What are Young Professionals? Definition & Info

Young Professionals sind begehrte, junge Talente auf dem Arbeitsmarkt

Every company would like to hire them immediately: young professionals. But what exactly distinguishes this target group compared to other candidates and why are they so sought after? We have the answers.

Every company would like to hire them immediately: young professionals. But what exactly distinguishes this target group compared to other candidates and why are they so sought after? We have the answers.

Definition: What is a Young Professional?

Was ist ein Young Professional?
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Young and highly qualified employees - this is the best way to define "young professionals". Young usually means between the ages of 20 and 30. Almost all of them have completed a degree and have already gained a lot of professional experience through part-time jobs and internships during their studies. Many also have soft skills that they have developed through voluntary work or social commitment, for example.

Foreign languages? Fluent written and spoken English is standard for these young talents. However, they usually also have good knowledge of other languages such as Spanish, Russian or French.

Young professionals are particularly sought after by employers because they are often highly motivated to get started in their jobs. Their commitment and drive bring a breath of fresh air into the company. Young professionals can also usually be deployed flexibly. A job abroad? No problem - because these employees are usually unattached and have no children or other family obligations.

How to get young professionals excited about a job offer

Where is the best place to reach young professionals? Generation X is very media and technology savvy, so it is advisable to to be present as an employer on social media etc. in order to reach this target groupMany of them know the importance of a professional presence on Linkedin and Xing for their careers and are represented there accordingly.

Wie können Recruiter Young Professionals begeistern?
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The high level of motivation and ambition of young professionals should be taken up and exciting projects should be offered to them in which they can "let off steam". Stays abroad can also be an exciting challenge.

Attractive benefits such as home office/remote work, good work-life balance, etc. are also important for these employees, but many also want to be able to identify with the company's values and have the feeling that they are doing something meaningful. Purpose-driven recruiting is the key word here.

Money: Many young professionals are aware that they have to start their careers in times of Skilled labor shortage As sought-after, highly qualified top candidates, they expect a good salary. There should also be opportunities for advancement and further training within the company.

How to keep young talent

A study by Academic Work asked 11,504 young professionals in six countries what their main reason for staying in the same job for more than five years would be. The conclusion: highly qualified young professionals are loyal when they find themselves in a positive environment and receive sufficient appreciation.

Specifically, the most important factors are good colleagues (15%, 100%), salary increases (15%, 100%), continuous professional development (11%, 100%), appreciation for the work done (9%, 90%) and flexibility in working hours/location (9%, 90%). Young professionals have high expectations of working conditions - companies have to do their bit.

Also interesting: The study found that 78% of respondents from Germany have already experienced burnout or a situation close to burnout. Ensuring work-life balance and reducing the intensity of workload are factors that employers should take up in order to retain young professionals.

Young Professionals Expectations vs. Reality

Even if young professionals have a lot to show for themselves, their CV reads well and they can also score points with the right soft skills: they are still just starting out in their careers.

Accordingly, employers should not set their expectations too high for young talents when they start their careers. After all, they have to become familiar with a lot of things first - not only with the projects and tasks, but also with the everyday working life itself, which is completely new to them. A 40-hour week with project responsibility is something different than an internship on 1-2 days a week. Whether the young professional gets off to a good start in the company depends on the quality of the Onboarding away.

FAQ – frequently asked questions

Here are the answers to frequently asked questions related to young professionals:

What does Young Professional mean in German?

The English term "young professional" is often translated into German as "career entrant" or "career beginner". In the applicant context, however, this does not mean an ordinary career beginner, but rather the combination of the two terms "young" and "professional" is the focus here. In other words, "young" and "professional", which basically results in the term "young professional" and sums up the definition described above.

Young Professional vs Professional – what’s the difference?

Young Professionals unterscheiden sich in vielerlei Hinsicht von Professionals
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The term “professional” generally refers to candidates who have completed vocational training and have many years of professional experience in their field.

Young professionals also meet these two criteria, but have only just completed their university education and gained professional experience during their studies. As a result, they are usually significantly younger than most professionals.

What is a Young Professional Program?

This refers to junior programs that have been designed specifically for young professionals. They are intended to either develop these talents or enable them to enter the workforce after they graduate. One well-known example is the United Nations Young Professionals Programme (YPP) for highly qualified candidates up to 32 years of age.

Are there recruiting approaches specifically for young professionals?

Of course, when recruiting young talent, it is important to take the special characteristics of this target group into account. The talent acquisition experts at Brandmonks are very familiar with the acquisition of young professionals and can provide you with the best possible support with their many years of experience in recruiting such candidates. Simply take Contact with us.

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