Twenty years ago and decades before, when you started out your career, the currency was different. Young people today want to live the life they want with the freedom and security to follow their dreams.

Career Currency

Twenty years ago and decades before, when you started out your career, the currency was different. Many of us strived for the conventions of adult living – a job for life or at least a position that could offer security and that was in the vicinity of where we lived, had promotional opportunities to offer, could provide a friendship network and enabled us to have money in the bank to put down a deposit on a house.

Fast forward to 2023, and the world is a very different place. Having a career means different things to different people – people’s motivations and drivers are different. Phrases like work-life balance, 9-5, and career for life feel quite alien to many who view their careers and jobs as flexible moving phases of a journey that must adapt to the ever-changing landscape we continue to navigate. Pensions and deposit savings are less relevant to a 22-year-old who may never afford or indeed want to have a mortgage, and retiring at 55-60 is a pipedream for most.

As a business, we need to be mindful of this currency – supporting and adapting to diverse needs. Flexible hours for one, a strong, connected culture and benefits for another, and clear targets for another, the model has to shape and shift to respond to these different drivers.

That agility of mind and model has to start right at the beginning of the process – the restricted recruitment template of CV, Cover Letter and marking criteria within a stiff, formal interview setting to determine suitability and capability for a role will no longer cut it.

Young people today want to live the life they want with the freedom and security to follow their dreams.

Further reading
Understanding Motivation
https://saragossa.co.uk/why-motivation-is-more-than-money

Transform Interests into Advantage
https://saragossa.co.uk/transform-interests-into-advantage

Attitude and Approach
https://saragossa.co.uk/attitude-and-approach-our-16-point-appraisal-process