A quarterly Newsletter designed to give you
information to enhance your career
and life satisfaction.
Volume 6, June 2005Emerging Adults—What is that? Do you have one? Are you one?
An emerging adult is a young adult between 22 and 30 in the process
of trying to find his or her way in the world of work. Some of the reasons young adults are struggling with adulthood is the complex economy characterized by a competitive job market, and a bachelors' degree having less value. Some other names for this person:
Twixter
20 Something
Quarterlifers
Generation Xers
Millenniums
Some Statistics:
- 40% women and 50% men return home at some point after
finishing their BA
WHAT WE DO!
We help emerging adults recognize their dream careers. Our clients will spend 30% of their lives at work. They deserve and demand PASSION from their work, not just a paycheck. We help put them on the track to SUCCESS and SATISFACTION!
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Ages 18 and 21 are no longer the true entry points into
American
adulthood; it is now closer to age 26. More young people are taking
soul-searching breaks after college or putting off starting their “grown-up” lives (which could include car payments, a real job, credit card payments.)
- 75% of students see no relation between their college major
and career after college
- 50% of 21-30 year olds believe their goals will never be accomplished
HOW WE DO IT!
We link personal interviews and discussions with verified research tools to help us chart the right career course for our clients - the course that will let them maximize their skills and allow them to fall in love with their job!
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Suicide, alcoholism, and depression among young adults over
21 have tripled in the last two decades
- “We have an epidemic of career unreadiness as many young
people are unprepared for the challenge of initiating a productive
life.” Mel Levine, Ready or Not—Here Life Comes
Suggestions for Emerging Adults—What's the Next Step for finding career happiness?
- Know Thyself—Deepen self knowledge. It would be helpful at this time to take any assessments that will help know oneself better.
- Look back at childhood and teen years—What kind of activities absorbed you? What did you do in your spare time?
- Get involved in community work to give back and to meet other young people. Think also of an “internship”, doing volunteer work for a company or organization that will give you experience and see if the work feels like a good match.
- If you are thinking of law or grad school, do not do it as a means of something to do or avoiding the real world. It's fine to do if you have done research and quite sure the field would be a good match for you.
- Use time you have after completing college to explore various options, workplace settings, and cities to live in.
Tips for New Grads—Where do people find jobs nowadays?
Where do external hires come from for companies? Two years ago over half of all external hires came from Employee Referrals and the Internet.
Today, 61% of all External Hires can be attributed to: Employee Referrals and Internet. Traditional want-ads? 5.5% says employers.
Dominating the Internet are the major job boards: Monster.com, Careerbuilder, and HotJobs account for 22.8% of all hires from the Internet. There are still a high percentage of hires that come from a corporation's website.CareerMatters has launched a new program using our same cutting edge assessment techniques to help High School and college students better understand their own skills, abilities, and aspirations. It includes The Highlands Ability Batteryyand other assessments.
Research—Does it make a difference to plan?
A study was done at Florida State University that was recently released, providing evidence that “planful” people are more likely to achieve measured educational and workplace success.
The study was called, “Does Being Planful Always Pay Off?” evaluated data collected on 1,816 individuals who were 16 to 18 years old in 1979. These individuals were interviewed every year from 1979 to 1994 and every second year since, as part of the National Longitudinal Surveys conducted by the US Department of Labor. Detailed interviews have been conducted with the same individuals in each research year, and the data provides an unbelievably rich source of information about human development.
Their research found that, “planful competence” is a powerful predictor of an adolescent's plans and their adult achievement in schooling and work. The study defines “planful competence” as a combination of 1) “sense of mastery” (a belief in yourself, “knowledge about the broader world of work” or (expanded career awareness), 2) “scholastic aptitude” (the skills), and 3) “plans about the timing and extent of future attainment” (defined intent).
The paper goes on to state, “Adolescents with a purposeful orientation towards life, combined with general and practical knowledge, have more ambitious career plans, more stable plans in young adulthood, and greater educational and occupational achievements by midlife.”
This study reveals some sense of certainty in an unstable world. It also states that no matter what your perceived limitation, the skills and attitudes of “planful competence” can get you through.
Tips for Time Management from his book, Robert Allen’s 21 Time Tips for the 21st Century from Multiple Streams of Income.
- Remember that time is money. As Benjamin Franklin said, “Waste neither time nor money, but make the best use of both.”
- Do your FTF: Feared things First. Start your day by doing the thing you fear most first. (Very hard to convince young adults!)
- Focus on the Critical Few. 80% of the things we do each day are trivial, and only 20% are critical.
Do you know which of the activities comprise the critical 20%?
- Do a daily power hour. Take a few minutes every day to plan, whether for that day or the next 30, 60,
or 90 days.
- Exercise! “Exercise is a high-leverage activity. It helps you work harder and longer and think more clearly."
"The three grand essentials to happiness in life are something to do,
something to love, and something to hope for."
Joseph Addison