One way millenials can demonstrate that they care about their jobs and their employers is by acknowledging the challenges their organizations are facing and by offering solutions, says Rosemary Haefner, 's vice president of human resources.

"They're going to have to do a sales pitch for themselves and say, 'Here's how I can be helpful. I understand we're short-staffed, here's what extra projects I can work on,' " says Haefner. She adds that offering specific ways to help demonstrates an employee's creativity and ambition.

3. They need to change their work habits.

For Gen Y employees-who grew up on the Internet, chatting with friends over IM and text messaging systems-the importance of "face time" in the office strikes them as an antediluvian notion. But they would do well, in these desperate times, to spend more time in the office, says Orrell.

"This is clearly the time to ," she says. "That's kind of a foreign concept for millenials. They grew up in a world where as long as they were getting work done, it didn't matter [where or when]. It would behoove them to recognize that for some key decision-makers that face time is a way for them to build relationships. It's not just about keeping tabs on their work."