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Marina Hare and Alan Hoffman

Bentley University’s Millennial Preparedness research study raised a number of issues about millennials in the workplace. In the coming weeks, PreparedU, in a series entitled Generational Voices, will present opinions from millennials and non-millennials alike on a wide variety of these issues. These views may contrast or coincide, but each will provide perspective designed to enhance insights resulting from the PreparedU data.

The Millennial Point of View

Marina Hare, Digital Marketing Coordinator, Lila Delman Real Estate International

Everyone talks about the millennials’ technology skill set, so I’ll jump over that to a different skill by saying that we’re extremely fast learners; we don’t need to be babied — and that’s a definite asset in the real-time workplace today.

I also think we bring the ability to adapt to any industry, project or environment. This may come from economic reality, which has forced many of us to balance two jobs at one time.

Other skills are determination and resourcefulness. We don’t like to say we can’t do something. And, thanks to the Internet, and our facility with all things digital, we can often find a lot of — but not all of — the answers through technology. 

We have professional needs, for sure.

First is trust. We need that from employers in order to take the initiative, because we are hands-on and excited to be in the workplace.

Second is creative freedom. We don’t want to be shadowed over. Supervision is necessary, though.

And third is the need to work for fast-forward companies. We don’t want to be bored, which takes us back to our strength as a quick-learning generation.

The Baby Boomer Point of View

Alan Hoffman, Professor of Management, Bentley University

Millennials bring a number of skills to the workplace, but I want to focus on three in particular.

I’ll start with the fact that they are really global in their perspective. They’ve studied and traveled abroad from a young age, and you can see this in the way they think and work. It’s not just about the United States for them.

They also don’t just use technology; they access information, and their ability to find information and gather knowledge enables them to solve problems faster.

I want to add that — whether it’s Facebook or LinkedIn — they’re connected to each other and the world through technology. This brings a diverse set of opinions and solutions to bear.

Despite these skills, though, the millennials still need to learn a good deal in the workplace.

Specifically, they need to understand that you build a career through a series of professional experiences. This takes time. You have to pay your dues. You move up slowly, one rung at a time. You don’t just start at the top. Building a career won’t go any faster for millennials than it did for baby boomers.