In the Office: How to Use Your Age to Your Advantage

Millennials in the workplace don’t exactly have the best reputation. People say that we are entitled, lazy and just not goal-oriented – especially when it comes to our careers. While this may seem like bad news, you can actually work our generation’s reputation to your advantage. I’ve noticed that if a young person has it together, people are really impressed. Here are 3 simple tips for proving that our generation is more work-savvy than we’re given credit.

Ask questions. No one is going to expect you to know everything, so you can ask a lot of questions without people thinking you are incompetent. Often times people become nervous, assuming that asking a lot of questions will make them appear stupid because they feel like they “should” know the answer. You can use your rookie status as a buffer, helping you to feel more comfortable with asking questions. This is especially helpful for some of the fuzzy stuff that isn’t documented in a training manual or on the company’s website – like how certain groups work together or the function of a division within the organization.

Talk to influencers. It is much easier to get time on an influencer’s calendar to pick his or her brain. Successful people are generally very happy to share their experiences and wisdom, especially with up-and-comers like you! And as Dale Carnegie said in How to Win Friends and Influence People, everyone’s favorite subject is themselves. If you have a set of thoughtful questions that you can ask, you come across as engaged and eager to learn, an impression that will stick with people more than your ability to reconcile data or write a briefing.

Use social media productively. As a generation that has come of age with social media being ever-present in our lives, it makes sense to leverage it; it’s good for more than silly YouTube videos and Instagram pictures of the delicious meal you are about to eat. Having an Internet presence shows that you are involved and “get it.” Get on  and  specifically. The benefits of LinkedIn are pretty obvious from a networking stance, but you can really use to increase your credibility. When you tweet articles or blog posts, quote something that really resonated with you when you link to it or comment on the piece. This demonstrates what your take away is. And be sure to interact with people who tweet about subjects in which you are interested, because you prove to be more credible if they tweet back at you. When a potential employer Googles you, you will look pretty good if you are tweeting meaningful information to a large audience.

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