Melrose Place was a one-hour drama (often comedic) that ran for six seasons on Fox from July 1992 to May 1999. It was a spin-off of Beverly Hills 90210, concerning a group of gorgeous twentysomethings who lived in an apartment complex in Beverly Hills. They had glamorous social lives and, of course, encountered more drama on a weekly basis than most of us see in our lifetimes. Despite all this trouble, their lives were marvelous, and kept an entire generation glued to each episode.

Unfortunately, many of those watching forgot, either through willful disregard or wishful thinking, that this was pure fiction. Many viewers in a certain demographic have, I’ve discovered, figured this was life. Remember, this is the same audience that has made reality TV painfully ubiquitous.

How do I know? If you were 15 in 1994—midway though Melrose Place’s run—you’re around 25 years old now. You’ve finished college, and you’re a couple of years into your career. We’ve been recruiting lately, and so I’ve been looking at a lot of resumes, and I’ve spoken with way too many members of Generation Y. This group shares a number of beliefs that are troubling, and bode ill for the marketing industries as a whole. Why is it such a problem? By its very nature our industry (PR), in all its glory, attracts people who are interested in popular culture, and so we end up with a disproportionate number of MP fans.

The following is a selection of the attitudes I’m talking about.

To get ahead, I just need to show up occasionally.
MP had a character called Alison who worked at an ad agency. It was a seriously stunning office. Alison started as a secretary, and within a few years she was running the place. She occasionally worked late, often never went to work at all (for very good reasons, like an emergency pedicure), and her ideas were so-o-o-o much smarter and more creative than the older people at the office, all of whom were out to get her.

I don’t have to do work that is beneath me. After all, I really should be running the place.
Advancing your career takes work—sometimes mind-numbing work. Going into anything with the attitude that you are “above” certain tasks will not only frustrate your co-workers, but it will also make you appear useless. Somehow, those with years of experience don’t “really” know what they are doing…is the attitude I get. Most of them realize soon enough that alienating those above you (from whom you could learn something!) just isn’t a great idea.

My ideas are smarter and more creative, and anyone who challenges me is persecuting me.
Sometimes your ideas are stupid. Accept it. Understand that the older generation can and will often tell that an idea’s pretty moronic even before the idea is fully expressed. And we might not even have time to give your notion what you think it’s due. Never walk into a room—any room—assuming you are smarter or better than everyone else there.

I can do whatever I want to, and everything will work out just fine.
Your actions have consequences. If you mess up on something, learn from it. Treat your wiser (older) coworkers with some respect, even if you aren’t sure they deserve such treatment. Oh, and while you’re at it treat everyone with the respect they deserve by leaving your personal dramas at home. If you can’t come up with at least two possible solutions to any given problem, then don’t bitch about it

I deserve a salary that enables me to live in magnificent digs and wear designer clothes.
No, you don’t. You entered the work force during a time when anyone with a pulse could command $50,000/year. That time is gone. The bubble of the 90’s was just that, and it has to be deleted from your mind’s hard drive. I don’t care which city you’re in, if you have 2 years of experience in PR—or anything—you don’t deserve more than $40,000/year, and probably a lot less. This is not just a manager-type talking. Check out the salary surveys available all over your beloved Web and you’ll see. You need to accept that salaries are not just based on your fabulousness, but rather are a function of your level of experience, your writing skills, and the current and past balance sheets of the firm for which you want to work for. Why’s the P and L statement matter to your salary, you wonder? You have to be able to prove you can contribute to the northward growth of that sheet with superlative CUSTOMER service. Oh, and nobody deserves a salary. We earn a salary.

Having a fascinating social life (and making sure everyone knows it) is much more important than reading.
It’s not. When I’m reviewing resumes and speaking with candidates, I don’t care where you got past the velvet ropes last weekend or whether your boyfriend is cheating on you. I care about the title of the last good book you read. People who don’t read simply cannot write. A good book will cost you about as much as a decent martini—and will provide a lot more benefit for you and your now-living brain cells.

So what do we do about this? If you’re not a member of Gen Y, learn to recognize these characteristics (you probably already do; they’re hard to miss). If you’re managing folks, don’t accept stupid, prima donna, “the world is MY oyster” behavior. Not ever. If you were a MP fan, understand that hard work is the only acceptable way to really get ahead, and hard work means sacrifice. Sometimes you’ll have to sacrifice your fabulous social life and give that chic gathering a pass. Sometimes you’ll need to sacrifice daily drama in your personal life—imagine that.

Reality—despite what you now see on so-termed reality TV—is boring, but sometimes lots of reality gets you where you want to go.

Erin Mitchell is Director of Business Development of RLM PR and is available to discuss, debate or take compliments on (or stories about) the above via anyone who thinks same or otherwise.