I want to expand on an article on Yahoo Finance written last September, “I’m a Career Expert: 6 Things Baby Boomers Need To Understand About the Job Market Today.”
I like everything about the article, but other connections are just as essential to appealing to today’s employers.
The article lists:
The Benefits of Job Hopping
The Power of Personal Branding
Understand the Applicant Tracking Systems
The Decline of 9-5 Schedules
Flattening Hierarchies
The Rising of Diversity and Inclusion
While these are important, they are a ways off from being the norm in understanding today’s job market. Boomers don’t have the longitudinal landing strip for jobs than other generations.
They should be ready to adapt to these emerging trends, but I think of several things more immediate:
1) Boomers need to pay more attention to marketing themselves to connect with the needs of the employer or recruiter. They must anticipate some of the employer’s current problems, both immediate and future.
Forecasting is a sweet spot for Boomers because of their experience in the workplace, but they must demonstrate the use of contemporary tools to solve them.
2) Boomers must present themselves as mastering relevant skills. It’s essential to hone your skills as a craft constantly and show progression. Career advancement does not have an expiration date. Today’s professionals are works in progress.
3) Boomers’ confidence is a superpower because of their lived experiences and resilience. They must show how they’ve navigated many adverse fiscal and market crises. They have stories and anecdotes to fit into the new world of work.
4) Boomers must find synergy with their younger counterparts. Many Gen Z workers are more open to learning from them, especially if there is a value exchange of shared learning experiences.
Boomers can help younger workers bow to tone a message, while younger workers can help Boomers with simple tech tasks such as converting a document to PDF.
5) Boomers must lean into the power of tact and respect, which is vital to connecting with younger hiring managers and recruiters. They need to read the room to find common ground rather than differences.
The response to sitting at the feet of others to learn and adapt comes as quickly as the need for a mentor.
Boomers looking to work desire meaning through their work or purposeful work. They adapted to varying leadership styles, fluid job markets, and complex transitions for decades. LinkedIn is a great place to update your profile and engage in conversations by sharing anecdotes and solutions to employers’ problems.
The biggest challenge for Boomers to conquer is getting in front of employers and connecting their attributes to business solutions they currently need.
About Mark Anthony Dyson
I am the "The Voice of Job Seekers!" I offer compassionate career and job search advice as I hack and re-imagine the job search process. You need to be "the prescription to an employer's job description." You must be solution-oriented and work in positions in companies where you are the remedy. Your job search must be a lifestyle, and your career must be in front of you constantly. You can no longer shed your aspirations at the change seasons. There are strengths you have that need constant use and development. Be sure you sign up to download my E-Book, "421 Modern Job Search Tips 2021!" You can find my career advice and work in media outlets such as Forbes, Inc., Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, Glassdoor, and many other outlets.