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Lots of people are buzzing about the recent New York Times Magazine cover story, “What is it About 20-Somethings?” The article focuses on the fact that today’s 20-somethings are “delaying adulthood” by moving back in with their parents, marrying later and hopping from career to career.

The article speculates about whether these shifts are happening because of the current economy, a fundamental change in the definition of adulthood or -- as many of the article’s more negative commenters believe -- the “entitled” nature of the Millennial generation.

Personally, I believe that 20-somethings are simply reflecting the reality of our current times. But I have seen evidence that many Millennials aren’t aware of the way they are perceived, particularly in the workplace. I frequently hear recruiters and employers complain that today’s young people have a sense of entitlement -- a belief that they deserve jobs, high salaries and advanced responsibilities even when they don’t have much experience.

Whether you personally feel this way or not, it’s important to understand that this perception of 20-somethings is out there. In many companies, the older generations are still in charge, so when you're looking for a job or wanting to advance in your career, you’ll have a better chance of success if you avoid the “entitled” label. Here are some tips for overcoming the “e” word:

1. Show appreciation for responsibility and opportunity.

One of the biggest grievances I hear from managers is that Gen Y employees expect to be given high-level, exciting work on day one of a job. Never forget that you are being paid to work! And your bosses probably “paid their dues” for a long time to get where they are. Many of them expect you to pay your dues too, even though technology and business move much faster these days.

The best way to receive the kind of work you want is to do a great job with every assignment you’re given. Then, when you do receive increased responsibility or a cool project, be sure to say thank you to the person who assigned it. Gratitude is remembered and rewarded.

2. Follow protocol.

While you may want to share your suggestions directly with the CEO of your company, it’s probably more appropriate for you to share those thoughts with your direct boss first. This type of hierarchical reporting structure may change someday when Gen Ys are in the corner office, but for now, it’s reality. If you’re not sure whether it’s okay to reach out to someone at a higher level, ask your boss or colleagues first.

3. Focus on what you can do for your employer, not the other way around.

In cover letters, email messages, conversations with recruiters, salary negotiations, etc., make sure you frame your value in terms of what you can offer, not what you need. Recruiters roll their eyes at cover letters that begin with, “I would like to find a position in which I can learn.” Likewise, negotiations fail when you ask for more money because, “I need it.” You’ll have a better chance of getting what you want when you focus your argument on how it will benefit the company in terms of increased sales, more productivity or lower costs. Always ask yourself, “What’s in it for them?”

As I read through the above list, it strikes me that avoiding the entitlement label is really about using your common sense and best manners. What do you think? Please share in the comments!

Yep, it’s that time of year again. Back-to-school shopping season brings back memories of crisp notebooks, freshly sharpened pencils, shiny new shoes and the excitement of the new year ahead. Even though I’ve been out of school for a long time, I still feel that sense of excitement and possibility when the end of August rolls around.

Whether you’re headed back to campus this fall or already out on the job market, here are some supplies I recommend for the job hunting season ahead:

1. Simple dark suit.  The failsafe choice in any professional situation is a black (or very dark navy, gray or brown) suit. Black is my top recommendation because it’s always appropriate (even in hot climates), it matches with anything and you’re more likely to blend in with the crowd if for some reason you’re a bit overdressed or underdressed. Every young professional should own at least one simple, tailored black suit.  If you’re on a limited budget, the extra bonus of a black suit is that less expensive fabrics look better in black than in lighter colors. 

2. Business cards. Many career-minded students are carrying business cards these days. It’s an instant way to show your professionalism when you meet someone new. Rest assured that you don’t need a title, a company, a fax number or even a street address to have a business card.  All you need is your name, a phone number (which can be a cell phone) and an email address.  If you’re a student, it’s nice to include your university and year of graduation, but it’s not required.  And that’s it.  But, no matter what, you need a way to give people your contact information when you meet them.

3. Folder to hold your resume. Whether you choose a formal leather portfolio or a simple two-pocket folder from the drugstore, you need a place to store your resume when you attend job fairs or interviews. Recruiters are not impressed when you pull a folded-up or crumpled copy of your resume from your jacket pocket or handbag. Show your resume the respect it deserves and give it a proper carrying case. A resume folder is a small thing, but an important one that shows your attention to detail.

4. Thank you notes. While it’s acceptable to send thank you notes by email these days (especially after a formal job interview when time is of the essence), sending a personal snail mail note is a guaranteed way to stand out from the pack during your job search. Buy the nicest cards you can find (I love the stationery section at Target) and use them whenever someone helps you with advice, an informational interview, a resume critique, an invitation to a networking event or any other kind gesture.

5. Coffee gift card. Whatever your favorite coffee shop, buy yourself a gift card worth about 10 cups of coffee. Then, challenge yourself to take at least five people out for coffee over the next month. Use these coffee meetings to ask people to review your resume, share advice from their own job search experience, introduce you to people they know who might be hiring or anything else that might help you find an opportunity. My hope is that a pre-paid coffee card will be a little push to get you to conduct more face-to-face networking this fall.

What other back-to-school supplies do you recommend for job seekers? Please share in the comments!

For many people, the July 4^th weekend marks the beginning of Slacker Season at work: the time to enjoy long lunches outside and cut out early on Fridays. I love the mellowness of summer and encourage you to enjoy the season to its fullest. I also know that you need to keep your job search or career development on track, even when it's 100 degrees in the shade. Here are some suggestions:

Revisit Your New Year’s Resolutions.

Remember that sense of optimism and new beginnings you felt as you turned your calendar to January? Pretend you’re a company with a July 1^st start to your fiscal year and reboot your resolutions right now. If you never set any goals for this year, lie on a beach towel staring at the sky and daydream about what you want to accomplish by the end of 2010. Then, commit to taking some small steps this summer (such as registering for an online course to improve your negotiation skills, going outlet shopping to perk up your professional wardrobe, revising your job description with your boss to prepare for a promotion) to move yourself forward.

Redefine “Beach Reading.”

Instead of reading the latest romance novel, gossip magazine or legal thriller by the pool, pack your tote bag with a book that will advance your career knowledge. Check out the biography of a successful business owner, a productivity guide or a job hunting manual. If you’d rather keep your eyes shut and avoid weird sunglasses tan lines, load some books onto your iPod and listen instead. Consider these 10 great career books for young professionals.

Warm Up Your Relationships.

People often have less on their plates in the summer months and are therefore more willing to take time for a networking. (And, frankly, people are just in a better mood when it’s nice outside!) If you’ve recently started a job after graduating, summer is an especially good time to build relationships with your new manager and colleagues. Be the initiator and invite people to grab an iced coffee or a mid-afternoon frozen yogurt.

The same advice goes for job seekers: set up lots of meetings and informational interviews this summer. You may find that contacts who were too busy a few months ago now have some availability for an informational interview or casual chat.

Tweet from the Beach.

Social media doesn’t go on summer hiatus. If you haven’t already, set up a Twitter profile and start following people you admire -- leaders in your industry, career experts, news sites and recruiters from the companies you want to work for (Check out  these additional suggestions for people to follow). Think of Twitter as your personal, 24/7 newsfeed of information, ideas, opinions, event listings, job announcements and other fuel for your career advancement. The Twitter universe doesn’t care if you are tweeting from a cubicle or a cabana; all that matters is that you are part of the conversation.

Summer tends to fly by too fast, so don’t wait another minute to take full advantage of all the fun—and professional opportunities—of the hottest time of year. Please share your additional suggestions in the Comments!

While we tend to categorize all teens and 20-something as Generation Y or Millennials, there are actually big differences between older and younger members of this age group.

On this podcast I talk with Crystal Olig, creator of the Why Gen Y blog, about the different attitudes, experiences and career needs of older and younger Gen Ys. Crystal is incredibly bright and thoughtful in discussing her Gen Y peers on both sides of the gaplet.

Listen to the podcast here, and please share your comments below!

Have you ever wanted to know what goes on inside the mind of a campus recruiter? Here's your chance!

Listen in on my conversation with Joy Schwartz, a former campus recruiter who is now a university career counselor. She'll share the inside scoop from the other side of the job fair booth, answering such questions as:

• What are some of the biggest mistakes students make in the campus recruiting process?
• What can students do to stand out in the recruiting process?
• What is the most important question in a job interview?
• What is the best way for candidates to follow up with recruiters?

Click here to listen to this podcast, and please share your thoughts in the Comments section below. You can also check out Joy's blog at JoySchwartz.com.

There is a Facebook group called “I Judge You When You Use Poor Grammar.” It currently has over 460,000 members.

I am one of them.

Perhaps because I'm the daughter of an English teacher, I believe in the importance of proper spelling and grammar. Employers of recent college grads agree with me. In a 2007 survey, outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas asked executives, “What skill do entry-level job seekers lack the most?” The number one answer by far was written communication.

This means that good writing skills can really help you stand out from the crowd. Good grammar is a competitive advantage.  If your writing skills need some improvement, here are 7 quick tips to help you:

1. Lead with your main point. In professional writing, you are communicating in order to accomplish something, so get to the point. For instance, when you’re writing an email, state the purpose of your email in the first paragraph. When you’re writing a cover letter, state the exact job you’re applying for in the first sentence or two. Don’t make people wade through loads of details before they understand why you’re writing in the first place.

2. Be concise. Speaking of getting to the point, do it quickly and then wrap up. We live in a world of multi-taskers, so conciseness is the only way to keep people's attention (140 characters is quickly becoming our average attention span). When I review resumes, cover letters and networking emails, my first piece of advice to the writer is almost always, “make it shorter.” When you write concise, powerful sentences and paragraphs, people are more likely to pay attention. Long, rambling communications get deleted.

3. Don’t trust spell check. Because you’re a generation that’s grown up with spell check, you tend to rely on it way too much. Spell check doesn’t catch errors like confusing “effect” and “affect” or “there,” “their” and “they’re.” And it never catches misspellings of the names of people, products or companies. When in doubt, have a human being check your work, not a computer.

4. Use proper capitalization and punctuation. my biggest pet peeve when it comes to emails i receive from college students is when everything is in lower case and there is very little punctuation if any at all trust me its not cute its really unprofessional so please dont do it thnx. AND NOTE THAT ALL CAPS MAKES IT LOOK LIKE YOU ARE YELLING.

5. Limit those exclamation points! This is another big pet peeve among the older professionals I meet!! Young people use way too many exclamation points!!!

6. Consult a writing manual. What do you do when you are unsure of a grammar or punctuation usage? If you’re like most people, you shrug your shoulders and say, “Well, hope I got that right!” This is not a wise strategy. Instead, consult a writing website or manual such as The Chicago Manual of Style or the Associated Press Style Guide. Taking a few extra seconds to look up a rule can land you a job or a promotion -- it’s more than worth it.

7. Don’t hide behind your keyboard. Finally, don’t write when you should pick up the phone or talk to someone in person. Remember that the written word -- especially in the form of an email -- doesn’t always correctly convey the tone you intend. And, in situations like giving bad news, quitting a job or criticizing someone’s work, writing is simply a cop-out. Although it’s hard to have difficult conversations in person, you’ll thank yourself for doing the right thing.

What are your best writing tips? Please share!

What are the major hiring trends on campus this year? What are the best strategies for finding an entry-level job? What are the biggest mistakes students make in the job search process?

To answer these questions and more, I spoke with with Trudy Steinfeld, Executive Director of the Wasserman Center for Career Development at New York University, and Manny Contomanolis, Associate Vice President and Director of Co-op and Career Services at the Rochester Institute of Technology.

Don't miss the opportunity to hear top tips from two of the best career services professionals in the country!

Listen to the podcast interview now.

Exercise for 30 minutes a day. Sleep eight hours a night. Floss. Good habits are the building blocks of a healthy life.

The same goes for your career: small daily habits add up to big success. The earlier in your working life you develop smart daily practices, the easier they will be to maintain and the more overall impact they’ll have.

Here are 5 important career habits to cultivate:

1. Keep up with the news. We live in the Information Age, so there’s no excuse for not being informed. Whether you read a news site every morning, watch the headlines on TV or subscribe to a major news outlet’s e-newsletter, you have to know what’s happening in the world. Pay particular attention to any articles relating to your profession. This will give you topics to discuss at networking events, articles to discuss on Twitter and LinkedIn and a base of knowledge to apply to your current and future career decisions. I landed my first job at WorkingWoman.com because I learned about the site from an article in a news magazine!

2. Share. You know those little “Share” icons that appear next to almost every video and blog post these days? Imagine that “Share” button everywhere you look. One of the best ways to maintain a strong professional network is to share articles, job leads, book recommendations, etc. with the people you know. For instance, if you read an article about grad school scholarships, forward it to your friend who is applying to PhD programs. If you come across a video of an interview with Bobby Flay, send the link to your former internship colleague who loves to barbecue. A small, kind, helpful gesture is a great way to keep in touch with people in an authentic, professional way.

3. Learn. I recently switched from a PC to a Mac and I swear I am learning how to do something new every five minutes. I can feel my brain expanding in new ways, and it feels great. Successful people are always looking to learn, from taking a tutorial on a technology product, to looking up a word they don’t know on Dictionary.com, to asking a question at a meeting. There is a saying to do one thing every day that scares you. I would add: do one thing every day that teaches you.

4. Write a to-do list at the end of each day. This is a habit I’ve only begun recently and I wish I’d learned it years ago. Take a few minutes at the end of each workday to write a list of priorities and to-dos for the following morning, including anything you didn’t accomplish that day. It’s a great opportunity to set yourself up for success in the morning and to make sure you don’t let anything fall through the cracks.

5. Relax. College is certainly a time of staying up late, running from classes to extra curriculars to the gym to parties, and surviving on coffee and Ramen noodles. But those habits are not sustainable over time. No one can work 20 hours a day for weeks at a time and perform at peak levels. No one can go 10 hours without eating and concentrate completely. Take time now to figure out what kind of relaxation is most effective for you. It might be yoga, power napping, playing video games, zoning out to music or something else. What matters is that you take time to recharge your batteries when you need it. Remember that your career is more like a decathlon than a sprint.

What other career habits do you recommend? Please share!