In my “Now Trending” series, I curate five recently published articles that capture the future of work or embrace the Millennial mindset. Share your favorite articles of the week in a comment!
Should Companies Make Space in the Boardroom for Generation Y?
In this debate article from Director magazine, two senior level professionals argue the case for and against bringing the workforce’s newest generation on to governing boards. On one hand, Alan Mak contends that business decisions are best when they “draw on the widest possible range of talent and perspectives regardless of age.” On the other, John Fisher asserts that the best board members should be in place because of how they think and not what the know, so adding a Millennial to fill a quota is not a good move. Do you think Gen Y should be in the boardroom? I’d love to hear your thoughts in a comment!
How to Make the Most of Your LinkedIn Presence as a Student
Arizona State University recently published this list of eight simple tips that will help students (and anyone reading) to think strategically about using LinkedIn. My two favorites are No. 4 and No. 5: to use relevant keywords to describe yourself and to personalize all of your connection request messages. Having keywords tailored to your target industry in your profile will help you get found by the right people and personalized connection messages will help you grow your network the right way.
Employee Engagement Rising But Millennials Lag Behind
Aon Hewitt’s “Trends in Global Employee Engagement” report shared good news about the international workforce: employee engagement levels rose to 61 percent in 2013. Unfortunately, Millennials’ engagement levels hover below that figure at just 56 percent. What’s happening here? Aon Hewitt says the No. 1 driver of high engagement is career opportunities, and perhaps organizations can do a better job communicating opportunities for career progression to the younger generation.
How to Compete When You Are a New Grad with No Internship Experience
Everyone knows these days that internships are more important than ever. Many consider them the new first job and are often requisite to landing a full-time position. So, what can you do to get employed if you have no internship experience? Follow this advice from award winning college professor, author and business executive, Bill Holland. Of his five tips, I particularly like No. 3: to structure your resume so it speaks to things the company is looking for in a candidate.
Millennials Shifting Commuter Trends
Could Millennials be the key to ending a traffic-jammed commute? Americans drove 7.6 percent fewer miles in their cars in 2012 than in 2004, and perhaps it’s the Millennials who are leading the change: 70 percent of them report regularly using alternatives to cars when traveling. Why the shift? This USA TODAY article explains that this generation wants the freedom to do things while they’re on the go, socializing with friends or handling work responsibilities, and wants to be environmentally conscious. Employers who get in front of this trend, offering benefits that help nontraditional commuters, can get a leg up in the challenge to recruit the best young talent.
How to Land the Coveted Dream Summer Internship
FindSpark, a site with the goal of “setting up every young creative for career success,” published this post specifically for students who want to land an internship in fiercely competitive industries like fashion and music. I like that they emphasized networking in this piece, as the creative industries are often most difficult to break into without making connections first. I also agree with their tip that you should be specific about what roles and organizations interest you most. Then, you can be clear about that to new contacts you meet and in your targeted applications for positions.
What other content caught your eye this week? Please share in the comments!
