The Vibe of the New Professional

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By Jailene Adorno  

Have you noticed the change in appearance when in comes to young professionals in the workplace? The attire is more relaxed and their appearances are, quite simply, just different from what we’ve seen decades ago. A reason this may be is that millennials aren’t as interested in what they look like when they’re working as long as they’re getting the work done. Let’s take a closer look at the vibe of the new, young professional…  

For starters, many millennials are using their talents to create their own startup companies and/or their own businesses. They cater to their own generation and understand what millennial consumers want and what they’re interested in. Therefore in grasping what it’s like to be a millennial and how to appeal to them, they also know the mindset. The “vibe” of the new professional is much more laid back than in previous years and generations. Everything from the way they dress to the way they speak is more easygoing.

Nowadays young professionals see nothing wrong with wearing jeans to work. In fact, they find it odd when they can’t wear them. There’s no “Casual Friday,” just casual dress all day, every day. They wear what’s comfortable and stylish to them when working in offices unless the office they work for prefers them to dress up more. It really all depends on the company or organization that the person works for. And because there are more young people climbing the ladder when it comes to executive roles, they’re less concerned with dress codes.

They don’t see it as a necessity to be clean shaven all the time either. More and more men—whether they’re in corporate offices or tech startups—are growing out their facial hair. Decades ago, the most hair you’d see on a man’s face was a mustache and now we’re seeing full beards. The millennial generation is more accepting of how different cultures wear and style their hair as well. They’re not judgemental when it comes to culture—they embrace ethnic diversity and believe that everyone is entitled to dress however they want.  

When it comes to speech, not only are millennials more open to speaking their mind, but they have a way of speaking that is different from other generations. Speaking and writing with correct grammar and punctuation is important to them, but a lot of the slang terms they use are often words that were more popular for previous generations. It’s not uncommon to hear millennials say that something is “whack” or “dope,” but then in the same breath correct someone if they use the wrong “your/you’re” in an email.   

What do you think of the vibe of the new professional?