Studying the impact of innovation on business and society

Is the Millennial Workforce Linked In?

Millennials aren’t only disrupting the consumer landscape, they’re changing the game for human resources. To say that the digital lifestyle of Gen Y is unique is an understatement. How they express themselves and what’s important to them is much different than the generations before them. As such, how employers need to manage and recruit this new generation of connected employees requires much more than a LinkedIn or traditional recruitment approach. Millennials are expressing themselves in a unique way, which is more like Facebook than that of a digital CRV or online resume. Did you know that the average age of a LinkedIn user is 43? It was just a matter of time until a new community arose to cater to Gen-Y.

Meet Identified.com. It’s a new network that has emerged to connect younger professionals with one another and also the businesses that hope to hire them. Brendan Wallace is co-CEO and he joins us for this episode of Revolution to share insights into millennial behavior and what businesses need to think about to nurture a collaborative, rewarding and connected workforce.

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The End of Business as Usual is officially here…

31 COMMENTS ON THIS POST To “Is the Millennial Workforce Linked In?”

  1. Dr. Rae says:

    Bravo Brendan, and Brian… Thank you for your comprehensive introduction to what young Millennials are looking to “social media” for their career development, and growth!.

  2. Dave Crenshaw says:

    Awesome interview, Brian. Great insights about millenial behavior.

  3. What makes you “different” doesn’t necessarily make you valuable or experienced enough to hold a position. There’s a deeper problem here that Identified doesn’t even begin to touch. How Millennials define value of self versus the reality of how a company defines their value is completely out of sync.

  4. Ari Herzog says:

    Some people prefer Coke, others prefer Pepsi. This is what I think about when I read such case studies of new platforms created to target users from another platform. Some people hate Coke and Pepsi and prefer Water instead.

    I challenge entrepreneurs to think less about creating new platforms, e.g. Identified, but to work to make LinkedIn better.

    • briansolis says:

      And…some people just behave altogether differently and choose to mix and remix their drinks with these new digital fountains that are popping up everywhere.

    • Ari Herzog says:

      Touche on the drinking response.

      Seriously, Brian, does there come a point when one more product is one product too many?

    • briansolis says:

      Honestly, not if you’re not getting what you need from what’s available today. That’s the point of innovation and disruption. Nothing’s ever perfect or perfect for everybody. I just keep an open mind and and an open sense of social science. 🙂

    • James Lopez says:

      Good stuff, Brian. Especially given that there’s ~7 billion people on the planet and 36% of them are connected to the internet. For the math challenged, thats ~2.4 billion people. For most, that’s literally incomprehensible.

      Have fun in Melbourne.

    • briansolis says:

      Thanks for sharing James!

  5. Jeff Korhan says:

    Great discussion. I like the concept but the problem is the connection with Facebook. My kids are in college and they and their friends have adopted a practice of changing their names to protect their FB identities from future employers – basically dropping their last name and inserting a middle name in its place. While FB probably gives a truer picture it may be more than most want to share.

  6. Brian – thanks so much for the interview…..I really enjoyed speaking with you

  7. As a Millennial, I’m intrigued. I wonder how it will catch on though. I don’t know any of my peers who are using this site yet — although I’m interested in being one of the first.

    Thanks for the interview.

  8. “Did you know that the average age of a LinkedIN user is 43” – Brian, why is this surprising. If we think that a career arc is from around 21 until 65, then the midpoint of that arc ought to be the midpoint of LinkedIn users.

    Guess what? It is.

    jim

    • briansolis says:

      Hi from NY Jim! Great to hear from you…and great point…

      Honestly, I don’t know that it’s as surprising as it is a good hook for conversation. The other point is that the difference in digital culture/lifestyle of the twenty something vs the forty something is noteworthy. The behavior and perceived value of LinkedIn among the younger set creates an opportunity for a company such as Identified.com. So another question is can/does LinkedIn truly serve the career arc as is? That’s what Brendan talks about quite well. Also, having spent this past year working with enterprise HR execs on the challenges with millennial engagement, I’ve learned quite a bit…fascinating stuff.

      p.s. I need some professional advice from you re: Revolution. Take you out for a drink next week or the week after if you’re around?

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