Gen Y Has Upper Hand in Job Search

I was checking out one of my favorite recruiting blogs—Penelope Trunk’s Brazen Careerist—and Sunday’s post on young job seekers really stood out. We’ve been saying how important it is to recruit and retain the best talent out of Gen Y, and Penelope really hits that point home in her post.

I also enjoyed the reasons she lists for Gen Y having the upper hand when seeking out and negotiating jobs. There’s the obvious impact that recent grad’s parents have on them—both financially and emotionally. With a strong safety net underneath them, grads are less likely to take just any job offered to them, because they can afford to wait. And then there’s the impending Baby Boomer Brain Drain, and Gen X workers taking more time to be with their families that we discussed last week.

What I found most interesting was that more young people are interested in starting their own companies. With younger generations having less of an interest in corporate jobs, they have found they can create an internet startup and be an entrepreneur at a young age.

With a 30% decrease in workers expected in the next few years, as reported by the BLS, recent grads will be able to negotiate very enjoyable perks, especially in the tech industry. So for all those college grads out there, be sure to keep this in mind when negotiating for salaries and perks—the ball is in your court!

Posted by Christy H.