Survey Reveals HR Opinions on Millennial Job Seekers

 According to a new survey from career networking company Beyond.com, job seekers from the Millennial generation are having a difficult time overcoming stereotypes in the eyes of veteran HR professionals when looking for a job. And even while 84 percent of Millennial job seekers express optimism about their employment prospects, their self-image differs greatly from how HR pros perceive them. For example, a meager 1 percent of HR professionals felt that Millennials would demonstrate long-term loyalty to their employee while 82 percent of Millennials classified themselves as loyal.

Several other conflicting perceptions emerged from the survey with some of the most divergent opinions arising from the following queries:

“Are Millennials tech-savvy?” 86 percent of HR pros said yes, 35 percent of Millennials said yes.

“Are Millennials team players?” 22 percent of HR pros said yes, 60 percent of Millennials said yes.

“Do Millennials have strong interpersonal communication skills?” 14 percent of HR pros said yes, 65 percent of Millennials said yes.

“Are Millennials hard workers?” 11 percent of HR pros said yes, 86 percent of Millennials said yes.

“Are Millennials able to lead?” 9 percent of HR pros said yes, 40 percent of Millennials said yes.

Rich Milgram, founder and CEO of Beyond.com, said, “Until Millennials are able to overcome existing stereotypes, they’ll have to work extra hard just to get noticed. Younger job seekers don’t have it easy in the current economy, and they’ve been put in a hole by the generations that have gone before them. Nowadays, it’s not good enough to be good enough – Millennials need to match their vision of success with the work ethic that it will take to get there; meaning advanced education, internships and a willingness to go beyond what’s expected. With their sense of optimism and ability to innovate, I am confident that their generation will surprise us all.”