Getting a Taste of The Real World: Response to Open Letter to the Millenials

If you're proactive in your career, whether you’re banging down the door to get a start or wanting the keep your job in this Great Recession, you had better be either keeping up with or setting making PR news! Today, Todd Defren posted, Open Letter to the Millennials (PR Industry Edition) in response to the Dear Millennials: Your Parents Lied to You rant. It spread like wildfire across the Internet. If you haven't seen this tweeted or in your inbox, please upgrade your professional network immediately! Some people griped about how he was too harsh. (They must not be PR professionals if they thought he was harsh.) I felt he was dead on and decided to share his words with my peers.

As a fellow millennial (I think that's what they're calling us now) it gets tough being the new kid on the block with everyone seeming to pick at us. Apparently, we're too sheltered, too educated, and too entitled. Sometimes it's like, "Hey, we're graduating in a recession that has shaken our realities like an earthquake. Give us a break!" Of course, in the real world, no one cares! If anything, I think this should be our selling point. We have been forced to adapt and have been challenged to either sink or swim. I've been treading water for over a year now and I think a few points from Defren's post will be a help to anyone who heeds his advice.

Key points from the letter:

• Spelling counts- this is not college where the gist or idea is good enough, PERFECTION is the name of the game.
• Sell yourself- say why you would be vital to the continued success of the organization. I know at times I feel intimidated by the fact I don't have years of experience, however, I know I have something to offer.
• Be visible- we are in the communications industry. Who is going to hire you if they don't see you on Twitter, Facebook, or a blog? Privacy settings are for your friends in the sciences. Please join us in the digital world. Make it appropriate and relevant to your career goals.
• Research- always have a question and show you are really interested in any potential job opportunity!

And I know at times, it feels like we're alone. Our big sisters, brothers, and mentors seemed to effortlessly graduate (with good grades and an internship or two of course) and transition into a career that could actually pay a bill or two. Remember, excuses are tools of incompetence that build monuments of nothingness!

Read the original post and rise to occasion!

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Best,

Passion Redefined