What Gen-Y Sometimes Forgets at Work

We finally land a job. It might not be our dream job but it is a job and it has benefits with a steady paycheck. So now what? As Millennials it is often said we come into a company expecting to be a VP tomorrow. We are typically the youngest in a company full of established baby boomers, it’s easy to either try to make a million changes or some just sit down in a cubicle and go with the flow, work hard and hope management is going to notice. If the latter is your method, you may be sitting pretty in that same position for a very long time.

It’s a common belief that your work will speak for itself and yes, it will if it is above and beyond the call of duty. But many Millennials are not put into an action situation like that. So what do you do to stand out above the rest of the entry level employees around you? You speak up, ask questions, and work hard.

Whether you are seeking more recognition, more responsibility or more compensation, you have to ask. Why on earth would a manager just offer these up to you? If you take the time to make the request for more responsibility in your role, it shows initiative, and with initiative comes recognition and eventually compensation. To get started, set up a one-on-one meeting with your manager and discuss what you have been working on, then go into why you feel you could handle more tasks and how you would go about keeping it all organized and efficient.

This one little meeting may help you start the journey to finding your place in a larger company. Millennials have the stereotype of bouncing around from job to job trying to find the “coolest” company they can. But there is something to be said to finding a position and being successful in it for a few years before you head out to find your dream job.