Motivations of Young Professionals
Patrick M. Lamb March 16th, 2011
What drives the recruitment and retention of talented young people to a professional association? Finding the answer has been a challenging and crucial task for the networking and social groups I belong to today. Having a better understanding of what motivates young professionals will help us attract and connect to the people we want to recruit.
A young professional is not exactly what you think- at least not in the way we interpret things in our YP group through the RMA. In our eyes, a young professional is more synonymous with being green, or novice at your trade. We do not operate under the assumption that you must be of a certain age to be young in your profession. However, in many cases, the members of our YP group tend to be young in age, as well. On the surface, this has created a bit of a misconception about our target market. The word ‘new’ could be substituted for ‘young’.
A young professional’s motivation to participate in a networking group might include the following:
-Recognition
-Generate leads (building business)
-Foster client relationships
-Size up competition
-Support system
-Sharing resources
-Opportunities for leadership roles
-Demonstrate skills
-Public Speaking opportunities
-Board and committee experience
-Satisfy work requirement
-Job search possibilities
-Troubleshooting ideas and issues
-Advice seeking
-Socializing
-Personal contact with clients
-Relating to like-kind peers with similar drive and aspirations
There is no doubt that the retention of talent is important for every organization’s long term planning strategy, strength, and overall stability. Moreover, the evolution and transition of leadership is the greatest reason why we need to engage talented young professionals today. I know first hand many organizations see this need, and actively pursue this mission. As promoters of these organizations, let’s recognize young professional motivations and create a platform for their success.
Here are a few associations and clubs that support YP groups: RMA (Risk Management Association), AI (Appraisal Institute), WSCPA (WA Certified Public Accountants), WSBA (WA Bar Association), Tower 39 Club (Social Club), CRPC (Certified Financial Planners), Rotary and Kiwanis (Philanthropy).
