Regardless of which way, the pursuit for meaning is key for many young professionals in the current job market.
Another element that young professionals strive forth is the capability to make a difference. Some individuals discover purpose in performing a job they know personally influences the lives of others such as nursing, tutoring or social work. However, even if their professions aren’t making a distinct, helpful impact, many individuals continue to value working for companies they recognize to be doing good in the world.
Moreover, flexibility is also a factor the young generation is looking for in their careers. With file-sharing programs, smart-phone emails, and additional technologies that permit work to break free from the confines of an office, it can be a piece of cake to blur the lines between home and work.
When contemplating about a profession or organization, many young professionals want to know how a company proceeds towards this work-life balance—and what they may do to counteract some of it. Some organizations provide wellness schemes or more indulgent time-off approaches. Others provide telecommuting choices that permit employees to work from home. Flexibility is something young professionals who have started or foresee starting families should certainly look for in a career.
Regular feedback is also a crucial component that lies within the requirements an individual long for in their career. An abundance of anxiety-driven articles state that young professionals are too delicate when faced with a difficult situation. Supposedly, they can’t manage disapproval and crouch in quivering fear at the likelihood of bleak feedback in a performance review. However, the truth is that most young professional-related exasperation with performance reviews has more to do with how they are organized—not what is being voiced out.
In a survey organized by HR services supplier TriNet, 69 percent of young professionals say that annual performance evaluations are a distorted procedure—but not certainly because they don’t like the feedback. This survey showed that 74 percent pronounced they regularly feel “in the dark” about how their supervisors and peers think they are performing at work—an indication some may be yearning for more consistent input on how they are performing (Meinke, 2019).
Also, desire for frequent feedback is no eye-opener, because the current generation is used to real-time reactions in their private lives by means of social media and other electronic outlets, they should clearly want that mirrored in their professional lives as well. She also heightens the fact that it’s not just the persistency of feedback that is significant but “the feeling of connectedness it provides.”
Feedback is not just about rectifying weaknesses or problems. It is also about strengthening associations and commitment within an individual’s professional community. Establishing those relationships can help promote a general sense of meaning and workplace culture.
As young professionals, it can be difficult to request for what you want, however as the workforce is sprouting in the modern age, you shouldn’t be scared to lean into the great alterations your generation is making across all professions. You should keep in mind that work is not just, work anymore. It is a chance to evolve as an individual and make a genuine impact in the world.
By Nathasha Hindurangala
Bibliography
Zimmerman, K. (2017). 5 Things We Know Millennials Want From A Job. Retrieved 22 May 2020, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/kaytiezimmerman/2017/10/01/5-things-we-know-millennials-want-from-a-job/#5e3495947809
Meinke, H. (2019). Millennial Career Goals: 5 Things Young Professionals Want from a Job. Retrieved 22 May 2020, from https://www.rasmussen.edu/student-experience/college-life/millennial-career-goals/
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Cover Photo : Photo by Marvin Meyer on Unsplash
