Are The Millenials Better Prepared for Interviewing?

The Post Dispach runs an article by Rebekah Tsadik with the headline, Expecting More, which reports on the difference between College Graduates today and those of yesteryear (say 1995).

Maybe it's because of financially generous parents or a result of VH-1 shows that glorify celebrity lifestyles, but many recent graduates enter the professional world demanding more than the baby boomer generation did.

Some experts, however, say those expectations are reasonable. Today's job seekers are better prepared for work than those in the past as they spend less time waiting tables and more time looking to seize opportunities.

The article is long on anecdotes and short on research, but it does an excellent job of profiling young people who are looking for work.  Some things I took from the article:

1. Use the Internet.
2. Don't rely solely on the internet.  The phone works too.
3. Start planning and asking questions early.
4. Don't be afraid to ask for what you're worth.  Learn what you are worth before asking.
5. There is a lot of information out there - use it.

I give the PD a hard time quite often, and heaven knows I'm not easy on career columnists - but I found the article to be an excellent one to pass on to anyone looking for work.  We hear about MySpace and Facebook, but Rebekah doesn't go for the cheap thrill - it's just another tool to be aware of the benefits and the dangers.

There's a generation of people coming up who are learning to use new tools to gather information.  it wasn't around a decade ago, but companies not prepared for this new influx are going to have problems hiring the best and brightest.

And maybe the rest of us can learn something from how they approach the job search.