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Interview Prep for Young People

By Brandon Miller
Monster Contributing Writer

Overcome Generational Stereotypes About Millennials

Like nearly all generations before us, we Echo Boomers tend not to be understood by our elders. That’s why knowing how to sell yourself is vital. And since you’re often going to find yourself carrying the stereotypes of an entire generation on your shoulders, you need to know how to highlight Generation Y’s good qualities and downplay the bad ones. Here are a few reasons why hiring a Millennial is a good move for any employer.

We are technologically gifted.

“I don’t ever remember not having a computer or Internet,” says Jason, a 28-year-old Systems Administrator at a not-for-profit. “And I don’t think Millennials are lazy. I think we just use technology to make our jobs easier.” Even things that we sometimes find simple and amateurish (think PowerPoint or Excel) may confuse older generations and make a Millennial stand out in the crowd. “I’m seen as an innovator, as one who can do things that couldn’t have been done previously,” says Jason. “The average age in my department is 50. They don’t know how to attach a file to an e-mail.”

We are social media wizards.

They call us “The Internet Generation,” and for good reason. I spend most of my day online and have pages on at least five social media sites. Between Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, Friendster, and LinkedIn, I can reach about a thousand of my closest “friends” in just a few clicks. Millennials are paving the way in social networking and most companies realize the value in having young, hip employees on the payroll. And sure, my mom’s on Facebook too, but she’s definitely not using it to tweet, send online event invitations, or create fan pages for her company.

We play well with others.

“I’m filling in the gap when the managers aren’t covering teams, coming in on the weekends, running contests,” says Valerie, 25, a Team Lead Assistant at a large credit card company. “We have a great bankwide goal. But as individuals we all have our own goals, too.” A huge bonus of being a Nexter is that we have had the most group-oriented and inclusive upbringings. Millennials have been shaped by busy childhoods full of swimming lessons, dance classes, sports teams and attention to social causes. Our teamwork experience makes us all the more desirable as employees. “We definitely value each other,” says Valerie. “And we get really close to the people we are working with.”

We can survive on low wages – for now.

One of the biggest criticisms of Generation Y is that we leach off of our parents too much. And it’s true; we have probably spent more time under our parents’ wings than previous cohorts. But that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Having parents who will tolerate our presence for a few extra years means that we’re able to take those entry-level jobs that might not pay enough to cover both rent and student loans. It might not be ideal, but at least it takes off some of the pressure.

Five things to remember during your interview process:

1. Dress the part. Don’t give the interviewer an added reason to call you out for your youth. Dress professional and groom yourself properly. That means no crazy jewelry, no unruly hairstyles, and that very noticeable eyebrow piercing – you might want to take that out.

2. Keep an open mind. Very few people start off in their dream position, so go in for any interview you can. At the very least, you’ll be getting interview experience and building your ability to sell yourself. At best, you’ll find that great starter job.

3. Have reasonable expectations. You’re not going to making your dream salary right off the bat. Embrace the fact that you’ll have room to grow and accept offers that seems evenhanded.

4. Sell your experience. You don’t have to have been an executive to have important work under your belt. Internships, part-time jobs and student activities can often be used to exemplify certain skill sets.

5. Promote your assets. One of the biggest benefits of hiring a millennial is that we are essentially blank pallets. Remind your interviewer that your youth and freshness is more asset than liability. As long as you learn quickly (and I’m sure you do) they can shape you to fit the company how they would like.

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