I’m a millennial, technically speaking. As much as I hate the term itself, it just so happens that I fall into the age bracket for “millennials”. Like other millennials, I don’t identify myself as one. Unlike the sense of pride or frisson of excitement when you hear the name of a group you identify with, such as “Chelsea supporter” or “Imagine Dragons fan”, I don’t get that when I hear: “You’re a millennial”.

Millennials embody tons of stereotypes that everyone just loves to hate on. An age group mocked like no other. Our defining traits? Sadly, some would say that they are: “entitlement, dependency, laziness and non-stop complaining (which may ironically be what I’m doing now).” And oh, there’s even “proof”. A survey done by the Reason Foundation found that 58% of 18 to 29 year olds think their generation is entitled.

We are viewed as “soft”, and are labelled as technology-addled narcissists. Millennials seem so difficult to manage or understand that Wiley even published a book on “Managing Millennials for Dummies”. Employers claim to be afraid of us. Millennials are said to be serial job hoppers. A survey by Gallup showed that 21% of millennials left their job after less than a year, while 60% are open to leaving their jobs.

So yeah. We are difficult. But then again, there are many positive millennial traits that seem to have been overlooked. Millennials do have many traits that make us good employees. According to the aforementioned book, millennials are hardworking and creative. Millennials are relational, and hence are able to mix around and form close bonds with many co-workers, which is our version of leadership. Also, growing up surrounded by technology has made many of us technologically savvy.

So what gets us excited? What are our biggest priorities and considerations when choosing a job?

A study by done Harvard Business Review has found that the “opportunity to learn and grow” is the most important factor to millennials when finding a job. According to the same study, other factors that millennials find important would be the quality of their manager and their personal interest in the type of work.

Personally, my maxim is to grow each day. To wake up in the morning, telling myself to be better than yesterday. I like to push myself out of my comfort zone and actively seek discomfort. This allows me to experience growth. Each challenge we face, each impossible task we are given, will help us to grow by pushing us past our limits. And this is definitely something that defines millennials. Millennials are dreamers who focus on what could be, less practical and pragmatic than the generations before us.

TalentKraft’s TeamSight was devised to allow employers to discover what their current employees or potential hires prioritise in a job. Using TeamSight, I found out about my biggest priorities and considerations when looking for a job. I also discovered a few things about myself that I had never noticed!