Six Reasons to Hire That “Lazy” Millennial Today

By Eliot Burdett

If given the choice, many organizations shy away from hiring millennials because they are believed to be “lazy” and don’t understand the value of hard work. This stigma is especially troubling for experienced business leaders, many of whom apparently got their start sweeping floors before they moved up to the corner office through blood, sweat, and tears.

To make their case against hiring Millennials stronger, according to Bloomberg, the selfie generation is set to inherit $30 trillion from their parents. Did someone say spoiled?

However, avoiding hiring millennials is actually misguided and will lead to stale business ideas and ultimately failure. With 83 million members, Generation Y now makes up the largest sector of the U.S. population, and by 2025 it will make up 75% of the workforce. Translation: These tech-savvy, narcissistic, social media brats are here to stay and will soon be running the global economy.

That is precisely why the business leaders of today who learn to hire and properly manage millennials will be poised for big things in the future. Those who don’t will lose out to more forward-thinking organizations. Here are six reasons why those millennials you're overlooking are critical to long-term growth.

1. Their Friends Have $1.3 Trillion Per Year to Spend
According to the New York Times, millennials have $1.3 trillion in annual buying power. What better way to infiltrate this market than by hiring one of their own who understands them. Reap the benefits of hiring candidates who can speak their language.

2. Don't Believe the Negative Hype
The belief is millennials are lazy. However, they helped develop Apps, such as ones that allow people to deposit a bank check from their mobile device in seconds without driving to the bank, waiting on lines, or laboriously filling out forms. If laziness caused this innovation, may they never develop ambition.

3. They Are Inherently Global, Mobile and Social
The reason Tiger Woods at one point was devouring his competition was because he had innate abilities. His father taught him to hit balls as soon as he could walk, and before that he was even photographed sitting inside a big bucket of balls. Similarly, millennials have only ever known how to think global, mobile, and social. Hire them and they will infuse your association with energy and mind-boggling ideas that would never have occurred to you or your board.

4. Get Past the Generational Differences
Our grandparents could not understand rock and roll. Our parents could not understand rap music. We don’t understand why kids today don’t play outside. But these young candidates can code and develop apps and algorithms that will change the world. It is time to get over their shortcomings and get down to 21st century business.

5. Their Traits Can Absolutely Be Managed
Are they perfect? Far from it. However, the key is to identify their flaws and learn to mitigate them. For example, they are known as the trophy generation because they received positive recognition even when they didn’t win. If they need to improve, they tend to respond better to mentoring than disciplinarian tactics. They are also used to constant stimulation, including the 24-hour news cycle, food delivery on-demand, and the endless possibilities that the Internet and social media afford, so keep them busy with different types of projects. By understanding millennials weaknesses and tweaking your approach you can maximize their productivity.

6. The World Is Following Their Lead
We all remember the strange feeling in the pit of our stomach when mom popped up on Facebook. As little as five years ago, older generations scoffed at social media. The rapidly changing way we do business and communicate is led by millennials, and the entire world is following their lead. Get them on board and they can introduce your association or nonprofit to people from all walks of life.

Eliot Burdett is CEO of Peak Sales Recruiting. He can be reached at eburdett@peaksalesrecruiting.com or through his website at www.peaksalesrecruiting.com.