Millennials may have an image problem. The generation, loosely considered those who were born between 1980 and 1995, are either in the workplace or about to be and unfortunately are viewed in less than flattering terms by many older professionals. Articles and web pages exploring the impact of millennials or dealing with them in the workplace have exploded on the Internet and a quick Google search for “generation Y or millennials and workforce or workplace” can result in about 72.5 million results, according to ZDNet. Meaning having the right staffing software for strong candidate placement is vital.

A recent survey from Beyond.com, a career network, has found that baby boomers and millennials have a drastic difference in opinion about how the younger generation stacks up.

• A whopping 86 percent of HR pros said yes to the question “Are Millennials tech-savvy?,” but only 35 percent of Millennials answered yes.
• Only 22 percent of HR pros said yes to the question “Are Millennials team players?,” while 60 percent of Millennials agreed.
• Just 11 percent of HR pros said yes to the inquiry “Are Millennials hard workers?” However, 86 percent of Millennials answered in the affirmative.
• Only 9 percent of HR pros said yes to the question “Are Millennials able to lead?,” but 40 percent of Millennials disagreed and believed themselves capable of leadership positions.
• Just 1 percent of HR pros agreed with the statement “Are Millennials loyal to employers?,” while 82 percent of Millennials said yes in response to the question.

There is a number of stereotypes about this generation floating around – they’re tech-savvy, lazy and disloyal to employers. But, are these characteristics of an entire generation true?

Are millennials narcissistic?
It’s common to hear older generations comment on the narcissistic qualities of millennials. The Wall Street Journal reported that American college students scored 30 percent higher on the 40-item Narcissistic Personality Index in 2006 than they did in 1979, according to a San Diego State University study. An analysis of the University of California Los Angeles’ annual survey found that 53 percent more American college students rated themselves “above average” in writing skills than did so in 1966 –  and 13 percent more did so for math in 2009. Yet SAT scores decreased 4 percent over the same period.

Many believe this is a result of the “everyone gets a trophy” mentality that was rampant in the mid-90s. However, it is important to remember not to paint the entire generation with the same brush.

“There are always going to be some who are lazy and entitled, but they are people who give back to society,” said Dan Schawbel, a millennial who founded a research firm focused on his own generation, and the author of ‘Promote Yourself: The New Rules for Career Success.'”

Can millennials follow authority figures?
The idea that millennials don’t want to or refuse to follow the direction of managers and other leaders is common enough, and yet proven wrong in a number of studies. A study from the Center for Creative Leadership has found that millennials currently in the workforce are more willing to defer to authority than either baby boomers or generation X, reported Strategy Business. In a sample of 5,000 respondents, millennials were much more likely than the previous two generations to agree with statements like “Employees should do what their manager tells them, even when they can’t see the reason for it.”

• 30 percent of baby boomers agreed or strongly agreed with the statement.
• 30 percent of generation Xers agreed or strongly agreed with the statement.
• 41 percent of millennials agreed or strongly agreed with the statement.

Psychologists believe this is because millennials were taught early on and throughout their schooling that doing as they were told would result in success. The “what do I need to do to get an A?” mentality.

Do millennials lack company loyalty?
The concept that millennials lack company loyalty in comparison to previous generations is actually an interesting falsehood, according to a study from the Center for Creative Leadership. Strategy Business reported that millennials are no less committed to their employers than baby boomers or generation X – at this time. Most references to company loyalty come from previous decades when the economy was much different and when it was the cultural norm to stay with an organization. This has largely changed for every worker in any generation, millennials just grew up with this mentality and were introduced to it at a much younger age. In addition, the lack of full-time positions available and increased usage of contingent or part-time labor has contributed to this change in mentality.

It’s important to remember that every generation suffers its own stereotypes. It wasn’t that long ago that the baby boomer generation was referred to as lazy or anti-establishment because many chose to protest the Vietnam War or social injustices. Every generation has to work to gain the trust and respect of the previous generation, who’s worried about passing the reins of the nation and its economy to a younger group. Staffing professionals can use their staffing software to better ensure that they are managing strong candidate placement – regardless of what generation the worker is a part of.

There’s good employment news coming out of Washington – jobless claims are on the decline. For staffing and recruiting professionals, the knowledge that the hiring market is recovering will lead to the creation of more job orders. More clients are looking to fill jobs, more workers are looking for new career opportunities – an improving hiring market benefits everyone.

The labor market is improving
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, jobless claims dropped by 24,000 to 334,000 in the week ending July 13, 2013. Bloomberg reported that this is the fewest jobless claims reported since early May this year at 358,000.

“The labor markets are healing, and as companies see further demand for their goods and services, there is certainly less risk for job loss,” said Russell Price, a senior economist at Ameriprise Financial Inc. in Detroit, who projected a drop to 335,000, according to Bloomberg. Claims are “certainly indicative of an improving job market, but not a particularly robust one.”

There is a definite change of pace from where the economy was about a year ago, when reports were consistently showing a decrease in hiring across the nation. Experts are predicting that larger payrolls and greater job gains are increasing income growth and pushing forward household spending, which is turning around to further sustain the economy and encourage hiring.

“Jobless claims were a little bit better than expected which gives some comfort,” Richard Sichel, who oversees about $1.9 billion as chief investment officer at Philadelphia Trust Co., told The San Francisco Chronicle. “And then you have earnings rolling full steam now so it becomes a stock-by-stock market.”

Companies are increasing hiring
Economists and hiring managers agree – an increase in hiring is either happening or is about to happen. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the value of the dollar is on the rise and that is helping boost hiring, as companies take advantage of the increase in profits coming their way.

Bloomberg reported that payrolls have increased by 195,000 workers for the second month in a row up to June and jobless claims have stayed close to a four-year low at 7.6 percent. Companies are gaining confidence and hiring more people – especially in cities like Chicago, Las Vegas and Charlotte, North Carolina.

“We’re hiring more managers, we’re looking for quality people when they’re available and bringing them in as we’re looking to accelerate our growth,” Thomas J. Pennison, chief financial officer, said in a July 16 conference call, according to the news source.

Especially in the northwest portion of the nation, recruiting and staffing professionals are finding the number of jobs and clients looking to fill positions are increasing.

“In the Pacific Northwest, I think people are feeling better about the economy, but we’re not seeing much new hiring,” Chief Executive Officer J. Powell Brown said in a July 16 earnings call, according to the news source. “People are doing more with the same amount of employees.”

What does this mean for staffing and recruiting professionals?
For a staffing and recruiting professional, the ramp up in hiring signals an increase in the number of job orders you will have to fill. As a result, your sales, recruiting, and order fulfillment processes and strategy meetings will need to be more efficient and accomplish more in less time. With the right software solutions, professionals will find that this increase in jobs will result in higher profits with less effort.