Gen Y and the PR recruitment conundrum

We interview a lot of people who want to come work at LEWIS. In fact, we're actively recruiting right now, having chosen to invest in great people with great skills, positioning us well for the economic upswing. Smart move, right?

And we know that there are plenty of people out there who want a career in technology PR, and who have the potential to make great things happen. They want that great job, I'm sure of it.
So why have I been left feeling less than great after some of the recent interviews we've conducted? One word. Conviction. Another word. Passion. Here's another one. Commitment.

To me, these are some of the vital missing ingredients in a lot of candidates looking to enter the tech PR scene, and I'm wondering if it's a generational thing. Is it?

Imagine you're buying ice cream. And you know that the ice cream seller has something delicious to sell you. He knows it too. But when you ask him which flavor is best for you, and why, he can't really tell you. Instead, you get a shrug of the shoulders and a "vanilla is always good' response. Still feeling excited about that double cone? Meh. Thought not. I'd rather have the chocolate ripple with real toffee and honeycomb pieces please. Because I don't like fruit in ice cream, but do like sweet things, and appreciate texture as much as flavor. (Sidenote: that actually is my favorite ice cream flavor, if you're buying, people of San Francisco...)

Get the picture? Recruiters are looking for you to tell them exactly why you'd be the best fit for their company, and the role that they have available. Generic doesn't cut it, but specificity twinned with conviction, passion and commitment might win the day, even sometimes trumping over experience at the junior end of the scale.

I entered the job market a long time ago, but I still remember the late night cramming and endless resume revisions before embarking on my entry-level interviews. Each interview left me feeling drained, but in a good way. The adrenaline had kicked in, and I was laser-focused on my goal. If someone asked me why I wanted to work for their company, I had a tailored, thought out and researched response. And that strategy worked. Of course, that's also by far the best approach to media relations and PR itself, but that's another story.

It seems like a lot of entry-level candidates today either don't know what they want and how they can benefit your company, or can't explain it, or don't want to explain it, and that's a problem. Is it a lifetime of being told you can be whatever you want to be? That employees would be lucky to have you? Is Gen Y conditioning leading to a generation of candidates who are too cool to act like they really want that job?
It might be old school, but I'd like to see a return to demonstrating real passion and conviction in job interviews. Unfold those crossed arms and lean across the desk with a look in your eyes that blazes with commitment. Allow yourself to get excited and tell me why you want this job, with my company. It's ok. Really.

Louise Thompson is currently hiring AE and SAE level PR people for LEWIS San Francisco. And cannot be bribed with ice cream. Not even a little bit.

Comments

[Beatriz Alemar]

Louise,

I don't necessarily think it's Gen Y's conditioning, but a general lack of preparedness and interest on the part of the interviewees.

I'm a part of Gen Y, and I do the exact same thing you used to do. I research companies. I find things I want to specifically ask them during interviews. I come prepared. When someone asks me why I should work at their specific company, I give them a specific response. I’m aware of myself, my talents and what I can do for their company.

It's a combination of drive and commitment. In my business school, it was ingrained into us. Even then, it's the ones that really wanted to pursue our business/communications/marketing fields that went through all that effort to prepare and to stand out.

I blame it more on the rise of popularity in public relations/communications as a career. You're getting more people that half-heartily interview - because how hard can it be? They haven't done their research, they don't really care or know about the field. Unfortunately, you've had to deal with those kind of people.

I’m positive you’ll find non-vanilla people. We exist and we go all out for what we want.

Beatriz Alemar
@balemar

PS – My favorite is dark chocolate ice cream with crushed peanut butter cups and real peanut butter swirl.

[Louise Tipton]

Hi Beatriz,

Great insight, thanks. I agree that it's not necessarily a Gen Y thing, it just so happens that a lot of the people I interview fall into that generational category, so I was wondering if it's a wider issue. I'm still convinced it might be, as evidenced by a lot of the research that exists around that topic. And who can blame people if this is the first recession they've lived and worked through? Requires a bit of a psychological re-set, that's for sure.
I definitely agree with the second point about people seeing PR as an easy option for starting their career. So they can't really articulate why they want to pursue it. And that's a problem. We all want to work with people who are just as passionate about their jobs as we are, so that has to be the bar that we set. And yes on that flavor combination!

[Mike Hill]

Louise,
This is a sign you're getting old, I'm afraid. You could have started, "The trouble with the youth of today is... "

Doesn't mean you're wrong though. I have encountered the same phenomenon, although @balemar shows it's not universal.

Mike Hill
@meadowend

P.S. Ben & Jerry's Chocolate chip cookie dough.

[Louise Tipton]

Really? At 33, yeah, I guess so. I still remember the days of photocopying clippings and faxing out press releases. Good times! And agreed on your flavor too - this might turn into my new obsession...

[Peter Engel, Cantor Executive Search Solutions]

Louise,

I'm a recruiter and agree that this "vanilla is fine" attitude exists, but it also spreads across generations. I've dealt with passionate, committed 28 year old go-getters who are ready to knock down walls, but there are also 20-year veterans who just want a job and can't really give a reason other than economics.

I agree completely that the enthusiasm and drive which all all employers want is a difficult intangible and hard to locate. Sometimes, I really have to be innovative in the psychology I use to bring it out of people, but it is there!

[Amber_Schiffert]

Louise,

I am inspired by this article and I think you hit the nail on the head about Gen Y. I graduated college in December 2007 and was completely unaware and unprepared for what lie ahead of me in the workforce.

As a freshmen in 2003 I was told my degree was my golden ticket to any high paying dream job I could imagine... little did I know that a recession was in store.

Times are tough and when you enter the workforce thinking the past four years you dedicated to school were all for the grand scheme of things to find out that you aren't going to have whatever job you want handed to you on a silver platter is a bit disheartening.

My generations is full of college graduates that were unprepared for such difficult economic times and a highly competitive job market. As a Gen Y'er I learned to adapt and realized the only thing that will get me that dream job is enthusiasm and persistence, persistence, persistence.

If I were selling you ice cream I'd recommend my special... coffee ice cream with Oreo cookies swirled with chocolate fudge (I worked at Cold Stone in high school and this was my best seller).

Thanks for writing this article... I just applied for an AE position at your SD office and appreciate any insight I can find to help me understand what your company is looking for in an employee.