Kid screamingThere is a scare, a rampant plague petrifying American corporations everywhere! Millennials! They are our workforce? These spoiled, coddled brats with no empathy, no sense of loyalty, way too much entitlement and a narcissistic addiction to their cellphones?

Guess what? You’ve got us all wrong. And, spoiler alert, by 2025, we will be 75% of the workforce. I know you’re scared, but I’m here to help.

But first, who exactly are Millennials?…

  • The U.S. Census Bureau defines “Millennials” as people born between 1982 and 2000. They are 83.1 million strong and represent more than one quarter of the nation’s population.
  • They have surpassed Baby Boomers to become the country’s largest living generation, according to the Pew Research Center.
  • They currently make up nearly half of the U.S. workforce.
  • In 2014, this generation launched almost 160,000 startups and made up nearly one-third of all entrepreneurs in the U.S.
  • They are the most misunderstood generation since the Baby Boomers. They’ve been called lazy, entitled or high maintenance simply because they played on T-ball teams where everyone got a trophy and grew up drenched in a constant stream of praise from adults.
  • They are tired of getting a bad rap.

Since graduating from college I have found myself constantly defending why I am NOT a “lazy”, “self-absorbed”, “no-work-ethic”, “wants-everything-given-to-me”, Millennial, especially in the past two years since I started executive recruiting … and my GOD is it frustrating!!

PERFECT EXAMPLE:  Older people in my office will quite literally say, “OMG, you millennials! …” or just call us “those millennials”, as if it’s an adjective to describe or explain the result of an action.  I’m sorry, sir/ma’am, but you saying “millennials” does not answer my questions about why our processes are the way they are, or address my request to get a paper recycling bin for the office…

Then about a month ago my mom, who is also an executive recruiter, came home from a conference involving some of the top players in the recruiting industry, and told me that “how to deal with millennials” was the main topic of discussion.  Not long after I was chatting with my boss– and came to find that he also holds seminars to managers in the recruiting space on how to deal with millennials. I finally said “OK, ENOUGH WITH THIS NONSENSE!”- We aren’t freaking lab rats that need examination and interpretation, we are PEOPLE. We are educated, growing, caring, motivated individuals who are just trying to get by and / or absolutely dominate life. You just need to open your eyes a little bit and try to understand where we are coming from. After all, wasn’t it not too long ago your parents were wagging their finger at you, dooming your generation before it even got a chance to prove itself?

So, as I’m sure you already guessed, I decided to start blogging about this often misconceived, yet, extremely relevant generation. Given that I am a Technology Recruiter, I get to see firsthand how complicated, misunderstood, and important this group of people is in today’s society. I get to experience how they affect the workplace and economy at the ground level. I know what has formed them and makes them tick. I know all of this because I am one. Yes, I AM a MILLENNIAL. So, you will be getting the scoop straight from the source (sprinkled with some flair, humor & irony 🙂

I will not just be my own advocate, but a representative of all Millennials.  I will investigate the real truth behind the myths, help you understand why we think and act the way we do, and show you how we aren’t as different from past generations as some may think.  After all, LABELS ARE FOR SHAMPOO BOTTLES, NOT PEOPLE!

*mic drop*
Stay tuned.