MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA--(Marketwire - May 17, 2011) - Elance, the leading platform for online employment, announced today the results of a new national survey that examined Millennials (those born after 1981) and their attitudes and approaches to work. The survey revealed that technology and independence are critical for the next generation of workers, and showed that Millennials are turning online to find employment, citing freelance work as a cornerstone of their career strategy. Survey results also indicate that the traditional resume may be on its way out, with more than half (56%) of Millennials stating that they prefer a digital profile to the traditional resume.
"Millennials are using digital profiles to showcase their skills and projects and leveraging their social networks to land jobs that promise more independence and flexibility than prior generations when they joined the workforce upon graduation," says Ellen Pack, vice president of marketing at Elance. "With online employment platforms, Millennials can focus on building their digital portfolios and professional online reputations to offer their talents to companies all over the world."
Key findings from the survey:
- Help wanted and found online: 94% of Millennials turn to online job sites as their primary method for finding employment, and 40% indicate they are using social media to land jobs
- Is the traditional resume dying? More than half of Millennials (56%) state that digital profiles and online resumes are more effective than traditional resumes in landing a job
- Graduates declare their independence: 83% of Millennials state that working independently or freelancing is a cornerstone of their career strategy
Is the Kitchen Table the New Corner Office?
Millennials believe the best route to work is through "the cloud," with more than half (54%) stating that telecommuting is a critical part of their career goals, while less than 13% want to work onsite at a company a majority of the time.
The survey also revealed that 39% of Millennials characterize their work style as that of a freelancer, with the ability to choose their projects, employers and hours, versus that of an employee (15%), entrepreneur (26%) or team member (20%).
Pursuit of Happiness
Freedom and flexibility are the keys to happiness for the next generation, with 53% of Millennials stating that they are happier working as a freelancer versus a full-time employee. Only 17% of respondents stated that they are happier working as an employee.
The next generation may redefine climbing the corporate ladder as they pursue their passion and take control of their work on their terms. According to the survey, 83% of Millennials consider working independently an important part of their career strategy. In contrast, only 5% said freelancing did not play an important role in their overall career plan.
Looking for work in all the right places
Ink-stained hands and circled ads may be a thing of the past; According to the survey, over half of Millennials find more than 50% of their work online.
Technology has significantly contributed to the rise of remote and virtual work, allowing professionals to take their office wherever they go. The laptop (62%) and desktop computer (34%) are still the most important tools for Millennials in business, while smartphones (3%) and tablet devices (2%) like the iPad have yet to replace them as the critical technology for getting work done.
The Resume of the Future
With the majority of Millennials preferring an online profile to the traditional resume, Elance is equipping them with Digital Profiles that represent the resume of the future, with rich, interactive data and social sharing tools.
Digital Profiles offer the ability to easily build an online portfolio that displays a freelancer's best work, whether it is a series of articles, a collection of graphics or websites or list of mobile applications they have created.
Contractors can also package their most important profile data into a widget that can be instantly posted to a blog, social networking page or any HTML-based page on the web, or update their current availability and feedback or ratings received from clients through social media sharing tools.
The Elance Digital Profile makes it easy for clients to acquire the fullest representation of a freelancer's creative and professional capabilities by combining their detailed past employment history with their multimedia online portfolio. Online work completed through Elance's platform is automatically documented, enabling freelance professionals to provide verified job history, complete with links to previous employer profiles and direct links to the feedback received for each project.
About the Study
Elance conducted this survey from April 29 to May 10, 2011. More than 350 Elance freelancers born after 1981 participated in the online survey. For more information on the survey and to view results, visit www.elance.com/q/millennial-contractor-survey.html.
About Elance
Elance, the world's leading platform for online employment, helps businesses hire and manage in the cloud.
For businesses looking to staff-up a team on an hourly or project basis, Elance offers instant access to qualified professionals who work online. Elance provides the tools to hire, view work as it progresses and pay for results. Elance is faster and more cost-effective than job boards, staffing firms and traditional outsourcing.
For skilled professionals who want to work online, Elance offers access to qualified clients, a virtual workplace and guaranteed pay for great work. Contractors have already earned more than $380 million on the Elance platform.
The company is privately held and headquartered in Mountain View, California. For more information, visit www.elance.com.
Elance and the Elance logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Elance, Inc. in the United States and other countries.
Contact Information:
Media Contact:
Carolyn Adams
Borders+Gratehouse
Phone: (415) 963-4174 ext. 4
Email: carolyn (at) bordersgratehouse.com