Even the “idealistic Millennial generation” needs to get real when it comes to job searching in our post-recession economy, reports a recent Bloomberg Businessweek article, “Dream Jobs: College Students Get Real.”
According to a survey conducted by Universum USA, the “top five ideal employers” of 2010 are (and these should come as no surprise): Google, Walt Disney, the FBI, Apple, and Ernst & Young. (Google has taken the top slot for four years in a row.)
These companies offer market success to college students and college graduates, an attribute that ranks high among these idealists; the survey also shows that these job seekers are looking for exciting and attractive products and services in a new job.
Not quite sure who these “Millennials” are? The article provides a nice summary: These are the kids who want to save the world (or at least make a difference in the world), but who don’t have much of a work ethic and have relied too heavily on their helicopter parents to actually possess any job search skills. These are the students who are placing less and less of a value on ethical standards (at least as an employer attribute) and who care less this year about working under an inspiring management than they did last year.
According the Millennials themselves, the only thing plaguing them is uncertainty. They need a job, need it bad, and might be willing to sacrifice their ideal picture of a green planet and rainbows to get one.
However, according to the Businessweek article, many of these Millennials “haven’t completely given up on making a difference, nor do they expect recruiters to ignore the world’s challenges.” For example, Google may still be number one on Universum’s list, but the American Cancer Society and the Peace Corps have both made it to the top 20.
It turns out Millennials may not be so different from the generations the preceded them as we had thought—they want to do good and strive for that do-gooder job, but since times are tough, they may just have to put that green, dream job on hold and search for something a bit more…lucrative.
Related Accepted.com Blog Posts:
- More Students Head to Mom and Pop For Jobs
- Passionate Optimism: It’s Nice, but Will it Land You a Job?
- The Make-Your-Own-Job Solution
- UCLA Students Green with Environmental Interest
Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best
Read the full article: Idealists Turn to Realists in this Job Market