I am often asked if dealing with Generation Y job seekers is as difficult as is the perception. This stems from the fact that the characteristics associated with those of us who belong to the Gen X and even Baby Boomers generations range from independent to ambitious and ’family-centric’ (just to clarify I am Gen X!), whereas Gen Y are often nicknamed ’Generation Me’. Several personality surveys have shown increasing levels of narcissism among this generation compared to their predecessors when they were in their twenties.

Gen Ys are also sometimes referred to as the ‘Peter Pan Generation’ because many of them tend to delay some rites of passage into adulthood for longer periods than previous generations, for example living with their parents.

So is there a pattern in the behaviour of job seekers who were born anytime after Wham broke up and tragically the A-Team was cancelled? In my experience firstly, some appear to move around a lot more and in a much shorter period. Secondly, most Gen Ys tend to have more confidence in asking for a jump in salary outside of the ’traditional’ 10-15% range. Thirdly, a trend I have noticed is that the more senior the professional is, the easier they are to manage, which may seem surprising.

As an example, I have been dealing with a few Gen Y job seekers who are looking to return to or enter the market. Amazingly when employers have asked to meet with them during lunch time, after work or shock horror, before work, several of these unemployed job seekers have literally baulked at such a suggestion. Clearly finding a job might not be their top priority, or if it is, they don’t fully understand what a priority is! Making yourself available for interviews demonstrates your commitment to your potential employer as well as your recruitment consultant. We tend to remember those who are always unavailable in a negative light!

I have tried calling these same available job seekers before the ungodly hour of 10am only to be told they are too tired to talk. And then there are those who ignore the early morning call completely which whilst this may be their prerogative, can seriously harm their chances of making shortlist since they never have voicemail.

So to summarise, all job seekers have their quirks but if you don’t want to seem ’generationally challenged’ I would advise not to give the impression of being hard to manage when looking for a new role.

A-Team, baby boomers, Career advice, Generation X, Generation Y, interviews, job seeker, Wham