Gen Y key to success: aim high, turn up, work hard

What generation Y jobseekers must do to make a successful career start.

Recent graduate Matthew Mifsud is struggling to find work despite 200 job applications and several interviews. Picture: Luis Enrique Ascui

InfoTrack chief executive Stephen Wood has seen it all: young people missing interviews or turning up late, arriving poorly dressed; youths barely able to string a conversation together; and those who turn on social media feeds at their desk in their first week.

Along with a host of other employers and recruitment agencies, Wood can see the growing divide between graduates entering the workforce, school-leavers and older generations, and he wants to help them lift their game to ensure they gain work.

“We’ve booked times and days for interviews and they simply haven’t turned up or even called; that’s fairly common with generation Y, and it’s mind-boggling,” Wood says.

“Turn up — turn up on bloody time or early. If you’re late for your first interview it doesn’t put you in good stead. Present well. Some people come in with sneakers. I’m a big believer that you dress to impress, you beg or borrow clothes to get ahead.”

During the past decade Wood has seen the growing disconnect between generations. The younger generations expect to reach the top much faster, but they often are not prepared to do the hard yards to get there.

Wood has no problems with ambitious graduates or school-leavers, however, and says they are generally motivated and ready to excel. As his company, an online legal and property document search site catering for corporate and personal clients, grows exponentially, he is constantly looking for young graduates to mould.

“We are looking for the stars of the future and we think we’re good at identifying them,” he says. “I don’t have a problem with high expectations, and we can support that, but it comes down to how they start and how did they come in and embrace their work with a passion and prove themselves quickly. I’m a great believer in proving yourself in a role.”

There are exceptions to the rule, he says, including a school-leaver he employed four years ago who has worked through tasks and levels to the point where he has just moved to Britain to work for the company’s European operations.

While many generation Y workers fail to get part-time jobs — often because their parents fin­ancially can support them better than 20 or 30 years ago — Wood says he values youths with experience above others.

“If people have had part-time work at McDonald’s or KFC we think that’s solid experience,” he says. “They know about customer service. They’re taught a function and that’s no different to what they do at work. It shows they’re committed, they want to get ahead and earn money, and that’s what we like.”

Rick Khinda, group director of marketing and communications at employment services provider Adecco Group, says there is a growing mismatch between generations, and graduates may need to re-evaluate their goals.

He agrees the gap between employer needs and the lack of soft skills in graduates — such as their ability to relate to others, interpersonal skills, having a good phone and email manner, problem-solving skills, being on time and self-awareness — is growing.

“They’re not taught (soft skills), but when you start work you learn those,” Khinda says.

“In some instances in some universities it’s happening but the environment at university is different to a place of work.”

Adecco operates in 60 countries and Khinda has noticed worsening youth unemployment.

In Australia it is hovering around 14 per cent, but that figure is closer to 30 per cent in some regional areas and low socio­economic suburbs.

In some parts of Europe, youth unemployment sits at 23 per cent, but in Spain and Greece it is heading north of 50 per cent. Khinda estimates 75 million young people around the world — aged from 15 to 24 — are unemployed and willing to work but cannot find a job.

“It’s frightening,” Khinda says. “Half the young people in Greece and Spain can’t find work. They’re willing to work and want to work but they can’t find it. It creates a social issue as well. People are wanting to stay at home because they can’t pay rent, and they’re not considering buying their first home because they can’t afford it.”

His advice is to start from the bottom and work upwards, even if it means doing voluntary work or starting in a mail room.

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Aviation graduate’s battle to take off

With a bachelor of applied science in aviation and years of retail experience, Matthew Mifsud appears to be a prime candidate for any job.

But the 23-year-old has applied for more than 200 jobs since graduating in June 2013, and has had just four interviews for roles including administration and retail.

“I think they’ve seen the word aviation, which can be intimidating, and they’re saying: ‘Why are you going for an administration job with our company?’ ” Mifsud says. “I thought I’d prepared well for those jobs but, even still, the word aviation; most of them don’t even understand the qualification.”

Mifsud says the course is more about business aviation, and he thinks employers confuse it with aeronautical engineering or being a pilot. He just wants to work — he does not care if it is in an aviation-related field.

As with many teenagers before they go to university, he did not consider what his job prospects would be like post graduation.

One of his friends from the same course is working as a delivery driver; another works in a bottle shop.

He has even tried unpaid work experience but says he is continually asked why he would want to work free.

“I’ve got a lot of variations of my resume, without mentioning aviation, but even then I’ve only been working casually. It’s just really embarrassing telling people I’m unemployed.”

Last month Mifsud had a breakthrough, winning a short-term contract administration role that he can build on.

“It’s good to have some job experience on my resume. Everything helps.”