Job Security Is a Dumb Goal (And a Survey with Some Cool Prizes)

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• January 8, 2009
• By Ryan Healy
• No Comments

This post was originally posted at Employee Evolution

A couple of weeks ago I attended a “future of work” retreat. Many people presented their research, but one specific trend consistently showed up, and truthfully I’m amazed by it — Generation Y values job security more than anything else.

At first glance, this seems crazy because Gen Y is job hopping every couple of years and employers can’t figure out how to get us to stick around. But as I thought about it a little more and I discussed the topic with other retreat attendees, it made total sense. We grew up watching our parents get laid off, then we went to college and saw the collapse of Enron, Arthur Andersen and others, and even now, we’re watching Wall Street completely screw up the economy. Couple that with the rapid pace of change we’ve seen throughout our lives, and a little security sounds pretty comforting.

But here’s the thing. We shouldn’t be looking for job security. And companies shouldn’t promise it. Promising job security means promising employment. And when everything changes at the blink of an eye, no company can promise employment. But what they should be able to promise is employability.

Promising employability means that a company is promising to provide you with the right mix of training, skills, experience, and mentoring, which will ultimately leave you employable no matter what happens with your current job. The best security you can have is the security of having the skills that employers need—the skills that make you employable.

So, when you go on your next job interview or when you talk to your boss about your career plans, ask him what the company is doing to make you employable. If he can quickly give you a list of five things, congratulations, you’re secure. If he’s stumped, it’s time to rethink the job you’re in.

Many companies have no idea how to provide Generation Y with the skills we need to be employable. So, they need our help. Jeanne Meister is researching and writing a book to help companies understand what Gen Y really wants. She has the ear of corporate America, but she’s asking for a little help and insight from us – Gen Y.

CLICK HERE to take the Four Generations @ Work survey and do your part in helping Corporate America understand what changes they need to make. And hey, if for no other reason, there are some pretty cool prizes you could win if you take the survey by October 15.

The Prizes:
1. Ipod Touch
2. Flip Camera
3. $50 gift certificate to Amazon

Ryan Healy is the COO/Co-Founder of Brazen Careerist and regularly writes and speaks on all things Gen Y, Careers and Entrepreneurship‬

Brazen powers real-time, online events for leading organizations around the world. Our lifestyle and career blog, Brazen Life, offers fun and edgy ideas for ambitious professionals navigating the changing world of work.