Share Tweet Share Hear from Gen Y talents in their own words, what they think, what influences them, how they view their career and what they expect from employers. Janet Homan, Creator/Blogger at youarewhatyouthink.ie and part time student of Psychology in Ireland. Janet shares her Gen Y take and her interest in the Law of Attraction and the power of the human mind. QUESTIONNAIRE COMPLETED BY JANET HOMAN What do you consider typical characteristics of your generation? I think the most obvious characteristic of my generation is the obsession with technology and social media. I’m glad I am part of this age but I also wish sometimes that people would just put their phones down and look at me while they’re talking to me! What do you expect from corporate leadership in today’s business world? I think it’s imperative to understand the emotional and intellectual essentials of your customers, and then motivate your organization to deliver innovative, relevant products and solutions that meet their needs. I also believe in a company creating an atmosphere of cooperation and respect for their employees and just to make the job fun for people. It’s so important to be treated right as both a customer and an employee. You are what you think blog What engages you most in the workplace and what makes you go the extra mile? What engages me most is working with nice, friendly and bubbly people and being able to use my own initiative to improve processes that I see are not up to par. What is your preferred way to communicate in the workplace? I prefer to engage with people face to face usually, I think it’s important to have physical interaction with people rather than just emailing them all the time. It’s just good for your overall sanity I think. What kind of development opportunities do you expect to be offered by your employer? I always expect that an employer will notice my efforts and help me to progress accordingly. I believe it’s highly important to support people who want to move up the career ladder and to reward their achievements. This is vital for staff morale and in order to keep your employees loyal to you. What do you wish your colleagues from other generations would know about Generation Y? I guess I would want them to know that we aren’t ditzy and all about social media and technology. They may look at us from time to time and think we never look up from our phones but Janet Homan there is more to us than this. As a result of social media I have been fortunate enough to be inspired by some amazing people in my generation, particularly bloggers such as Suzanne Jackson and Zoella. Please complete this sentence: For me, my job is…my passion, my way of communicating with the rest of the world. It keeps me happy and sane and working with great people every day just brightens my day up. Who has had the biggest influence on your career and why? (a manager, parent, teacher, friend…) The biggest influence for me has definitely been Paul McKenna, paulmckenna.com because he sparked my interest in psychology when I was 18 years old. Paul is a British hypnotist/therapist who helps millions of people with NLP and has helped people to overcome their fears. His work has really inspired me. When you choose a job, what do you look for in a new challenge? I always look to be kept on my toes, to expand my knowledge and develop new skills that can benefit me in my personal life as well. I always look for a job that allows me to progress and use my initiative. How does your ideal workplace physically look like? My ideal workplace is a mix of being in the office and going out to events/launches etc. and getting to interact and mix with different people. I hope to one day have my own office in my home. I also believe in a company creating a strong culture of collaboration and respect within a company. When you do you experience “flow” – the mental state in which a person is fully immersed in an energizing activity and is so focused that he/she loses track of time? I tend to experience this when I’m blogging as I feel so passionate about it.
