leaps of faith

I wouldn't consider myself much of a risk taker. But today, I started a new job in New York City in an effort to take one of the biggest risks in my career to date. Though I only spent just around a year (3 months as an intern and 8 months full-time) in my previous job in management consulting, I jumped ship when opportunity knocked on my door (via a LinkedIn message from a recruiter).

It wasn't an easy decision to leave some of my best friends and the firm that gave me my first real job, but I felt that, given my unhappiness in my previous role, I owed it to myself to try something new when I was given the chance.

In many ways, this decision exemplifies a critical issue that many organizations are facing with Millennial employees: retention.

As Millennials, we grew up in an era of constant change, so we see change as something good. We aren't afraid of it. Change excites us. Moreover, the world as we know it is one of limitless opportunities. For that reason, we often struggle in finding and defining our space in the global talent pool. In this struggle, we try new things frequently to figure out what it is that really drives us, with the same enthusiasm we had when we took different classes in college to select our major. Thus, our openness to trying new things truly threatens the retention rates of Millennial employees at any company.

Given this reality, what are companies doing to combat the commitment issues of their Millennial employees?

My previous employer did little to nothing to keep me. Here's hoping things are different during this new chapter of my career!