With more than 3 billion searches each day, Google has become a global hub to see what's top of mind for humanity. Type a query into the search bar and the Autocomplete feature displays the top searches related to your search that other people are also searching. So it’s no surprise that the world's true feelings about Millennials are revealed when Google searching for them in the Autocomplete section. But which are myth and which are true? (Note: All seven of these searches were done on a desktop using a Chrome incognito window so the user’s past searches wouldn’t skew the results.)
According to this 2017 study by Alamo Rent a Car Family Vacation Survey, more than one-third of Millennials worked every day of their vacations. Why? Thirty-four percent of Millennials said it “feels good to know they’re needed,” and another 23 percent “wanted to impress their boss.”
Definitely a myth. In fact, Millennials are on track to be the most educated generation of all time when compared to previous generations.
According to Pew Research, Millennials have a record low participation in the housing market compared to previous generations. The median first-marriage age for women is 27; for men, it’s 29, up from 20 for women and 23 for men in 1960. And, yes, it's no secret that the Millennial generation will struggle to retire: 79% of Millennials are struggling to understand the overwhelming choices for retirement planning.
Delayed marrying, home-buying, and retirement planning have, in turn, delayed the process of Millennials having children — which, by the way, has also been delayed.
Eighty-four percent of Millennials say making a difference in the world is more important than professional recognition. The Millennial generation shares a common quest to "change the world" through the work they produce and through the brands they buy from, such as Millennial-favorite Warby Parker and their one-for-one movement.
Inc.com columnist J.T. O'Donnell, founder and CEO of CareerHMO.com, where the average worker age is 25, agrees: "Millennials want to do meaningful work all the time." According to the 2014 Millennial Impact Report, 55 percent of Millennials are influenced to accept a job offer at a company if the company is involved with a meaningful cause.
Millennials are delaying adulthood, but they don't necessarily "need" to grow up. Liz Wiseman, author of Rookie Smarts: Why Learning Beats Knowing in the New Game of Work, believes that Millennials’ rookie mindsets can trump veterans in today's ever-changing workplace.
Forty-one percent of Millennials prefer to be rewarded or recognized for their work at least monthly, if not more frequently, whereas only 30 percent of non-Millennials want that much frequency. Millennials grew up in an on-demand world and are used to a loop of constant information, which has created a desire from Millennials for more frequent, constructive feedback, not just fluffy praise and platitudes.
Searching to better understand what Millennials need to be successful the workplace is a powerful investment for this generation of workers. In fact, by 2025, Millennials will be 75 percent of the global workforce, bringing with them new and innovative ways of working and career expectations.
Millennials have grown up bombarded by ads: billboards, commercials, banner ads, etc. They hate feeling marketed to and have a well-developed ability to tune out irrelevant ad noise. Instead, Millennials are persuaded by their peers. Ninety-five percent of Millennials say they turn to a trusted friend or group of friends as a credible source of information on what to buy.
Seventy-five percent of Millennials want a mentor — and want to be mentored. Believe it or not, they're interested in absorbing the wisdom of previous generations, the “tricks of the trade” that they can't get from a Google search. What drives Millennials crazy is when Baby Boomers aren't willing to change and grow alongside them.
Fifty-five percent of Millennials say they're spending more on events than ever before. For this generation, it’s not about the stuff you can carry — it’s about what you can’t take with you that matters more to this generation.
During the run-up to the 2016 Presidential elections, Bernie Sanders captured the support of 54 percent of those under the age of 30.
Humanity has always looked to its youth for innovation and hope. This Autocomplete proves that sentiment is still alive today. Despite the perceived setbacks and shortcomings of this generation, Millennials just want to change the world and save us all.
