What does it look like to be a millennial at Camden?  To answer that question, we need to bust the millennial stereotype and showcase why Camden is an extraordinary place to work.  Based on the stereotypes of millennials, we are entitled, lazy job-hoppers.  Based on the stereotypes of multi-million dollar, publicly-traded companies, I should be crunching numbers in a cubicle.  As a 24 year old working at Camden, I am categorized as a millennial working for a multi-million dollar, publicly-traded company.  However, I’m proud to say that the millennials I work with don’t fit the stereotypes, and Camden doesn’t either. 

I majored in Marketing and Management at Baylor University, and I found Camden at our career fair.  I started as a Camden intern in Austin during the summer of 2013, then returned to Baylor to finish my degree.  Since I graduated a semester early in December 2013, I came on as a full-time Leasing Consultant in January 2014.  The millennial in me looked for a number-crunching, cubicle-bound position, but the people I worked with and culture I was exposed to during my internship made it so easy to come back to a company well known for topping Fortune’s list of 100 Best Companies to Work For.  After a year and eight months as a Leasing Consultant, I was offered an unprecedented opportunity to pilot Camden’s new Manager in Development program in Dallas at our largest community, Camden Farmers Market.  This program is designed to develop high potential college graduates for a management role through mentoring and on-the-job training.  After just 8 months as a Manager in Development, I was offered the position of Assistant Manager at Camden Farmers Market.  In only two and a half years, Camden has invested in my development and shown me that I can make a career out of what started as a summer internship. 

As a millennial, I appreciate that I have opportunities to climb the ranks and develop my leadership skills.  Many of my millennial coworkers, even from different departments and locations in Camden, have worked hard for their promotions and demonstrate the dedication and commitment it takes to advance their career.  Camden is highly devoted to developing employees in the workplace as well as personally, so it’s easy to find employees at every level who have worked their way up and stayed with Camden for many years. 

Camden is not only dedicated to developing employees, but is also conscious of developing our products and services for millennial residents. I have been part of two Task Forces focused on improving our communities and processes to ensure we are providing the best experience from the time our residents walk through our doors to look at an apartment home to the time they turn in their keys.  However, millennials constantly want something new.  Camden recognizes this and put together a special committee of millennials to discuss hot topics and ways to deliver to the younger generation.  Serving on both this committee and the Task Forces has shown me that Camden cares about the opinions of millennials as employees and as residents.  Millennials embrace innovation and new ideas, so they challenge the status quo if they know there’s room for improvement.  The committee and Task Forces show Camden’s willingness to remain open-minded and allow millennials to help the company grow and develop.

So what does it really look like to be a millennial at Camden?  It looks like: advancement opportunities for hard workers, having your opinion heard and valued, and challenging the status quo to create constant progress.  I’m so thankful to work among driven, dedicated millennials at a company that breaks stereotypes and fosters and embraces my generation.  Check out Camden Careers for more information about joining our family, and see why other millennials love working at Camden as much as I do!

Camden Makes the Top 40 Best Places to Work for Millennials by Breaking Stereotypes. By: Amanda Black