Millennials: The New Breed of American Worker

In 2008, Eldridge Betts realized he didn’t have enough money to continue studying for his associates degree in culinary arts. So he applied for Marriott International Inc.’s Scholar Program, which the hospitality chain launched in 2007 to increase and diversify its talent pipeline. Through the program, scholarship recipients can receive as much as $9,000 annually toward tuition assistance for up to four years, as well as internship and mentorship opportunities.

Having been accepted into the Scholar Program, Betts is now a student at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, and aspires to own his own restaurant one day. During summer and winter breaks, Betts, 21, works as a line cook at JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels in Orlando, Florida. His responsibilities include cooking and prepping food for as many as 5,000 people per event.

Betts is one of 75 million people born after 1980 known as Millennials. And though his career appears to be advancing well, statistics suggest that many of his professional peers, ages 18 to 29, may not be as fortunate. Full-time employment for this group has dropped from 50% in 2006 to 41% in 2010, but the economic outlook for this group is encouraging. Described as a generation that is resilient and optimistic about their futures, Millennials–according to a recent Pew Research Center survey that surveyed 2,020 older adults and Millennials in January on their political and social values, lifestyle, digital technology, and social media habits–are on track to become one of the most educated generations in America’s history.

The professional attitudes

and work style of Millennials has been the subject of a variety of studies, including one recently conducted by Mr. Youth, L.L.C., a marketing agency based in New York City, and Intrepid, a research and consulting company. Mr. Youth and Intrepid drew several conclusions about how this group functions in the workplace. They are more inclined to leverage diversity and teamwork, value ideas over experience, and reward performance over seniority.

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According to the study, in marketing strategies, Millennials tend to focus on connecting with consumers and communities in authentic and meaningful ways, such as inviting consumers to participate in a product’s creation.

Aside from work style, use of technology may be the biggest differentiating factor between Millenials and older workers. “Technology, for Millennials, is a

way to innovate,” says Tina Wells, the 30-year-old CEO of Buzz Marketing Group, a youth marketing agency. This generation grew up with technology and can easily adapt to the pace at which new operations are introduced. “It creates a different dynamic, for instance, when your boss can’t work an iPad and the Millennial can.”

This group, however, has its share of challenges. Wells, who started her company at age 16, says the sense of entitlement that Millennials exhibit can be performance prohibitive. “Their idea of paying dues is different from their parents,” she explains. “They have grown up in a very instant world, so how do you tell them that a job they want in six or seven months is a job they have to wait usually six or seven years to get?”

At work they seem only committed to what drives and interests them. According to the Pew survey, they are far more likely than older workers to say they will switch careers or change employers. In the survey, 66% said it is “likely” they will switch careers at some point in their work life, compared with 55% of Generation Xers (ages 30-45 in this survey) and 31% of Baby Boomers (ages 46-64). Additionally, nearly 60% of employed Millennials say they have already switched careers at least once.

“Younger adults see their job path as one that is likely to involve change,”says Paul Taylor, executive vice president of the Pew Research Center. “This seems more natural to them and they are just reflecting the world around them.”