Pay vs. Purpose

Recruiter: Why do you want this job?

Candidate: Because I like to eat.

Anecdotally, I’ve heard that Millennials look for a purpose in the work that they do. And unlike the generation(s) before them, working for a paycheck is less important. Speaking as a Gen-Xer, I can tell you that I do work for my paycheck, though I do value and encourage everyone to find a job they would enjoy. But the reason why I work for an employer, is not because I love working in Corporate Finance. It is because I love coming home to a house with my name on the deed, be able to pay my bills when they are due and occasionally, take my daughter out to eat…in Hawaii…on vacation, creating happy and fun family memories.

I was also raised to “shoot for the stars”, aiming for high paying jobs as a doctor or an engineer. I don’t think that it was because my parents had a false sense that money will make me happy. I believe it was because they grew up poor, in a third world country where the line between the rich and poor was dramatically impenetrable. The only hope for better opportunities for any low-income families is for the next generation to achieve higher education, which would then result in a better paying job and therefore a better lifestyle.

However, this is not how I have raised my daughter, who is now a Sophomore in college. My emphasis for her is primarily to find something she would enjoy doing, and secondly that pays a decent paycheck. Is this common among Millennials? What does it mean to find purpose in ones job? What advise has most parents of Millennials given? Why does this all matter?

By 2035, Millennials are expected to make 75% of the workforce. Therefore, hiring managers and recruiters need to understand the factors affecting job satisfactions for generation, considering that the Millennials have been known to hop between jobs more frequently than any other generations before them.

Ok, so besides the obvious, to eat and have a roof over your head, why do you want this job?