Millennials Education and Workplace Success – Improving Emotional Intelligence

image via education-portal.com

In 2010, research from Pew Center showed Millennials were not only the happiest of workers but they were also considered the most educated generation in history.  JustMeans.com reported, “Approximately 1-in-5 Millennials are college graduates while 26% are in school, and 30% are out of school but have plans to pursue a college degree. Some Millennials work, and others are in school– 24% do both and are employed while seeking an education. According the Pew Center, Millennials who are older and employed may be “the happiest workers in America.” More than one-third of employed Millennials describe their job satisfaction as “very happy,” while 29% of Baby Boomers and 27% of Gen Xers feel the same way.”

Even well-educated generations may not be savvy in all areas that could lead to their success at work.  Part of what makes a successful and happy worker is having the ability to get along with coworkers, having strong interpersonal skills and being emotionally intelligent.  The book, It’s Not You It’s Your Personality, addresses all of these important areas.  By understanding personalities and the psychology behind “why” people act the way they do, Millennials and all generations have a better chance of success at work and beyond.

A big part of understanding relationships and personalities is to understand emotional intelligence.  Authors such as Daniel Goleman have shown that one’s Emotional Quotient or EQ may be considered as important as one’s IQ.  Phoenix.Edu explained the importance of emotional intelligence in the workplace:  “Emotions play a primary role in both conscious and unconscious decisions. It is often easy to be reactive instead of proactive, and in the workplace, if the wrong choice is made, this can quickly lead into a danger zone. An inability to keep emotions in check can result in problematic issues that can either harm the individual’s career or tarnish the reputation of an organization. Examples of situations where emotions can come into effect are conflict management, colleague tension, dealing with irate customers, organizational power struggles, negotiations, competition, organizational resistance to change and even coping with managers who bully.”

To find out more about understanding personalities and emotional intelligence in the workplace, click here. 

• The Happiness Advantage
• The Millennial Happiness Factor: Millennials are Happier with their Bosses than Boomers
• Millennial Job-Seekers Have Unique Expectations

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Keirsey’s Results Show Wealthy Extroverts Are Happiest Americans

In Dr. Grupta’s blog, he wrote about: Who are the happiest Americans? According to a new study, they may be extroverted, earning more than $75,000 a year, healthy, and engaged. The analysis was conducted by Keirsey Research, an organization that looks at how personality relates to a person’s preferences in  consumer choices, political opinion, and a variety of other factors. Click here for the rest of Grupta’s article.

In our book about personalities, my daughter, Toni Rothpletz, and I discuss Keirsey’s temperament research.  If you are interested in reading more about the results of Keirsey’s study that showed “Wealthy Extroverts are the Happiest Americans” click here.  Some highlights from the results of this study showed:

• Personality. 63 percent of Americans rate themselves as very or somewhat happy. Extroverts (74 percent), however, are much happier than introverts (56 percent).
• Wealth. In general, the higher the household income, the happier the individual. 72 percent of those with an annual household income of $75,000 or more are very or somewhat happy, compared to 59 percent of those with an annual household income of $50,000 or less.
• Love. Not surprisingly, being engaged promotes above average happiness (71 percent very or somewhat happy). Those who are separated but not divorced are least happy when it comes to love (48 percent).
• Age. Americans get progressively happier as they get older, with one exception. Happiness takes a dip between the ages of 35-44 (58 percent are very or somewhat happy), when parental and career pressures are typically at their peak.
• Family. “Empty nesters” are most happy (73 percent very or somewhat happy), while those who are divorced and sharing custody are least happy (56 percent). Individuals who do not have children cite average happiness (62 percent).
• Education. In most cases, more education means more happiness. There was no difference, however, between the happiness of those with a bachelor’s degree and those with a graduate degree (68 percent very or somewhat happy).
• Politics. Democrats and Republicans are equally happy (roughly 70 percent very or somewhat happy), while Green Party affiliates are the least happy (52 percent).

Do You Need Help Finding a Job or Reinventing Your Career?

In my book How To Reinvent Your Career, I list some great sources for information.  Here are just a few of them:  

Area Where I Need Help	Solutions
I need help with computer skills.	http://www.gcflearnfree.org/computer/topic.aspx?id=140
I need help with grammar and spelling.	http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com
I want to take understand personality assessment that gives a basic idea of personality type.	http://www.humanmetrics.com/#Jung, Myers–Briggs(free site, but not as accurate as the actual Myers–Briggs test)Read my daughter’s (Toni Rothpletz) and my book The Young Adult’s Guide to Understanding Personality. Monster.com and CareerPath.com have a personality quiz Personal.ansir.com Careerplanner.com Livecareer.com Assessment.usatests.com/ Jobtest/?v http://jobsearch.about.com/gi/ o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn= jobsearch&cdn=careers&tm= 17&gps=179_834_1003_630&f= 21&su=p284.9.336.ip_p554.13.336.ip_ &tt=2&bt=1&bts=1&zu=http%3A// tools.monster.com/perfectcareer http://www.discoveryour personality.com/Strong.html
I need help getting connected to people to start networking.	LinkedIn.comFacebook.comMySpace.comNaymz.com Ryze.com Twitter.com Meetup.com
I need help finding jobs, learning to write résumés, and general career advice.	Monster.comCareerbuilder.comjobs.aol.comRead the book What Color is Your Parachute, by Richard Bolles Check out the Bureau of Labor Statistics Careerjournal.com Workforce.com Talk to your school counselor Careermaze.com Mediabistro.com Higheredjobs.com
I need help paying for education.	Staffordloan.comCollegeboard.comFafsa.ed.govTuitionpay.com Afford.com Read my book The Online Student’s User Manual, which is also helpful for all online student questions other than financial.
I need help with diet and exercise information.	sparkpeople.combodyforlife.comfitday.comdietfacts.com
I need help with optimism and happiness.	Read The Art of Happiness,by the Dalai LamaRead The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen Covey
I am getting older and need career advice for my age group.	aarp.org/money/workCareermaze.comhttp://assets.aarp.org/rgcenter/econ/workers_fifty_plus.pdf
I need help to avoid work-at-home scams.	Read my articleInvestopedia.com/articles/pf/09/work-at-home-scam.asp?&Viewed=1
I need some other suggested reading to help me reinvent myself.	Read Career Renegade, byJonathan FieldsRead Reinventing Yourself, bySteve Chandler
I need help with information about expected salaries.	Salary.comIndeed.com salary toolNew York Times Salary ToolsGlassdoor.com TheRileyGuide.com
I need help keeping track of my job search progress.	Myprogress.comWorksolver.comExecrelate.com
I need help researching companies for interviews.	Google.comExecrelate.comCareerTV.com
I need help finding out about good places to work.	http://www.aarp.org/money/work/best_employers/http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/ bestcompanies/2010/ http://www.hoovers.com/free biz.yahoo.com/ic/ ind_index.html