(From the editor: This article was originally published on Channel Partner Connection.)
More than one-in-three American labor force participants (35%) are Millennials (myself included), making us the largest generation in the U.S. labor force, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data. And according to several research studies, that number is expected to grow by over 10% over the next year – meaning almost half of the workforce will by made up of millennials by 2020. Millennials are quick to get a bad rap as the “job hopping” generation, with too many employers overlooking the benefits of this generation and its status quo-altering way of approaching work and the work-life balance. Keep reading to see why you want millennial in your company.


Why Millennials Get a Bad Rap

Why You Should Want to Hire Millennials

1. Millennials are Natural Digital Marketers
Social media use has taken on a negative connotation when used in context with up and coming generations, yet most sales and marketing job descriptions specifically call out social media fluency and experience creating and engaging with digital content. Millennials use social media more to communicate than any other generation. They also have a strong presence on YouTube (and absorb a considerable amount of content on that platform), which remains the second largest search engine in the world, making millennials an excellent conduit for bringing your brand messaging to the digital world.
2. Millennials are Highly Educated Tech Natives
As perhaps the best-educated generation ever, millennials bring far more to your business than an aptitude for social marketing. From the time we enter the workforce, most of us will spend our careers improving the skills that make us indispensable corporate team members. Millennials are by and large highly knowledgeable regarding technology. In an era where rapidly changing technology constantly alters the business landscape, millennials are the one generation that can keep up with all the tech changes.
3. Millennials are Motivated Team Players
The images of brooding millennials with their participation trophies does not match the reality that most companies are experiencing in the workplace. Business professional who have made the effort to recruit millennials describe them as open-minded and perspective focused on team-driven projects. They are also defined by the high value they assign to collaboration.
4. Millennials are Culturally Involved
Millennials are quickly gaining a reputation for being passionate about community involvement and cultural appreciation. When it comes to cultural and social issues, millennials are the most actively involved generation since the Boomer generation, continually striving to improve both society and the way we approach work. Companies who want to improve their public image and stay ahead of changing trends in how we manage work and life should openly embrace the millennial generation.
5. Millennials Bring a Fresh Perspective
Growth requires you to recruit professionals who introduce new ways of thinking about difficult problems. Welcoming the newest generation of employees ensures your company receives fresh perspectives to foster innovation. Millennials have not invented outside the box thinking; they have reinvented it. With millennials soon to represent the largest consumer demographic, it makes sense to hire the same age demographic to understand how millennial consumers think.