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Q&A: Propose Ways You Can Contribute Using the Language of ROI
Dear Ms.Tammy,
After I read your article ?Why the Financial Crisis is (Mostly) Good News for Gen Y,” agree with your views. But I still have some problem: Financial Crisis is the worst time, and also the best time for Generation Y. Could you tell me some more details on how Gen Y can survive & benefit in crisis time?
For example, someone thinks it is a hard time for Gen Y (especially the graduate) to find a job.
Thank you,
Dengjing
Dear Dengjing,
Thank you for reading my blog and writing from China.
It is a harder time for even Gen Y’s to find jobs than we’ve seen for many years. Here is some advice:
If the Gen Y has some financial flexibility (that is, does not have large loans or family support responsibilities), they might look for jobs that are interesting and challenging, but pay less than the salaries older workers may need. Even if the jobs are not posted, Y’s should still approach companies or organizations that they admire and propose a way they could contribute to the company, at a modest compensation. Remember to express your proposal in the language of financial returns, as I suggest in Plugged In. For example, you might propose that for a fee of “X” you would produce results with a value of “Y” for the company.
Alternatively, if the Gen Y has significant financial flexibility, this may be an excellent time to go back to school, perhaps to obtain a masters degree, or to travel, or to do charitable work—in other words, recognize that the next several years are likely to be difficult, and spend them doing things now that you were planning to do at some later point.
Best,
Tammy
Filed under: Surviving in Today's Economy | Published: 12/05/08
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