I have hired about a dozen millennial over the past 5-6 years. The interview process saw 3-4 times that number. There are plenty of millennials willing to work and they do an outstanding job of catching on very quickly. None of those I hired have shown any expectation of ‘getting into management’ within 3 years, etc.
2 had masters, the rest all bachelors - all engineering related.
I typically paired 2 with 1 senior person in my groups in order to provide mentoring (as well as provide the senior members a chance to demonstrate some leadership). Each of the 3 had their own set of specific work to do, but the tasks were similar. Within 6 months of putting the teams together they were outperforming the other functions and we were asking how we could help in other areas.
It’s about leadership, structure, and giving them a chance to do what they think is right once they’ve been trained. I can’t tell you how many times frustrated folks from other depts (junior and senior alike) came to me asking how to deal with micromanagement because some manager wasn’t willing to let anything out of their grasp. Micromanagement is 100% due to fear - afraid to trust their people because they might get blamed.
Not to say I let young talent run off alone. I gave them mentors, monitored their metrics, and spot checked their records.
There isn’t anything wrong with the millennial generation - it’s specific to millennial individuals. The same as any other generation. Propensity may be higher I suppose, but as a hiring manager - that’s my job to figure out.
Your situation is different and better obviously. Certainly people with STEM degrees are better off than feminists study majors. My field requires a great deal of technical knowledge and expertise as well but we hardly see any Millennials Because by the time they get qualified for the job they’re passed that age bracket.
Thank you for your insights.
I own a business that isn’t tech/engineer related and sometimes it is really hard ...spending months...trying to find the right person in a ‘gig’ job market.