Current college students may be known as belonging to the age of entitlement, but are they really that way when it comes to entering the workforce?

Carl Winston, director of SDSU’s School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, said he has seen a dramatic shift in the way college students are now approaching the job market.

“What I’m seeing and hearing is a profound change,” Winston said. “They have lived through the Great Recession of the past 18 months. You are seeing 20-year-olds wanting to get their foot in the door. They are looking for job security and working their way up the ladder.”

Hiring Gen Y

Winston is among three SDSU career services and recruitment experts who will comprise the panel at the “Generation Y: Key to Your HR Strategic Solution” Training & Development Exchange through SDSU’s Extended Studies from 8:30 - 10:30 a.m., Friday, Nov. 13, at the Extended Studies Center.

He will be joined by James J. Tarbox, Ph.D., director of SDSU Career Services, and Bryan Lubic, manager of Aztec Business Alliance in the SDSU College of Business Administration.

This interactive conversation will delve into issues such as:

• Who is Gen Y?
• What are their primary motivators?
• How do they define success?
• What are they looking for in a job?
• What’s the forecast for Gen Y in the workplace?
• Will they stay? Why and why not?
• How do they define success?
• How do we define success?
• How can we attract and retain?

Recruiting millenials

Tarbox said SDSU has many attendees who are first-generation college students and that they do not all have Baby Boomers for parents, despite such an assumption from the general public. He adds that as millennials, current students have been brought up to compete and be recognized for their accomplishments.

With job opportunities receding over the past 18 months, there are a lot fewer opportunities for students to enter the workforce upon graduating. Even so, there are still a large number of recruiters on campus whenever student job fairs take place.

“The good news is that they are still coming to campus,” Tarbox said of the recruiters. “The bad news is that there are not as many jobs. It’s much more challenging for students. They have to be a lot more proactive.”

Sharing observations

Lubic says the Training & Development Exchange will address such questions as whether there really is a Generation Y and if such young adults truly are a generation of entitlement. In addition, the SDSU panel will provide its observations of college students to the HR professionals in attendance.

“We hope to help participants flush out ideas, increase their knowledge, and learn how to help their own divisions be more effective within the workforce,” Lubic said.

College of Extended Studies

This panel is presented by the College of Extended Studies. To learn more about other programs offered by the college, visit the website.