Gen Y Guide
New Report Helps Employers Manage and Mentor Young Professionals
August 24, 2010
Jim Case, Career Center director. Photo by Karen Tapia
Working environment and advancement opportunity top the list of job motivators for young, Gen Y professionals, according to research conducted by the Center for Research on Employment and the Workforce, operated by the university's Career Center.
Researchers assessed data from 2,300 survey respondents in fields from aerospace and accounting to health care and technology, which is included in a recently published report, “The Guide to Managing and Developing Young Professionals.”
The guide, a culmination of recent research efforts, can help firms attract, develop and retain high potential young employees. A copy of the guide is available at no cost.
Research, done by the Center for Research on Employment and the Workforce in partnership with Spectrum Knowledge, a private workforce research and training firm, focused on today’s increasingly multigenerational workforce. The guide and the Gen Y survey was funded by a $50,000 grant from Northrop Grumman.
The multigenerational guide shatters widely held myths about young professionals in the workplace and offers data-driven approaches to tap into “Generation Y” talent — recent and future college graduates born between 1979 and 1995.
“We tested common assumptions about young professionals and identified the most accurate ones for anyone trying to recruit, develop and retain the best talent,” said Vu Pham, a partner of Spectrum Knowledge and lead researcher for the Gen Y studies. “As the economy and prospects for jobs improve, so will the need to retain young talent.”
As baby boomers (1946-1964) retire, there aren’t enough Gen X professionals (1965-1978) in the workplace to replace them, leaving the next generation, Gen Y, to fill the leadership gap in the workforce, explained Jim Case, Career Center director.
“It’s critical that employers and managers understand the motivation of their younger employees to take advantage of their distinctive problem-solving capabilities and their ability to creatively use emerging technology; many of them are net natives who grew up in a world of video and online gaming,” Case said.“They think differently, both about work and when they are working.”
Free Guide
To download the free electronic copy of the guide, visit www.fullerton.edu/crew. Printed copies are available for $15 through the Career Center at 657-278-3121.
The Center for Research on Employment and the Workforce collects, analyzes and disseminates information about issues and trends that are reshaping the professional opportunities of Cal State Fullerton graduates and the behavior of the university’s employing organizations.
Related articles:
Career Center to Address Generational Issues
Avoiding Intergenerational Misunderstandings
Media Contacts:
Jim Case, Career Center, 657-278-2499 or [email protected]
Debra Cano Ramos, Public Affairs, 657-278-4027; 657-278-2414 or [email protected]
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Produced by the Office of Public Affairs at California State University, Fullerton.