Being too critical
Millennials are critical. In a technological age where social media and electronic media offers us the opportunity to speak our mind bluntly, it becomes easier to be really critical and identify mistakes rather than soak it up in and try to find solutions. Since millennials are so informed and tech savvy, you start to wonder why they don’t respond in tact by stopping their critical behavior and making solutions to problems instead. It is worthy for millennials to see problems or challenges as an opportunity for progress and create the right impression. Millennials should start standing up and acting, rather than simply voicing opinions.
They are cool with the status quo
They see work as an extension of their social lives, which could be doing just fine on Facebook or Twitter. They tend to feel that work is relative to how much they play. Thus they get stuck with the status quo of just doing what they are asked to do, rather than offering more of their time and pushing their effectiveness. They don’t want to step up because they feel their spare time shouldn’t be tampered with. Time set aside for drinking and socializing shouldn’t be interrupted by a boss who wants more without paying for it. If millennials want more in terms of a promotion they should start considering taking extra work and standing up by offering themselves to work late or help out even though they should be done for the day. Such activity could earn acknowledgement from their boss for being responsible. Their boss just might end up giving them the promotion they now deserve.
You don’t know how to play office politics
Perhaps this is because of lack of experience and youthful exuberance, but millennials are not simply cut out for office politics. Most of the time, there is a good chance that your boss has already decided who they want to promote before the selection process even starts. It could all come down to how you make sure your boss like you. Millennials should start looking at how they can get on their boss’ good side. Even though getting around favoritism can be tough, it is something you have to start practicing if you want to be picked for promotion.
You are an overachiever
According to Slade Sundar in a blog post on LinkedIn, “”[Millennials] will often attempt to get a promotion by doing ten times more work and will get frustrated when they aren’t promoted into a more strategic or managerial role.” You don’t have to be full of it to get the promotion. Actually, being an overachiever can sometimes do more harm than good in the workplace. It is one thing to work hard to get noticed for your accomplishments, but it is another to be focused on team success and company performance. Millennials should not shoot themselves in the foot by trying to get stuck in the over-achievement trap. Instead, they should strategically work towards improving the company performance and making the workplace a more productive place. Somehow they will get noticed for a promotion. Especially, if they work towards a holistic improvement, rather than a selfish plot to be the Superman of the office, focus on being a Clark Kent team player.
They don’t dress the part
According to a survey of executives, their opinion is that an employee’s lack of style and grooming could influence their chances of getting promoted or not. The question to ask is: Are millennials dressing for the part? We live in an age where young people believe dressing to work in a hooded jacket is ideal. Millennials should improve their sense of grooming and dress according to the position they want in the workplace. So much of this advice is easy to put into practice. Millennials can start making progress immediately by employing the practical suggestions listed here. Now that you’re ahead of the game, get out there and seize the day. Featured photo credit: http://www.pixabay.com via pixabay.com
