strategicinsight
counter to the conventional wisdom
about the newest generation of
workers. Many take for granted that
they will be able to advance within
their chosen organization. And they
expect to make an impact that goes
beyond their bank accounts.
Money is just a small slice of the pie,
according to those interviewed for this
story. “At this age, you really don’t
need to make that much of it,” says
Dian Cui, a 2009 industrial engineer-
ing graduate of Dalhousie University
in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and today a
supply chain analyst for the Nova
Scotia Liquor Corp. in Halifax.
Kevin Remillard, a 2010 Georgia
Southern University graduate recently
hired by third-party logistics giant C.H.
Robinson Worldwide Inc., says that
“money wasn’t my main concern” in
accepting Robinson’s offer over three oth-
ers. The key factor, he says, was that
Robinson was a “company I could see
being with one, five, or 10 years out.”
Ironically, two Robinson executives say
that while they tout the company’s stabil-
ity and longevity—Robinson was found-
ed in 1905—in interviews and at job fairs,
the message seems to be lost on many
young people. “It kind of just flies by
them. I don’t think it’s looked at too close-
ly,” says Eric Mesenburg, the company’s
director of recruiting.
Laura Gillund, Robinson’s vice president of human resources, says she hears
more discussion about workforce stability
from the parents of college graduates than
from the graduates themselves. The subject also comes up more frequently with
job seekers in their late 20s and early 30s
with a decade of experience under their
belts, she adds.
Cui believes job seekers in their early
20s are less likely than their older counterparts to be concerned about their
long-term prospects with an employer.
He says that many companies with relatively small supply chain operations
expect newly minted hires to stay two or
three years, gain experience while delivering productivity, and then move on to a
larger organization. Cui says he’s happy
with his employer and his current position but adds he would eventually like to
return to his native China and apply his
skills there.
Charlie Crawford, who is enrolled in
the graduate program in industrial engineering at Virginia Tech, says the craving
for stability may be more a reflection of
uncertain economic conditions than any
altruistic urges. “It’s a sign of the times,”
he says.
For his part, Crawford says he would
prefer a stable career path, but with his
own imprimatur. “Many companies tout
rotational programs, but that doesn’t
interest me,” he says. “I want to know
what the company has for me now, and
what the options are for me one or two
