As my recent post chaffing at the prospect of having an avatar to recruit with might suggest, I haven't yet drank all the Kool-Aid regarding the need to change everything about the workplace to fit new college grads. After all, what about how Generation X would feel about that? (disclaimer - that's my generation BTW) 
With that in mind, I will drink a sip to the conventional wisdom that it's a good idea for the kids to figure out what's important to them in a career. To that end, it looks like colleges are seeing an uptick in graduates seeking personality profiles, coaches, etc. That makes sense, and it's probably a tremendous business opportunity for someone who can figure out the best way to help the newbies out.
What the kids might need is a big dose of the right motivational speaker - How about Matt Foley?
on the one hand, i can see where something as simple as the way generation y uses technology could clash with the baby boomers who haven't yet left the workforce. the 'pay your dues' generation versus the 'can i work from home' generation.
at the same time, i do seem to remember an awful lot of articles that came out when we (generation x) entered the workforce talking about how different we were and how much things were going to change.
some things did change.
some things didn't.
i often wonder if this isn't the same thing every generation thinks about the next generation. "they're spoiled slackers who listen to crazy music and never had it as hard as we did." doesn't every generation think the world is going a little bit downhill from "when they were young?"
some things will change.
some things won't.
some of generation y will be in for a rude awakening when they realize not every company is going to bend to their every whim and their expectations might not meet up with reality.
just like the generations before.
all the best!
deb
Posted by: deb | May 26, 2007 at 07:50 AM