Social Citizens Blog

The Wall Street Journal reports a surge of interest by Millennials in cause-related jobs. Teach for America and the Peace Corps are experiencing a surge in applicants in response to these frightening statistics: “Only 59% of employers surveyed expect to hire 2008 graduates by the end of the summer, down from 76% the year before … “

Historically, the public sector has seen a surge of job applicants in slow economic times, it will be interesting to see how the slowdown affects the nonprofit sector and its ability to continue to hire young people. Hopefully, the slowdown and the employment prospects for young people will all show signs of recovery soon.

(photo by dsb nola)

As the summer of 2008 is officially upon us, we see gas prices soaring to a whopping $4.00 a gallon, and an economy that is unpredictable at best. But even with all of the uncertainty in the world, one thing is for sure – very little seems to be stopping the new class of college graduates entering the workforce.

Millennials crave something different than their Boomer parents did when they entered the workforce some 30 years ago. In particular, a strong desire for a work life balance, increased financial stability (after all those student loans), and a longing to make a difference in the world.

And what’s more, companies are listening and adapting their recruitment practices accordingly. For example, at JPMorgan recruits are divided into teams and take part in what they call a Good Venture Competition, where the winning project team is awarded $25,000 for their cause. For executives at JPMorgan, this is a clever way to combine genuine philanthropy with a real-world test of leadership and teamwork for their potential recruits. For Millennials, it’s proof that the company is committed to giving back to the community.

In this weekend’s Washington Post magazine cover story, The Amazing Adventures of Supergrad,” Liza Mundy shows us how companies are falling over one another to vie for the talents of what some consider the most “sophisticated, accomplished, entitled graduates ever produced by American colleges.”

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Sure, I’ve had more jobs in the past 8 years since I graduated college than my parents have had throughout their entire professional careers — and the funny thing is, the majority of my friends are in the same boat. But that doesn’t mean we’re not dedicated and committed to the causes and organizations we work for, that we don’t respect our superiors or won’t roll up our sleeves and pay our dues.

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