Millennials constitute a significant proportion of the talent pool these days. Although specific time frames may vary, they are generally the ones born between the early 1980s to late 1990s. They are often characterized by their natural familiarity with modern technologies, a highly supportive surrounding of upbringing by their preceding generations, and certain traits of confidence and tolerance. As in all cases with other generations, there could be generation gaps in dealing with millennials that could potentially lead to misunderstandings. The following ten tips shall help you better understand the millennials in Myanmar and properly identify the ones who could be a perfect match for your business.

1. Testing the Commitment

One core issue regarding millennials is their sense of seriousness and professionalism, partly due to their lack of experience during formal education. You may test these attributes and their level of commitment via simple pre-interview steps.

Along with the interview appointment email, you can attach a piece of material for reading, and subtly request them to perform a simple task such as bringing an eraser or a pencil to the interview session. This requires little effort in terms of physical work, but can greatly differentiate the ones who are attentive and committed to their task versus uncommitted ones.

2. Possibly Avoid Typical Interview Questions

When you are drafting your interview questions, you may want to avoid typical questions such as “Where do you see yourself in the next 10 years?” Millennials in Myanmar grew up in an exponential era where each year witnessed unrecognizable progress, and it was often impossible to predict the future.

If you must tap into their ability to envisage the future, you may frame the questions in other relevant approaches such as the implications of climate change and global warming. Even so, be prepared for unorthodox responses.

3. Entrepreneur or Manager

One distinct trait about this generation is their entrepreneurial spirit, largely influenced by a series of entrepreneurial utopias of the 1990s. This is not essentially a drawback nor always an advantage, but rather a matter of your company needs.

Ask them if they want (a) A small team, small budget, large autonomy or (b) large team, big budget, tall structure. Aspiring entrepreneurs will certainly choose the former, while the latter option is a typical choice of a manager-minded person.

4. Social Impact

Myanmar millennials are are committed to volunteerism and philanthropic activities throughout their basic and higher education levels, and also convinced that the country deserves a better place on global stage. The country has been isolated for decades with little development within, and now the millennials are obliged and willing to take on that responsibility to catch up with the rest of the world.

You must highlight your company’s efforts in sustainability and other CSR initiatives even if they are out of their job scope. This is not confined to environmental activities only but could also include several scopes of education, culture and health.

5. Work-life Balance

According to the 2018 survey by JobNet, Roland Berger and Dale Carnegie Myanmar, work-life balance is one of the top reasons for job seekers to join a company. This is undoubtedly true for millennials who highly value family relationships and social interactions.

You can tap into their aspirations with family and friendships, and see what they would like to do on a holiday. On the other end of the spectrum, there could be a group of hardworking and ambitious talents, and you must make sure they don’t feel bored with exaggerated ‘fun’ stuff.

6. Flexibility of Work

Following up on work-life balance, millennials are also rarely satisfied with the 9-5 job routine with conventional job benefits. They are keen towards ownership: owning their time, energy, focus and ways of doing work. Especially in areas like Yangon, it would be frustrating to waste precious time on traffics and commute.

Thus, you can ask them their ideas on appropriate and flexible working hours as well as work locations, as long as the job gets done on time. They may also have preferred communications channels, so you need to make sure your company’s internal communication platforms are suitable for them. Additionally, work benefits may not always be in the form of monetary gains but also could be via a retreat, employee recognitions, etc.

7. Attitude and Coachability

Myanmar millennials can be notorious for having the ‘attitude’ problem, perhaps because of being pampered during childhood. You may test this during the interview by how they handle and respond to various kinds of feedback and teamwork activities.

You can ask them to reflect about a challenge in which they failed. They may either critically analyze the situation and express desires for self-improvement, or they can blame other people in the team and prove their own innocence. This mindset will be crucial in teamwork with this candidate, and future coaching of their work.

8. Multitasking

Myanmar millennials have a little bit of interests in every little thing, and will attempt to multitask to have various tastes. This is largely due to their lifestyles with a myriad of options and commitments, and of course, also because opportunities are scarce here and they have a hard time letting go.

You can test them in a scenario when they are in a face-to-face discussion with a company senior leader and then an important work call that they are expecting comes in. How they respond to this situation and they approach in priorities can display their work ethics and if they are a good fit to your environment.

9. Growth Opportunities

Also highlighted in the aforementioned JobNet survey is that opportunities for personal and professional development are the top priorities of Myanmar employees, and millennials are no exception. What matters more in this case is their focused area of development and their preferred way of learning.

You can ask where their passion lies in this area, and see if they are in alignment with their expected role and company objectives. You should also be prepared if they are strictly accustomed to self-learning approaches online but your company has a strong culture of peer mentorship with face to face communications.

10. Unusual Questions

Lastly, be prepared for unusual questions. Millennials in Myanmar can be shy and reserved, but are always encouraged to ask questions, and they will definitely do so at the end of the interview. In fact, this is such an indispensable habit of millennials that if you encounter one without any question, they are highly likely not the best candidate.

Since most of them don’t have tons of experiences yet, their questions might not be professionally deep, but can demonstrate their unique observations. They may notice something unusual about the office atmosphere, or something about your company’s public image, etc. This is the chance for you to convince you are the right fit for this candidate, and give a genuine response to them.