5 Steps Millennials Can Take to Advance Their Career

Keep your chin up, millennials. It’s always been tough to land a good job.

Over the weekend, LinkedIn’s Campus Editor Justin Chormicle penned a column titled Millennials Face Toughest Economy Since Great Depression. In the piece, Chormicle explores a report recently released by the New York City Comptroller’s Office, which explains “how the lack of high-paying jobs, decline in wages, and increasing debt are severely hurting millennials when it comes to achieving the lifestyles and financial stability that previous generations experienced.”

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Notes Chormicle, “there is sufficient evidence to prove that there are very few employment opportunities being provided to millennials.”

Compounding the issue, “Millennials have entered the workforce during the greatest economic downturn in almost a century… According to recent trends, it appears the national average income of this generation will remain far behind that of prior generations.”

Ouch.

Yes, times are tough. But speaking as a gen-X/millennial hybrid — born on the cusp of the cutoff — has it ever been different?

Says Chormicle, “Although millennials are obtaining an education, many still find themselves under-paid and under-employed….”

Listen: I too had dreams of quick success after graduating from college. Everyone does. But when you start your career, you have to put in the time before you gain the additional skills required to climb the corporate ladder. Most people’s first jobs out of college will be low-paying, and most of them will not require college grads to utilize their full skill set. Odds are, early in your career you will find yourself “under-paid and under-employed.”

Join the club.

Here’s the good news, millennials: It’s always been tough to find a good job. But it’s been done in the past, so you can do it too.

Keep your chin up. Here are five steps you can take to position yourself for success, both right now and for the duration of your career.

1. Regardless of How You Feel About Your Job, Always Do Your Best

Nobody dreams of stuffing envelopes for a living, but if your experience is anything like mine, you might find yourself printing hundreds of press kits, stuffing them into envelopes — oh, the awful taste of envelope glue — and dragging them down to the post office. Hardly glamorous, and definitely not high paying.

There will almost certainly be distasteful aspects of jobs early in your career — again, envelope glue. But it’s important to make a good impression as a dedicated and willing employee; your reputation will follow you for the duration of your professional life, and even if you move on to another employer or profession, recommendations from former colleagues and managers are invaluable in the working world.

2. Seize Every Opportunity to Learn

Don’t assume your education stops when you earn your degree. In PayScale’s recent job skills report, Leveling Up: How to Win in the Skills Economy, we noted that only 50 percent of hiring managers feel recent college graduates are prepared for the professional world. That means you’ll need to learn on the job in order to acquire those missing skills.

If you do find yourself needing more knowledge or information in order to climb the corporate ladder, ask someone to teach you. Find a mentor. Seek out experts in your company. Ask your manager if you can take classes or attend seminars — many employers will pay for their employees to further their education—and if your company has a professional development budget, use it! (Here’s another hint: You’re going to keep learning how to be better at your job your entire life, so why not start now? There’s no time like the present.)

3. Make Connections

Like it or not, networking is a crucial aspect of career success. The phrase, “It’s all who you know,” is all too true. Build relationships with people within your company, and anyone else you meet in your professional sphere. Go to meetups and networking events, and grow your list of connections. For some — natural introverts, for example — this will be hard, but consider it part of your job to build these relationships. I promise, you’ll find it gets easier with time.

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These days, having a comprehensive LinkedIn profile is a vital aspect of career success. Make sure your LinkedIn profile is up-to-date, professionally appropriate, and continually updated. Building your list of connections in real life and on LinkedIn could potentially lead to a job in line with your skill set, salary goals, and personal passions.

4. Position Yourself for Success