Eagerness To Learn

Essentially having spent their entire lives in classrooms, learning on the job is second nature to millennials. Where as more tenured employees may be more resistant to learning new methods, young people are a blank canvas. They are receptive to coaching and mentoring, meaning you have the opportunity to shape them into the type of employees you wish to have in your office.

Studies also show an increased interested in skill/knowledge-building opportunities. Millennials thrive on their ability to adapt quickly and use their creativity to meet new challenges. They also have fewer bad habits built up from years at maybe a less efficient firm.
As an added bonus, young people are also rarely tied down. They possess the ability to work around the clock when necessary, and on short notice can travel or even relocate if the opportunity/need arrises.

Social Media & Internet Prowess

Arguably the most popular argument for hiring young employees is their apparent savvy-ness in navigating social media platforms. Even if you do not hire them specifically to handle your social media accounts, at least invite them to offer suggestions on ways your efforts could improve. What seems like stressful work to you is essentially second nature to them. In another article I talk about why it is important to encourage your employees to talk about work through their personal social media circles, but just know that having a social media presence is more than having a Facebook page to collect ‘likes’ and share the occasional post.

Remember, There is a lot more out there than just Twitter and Facebook. Linkedin is arguably the most powerful business networking tool, and it’s integration into a Google searches makes Google+ the most underrated and underutilized platform out there. For most businesses updating the various social media accounts doesn’t require a full time commitment, and the opportunity to step away from the normal work load and post the latest info about your company will be gladly accepted treat for many millennials.

Similarly, young people are very well versed with manipulating a Google search. Growing up constantly plugged into the internet, if a young person does not know something, chances are they know how to find it.

Unrivaled Ability to Multitask

This instant gratification generation has an ability to multitask unlike any other. On average, millennials switch between various media platforms (like laptops, cell phone and television) 27 times per hour, compared to just 17 times for other generations. If you do not see the relation to the work environment, remember next time an older employee gets flustered juggling phone calls, emails and computers in addition to managing multiple projects at once, a younger employee could probably handle all of that and then some, without even breaking a sweat.

They Understand a Key Demographic

Finally, millennials are uniquely part of a key target demographic that grows in size and influence with each passing day. Your older employees simply cannot relate to and understand younger consumers like a recent college grad can. Simply put, the older the employee is you hire, the less dialed in they will be with this upcoming generation. As an employer if you look at the time your hires spend socializing, hanging out with friends and being around other people your age as market research, your firm is gaining knowledge and information even when you aren’t paying them. Shara Senderoff, the co-founder of the online internship resource Intern Sushi, knows first hand that “companies spend a lot of money researching and marketing to [that specific] age group.” By hiring members of that age group you are adding an invaluable resource that will save you time, money and research in the long run.