So, by now you’re all well aware of the infamous Daria Lazo and her very modern love story (see the video) and I’m sure you have all submitted your applications for this year’s internship (for those of you still polishing your CV the deadline is midnight this Friday 15th) but the overwhelming number of applications has prompted us here at CLiKD towers to do a little research on what millennials are looking for in a job…

Intrigued as to what was motivating so many applications for an internship that only pays living wage, we took to the streets of East London around Brick Lane, Liverpool Street, Old Street and Hoxton and surveyed 450 people to find out what they were looking for from their careers…. their answers may surprise you!

What Millennials Are Saying

Now, everyone knows the old saying “Money makes the world go round”, but it seems it’s not necessarily what makes people pick their job! In fact, any way you slice it, by age, gender or location, no group chose money as their primary factor when choosing a career! Now, we have a sneaking suspicion that if actually given the chance, most people wouldn’t turn down bottomless Champagne and budget-less shopping trips. However, it could be that the reality is you lot are just more up for mad adventures than we realised! Maybe the prospect of 10 crazy dates and the ultimate “How I met your mother/father story” is really more appealing than a bank card that doesn’t bring on a case of the sweats when the cashier says, “Pin please”!

The other surprising factor was general disregard for “Stability” which actually increased with age. Over 25s were even less concerned about a stable career than their younger counterparts. Maybe, we’ve all come to accept the new gig economy is the de facto standard and that the concept of a job for life is long gone. Or maybe people are embracing the idea of short stays with companies, learning new skills and then moving onwards and upwards to the next adventure/challenge.

Perhaps the fact that older respondents were less concerned about stability was due to an increased confidence from more experience in the working world. Maybe in comparison to their younger counterparts, who might still be on their first position since leaving University and, therefore, more nervous about taking that leap into the unknown? It seems, however, that generally both groups associated “stability” with “monotony”. People want something a little more high octane these days and are prepared to take the risks to get it! This was reflected in the fact that for the over 25s, one of the most unpredictable jobs, “Artist”, ranked almost twice as high as probably one of the most stable careers, “Lawyer”!

What Millennials Really Want

What came out top of the pile? Well, no surprises there; “Doing something you love”. As the expression goes “Choose a job you love and you will never work a day in your life!” Now, when your offering a job that has:

• Free food
• Free drinks
• 10 unique adventures
• The chance to find your Prince or Princess Charming

Who wouldn’t love that?! So, I guess it’s no wonder we are snowed under with applications.

There were a number of other interesting facts and figures that came out of the survey so, to break it down, we have put together this handy info graphic highlighting the key trends: