Older Does Not Translate to Dead; Ideas to Turn the Tide

I was at a communications conference recently whose primary focus was on innovation in the communications industry. There were a range of topics largely centered on curation, creativity, content, crowd sourcing, collaboration and community. These are all topics that are typically grounded in the ability to propagate prose that sizzles, soothes, sympathizes, and sells. The common denominator therein is solid and relevant experience by professionals that have "been there and done that" and are able to write and pull together narratives that engage and inspire audiences.

As I pondered the myriad of conference topics that form the essence of what I do for a living, my trend of thought was shattered by a conversation overheard as the conference transitioned to a coffee break.

Here's the dialogue. "Hello, I overheard you say that you are a recruiter based in New York. I am principal in a small firm in New York and we are searching for a GM to manage the office." "Oh right," responded the gentlemen as he said in his very British tone. "What are you looking for?" "Well we want someone with experience but not the type that is looking for their final career role. That just won't work for us. We want a young person for which the job will be a stretch."

What an appalling notion to think that a person with years of high quality professional experience and accomplishment can no longer be considered for employment because they are considered aged out. What are headhunters, human resource people and hiring managers thinking? And to add insult to injury, the latest employment numbers from Uncle Sam show a decline in the unemployment rate. Clearly the numbers have ignored the young and old who have long since been dropped from the labor count by Uncle Sam. Witness these two recent articles on the situation.   "Young People Still Can't Find Work" and "The Job Market is Still Hurting."

So what is a job seeker to do? Go boldly into the night. Here are some thoughts that may fly against conventional wisdom. And perhaps that is why they might be worth a try.

Talk it up!!!

Don’t shy from the conversation. Raise the issue in your cover letter. If you are under 25, explain how your skills and experience can help you come up to speed fast and what value you can immediate apply to contribute to the company’s success. If you are over 50, elaborate on why your experience is of benefit to the organization and how brief is your learning curve. The worst a company can say is no.

Call them on the carpet. Look at a rejection as the opening salvo. If you suspect that age was a hindrance, challenge the company or the hiring manager to explain its rationale for the rejection. Seek an answer. Directly question how and why and don’t take no for an acceptable answer. It is a new day and companies need to be more transparent in their hiring methodology.

Seek a hire or higher authority. The adage, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again” is applicable here. Identify and contact or seek a meeting with a level or two of management above the HR person or hiring manager. Explain your rationale for your inquiry, your experience to date with the organization and outline in specific terms why you are the best one for the job.

Network above the crowd. Work your connections. Identify people in your network who have connections with principals, hiring managers or other influencers at the companies that are the objective of your interest. Don’t hesitate to engage with them on your abilities, capabilities and aspirations. Offer to buy lunch or coffee and have a real conversation about their needs and requirements.

Take Flight!!!

Leave your comfort zone. Being in an environment that is comfortable tends to breed complacency. People tend to go with the flow and hesitate to break new ground. But when it comes to career advancement, take off the gloves and get out of your zone of comfort. Take actions that are bold and may just get you in the door. Desperate times call for measures that have the potential to break through.

Ponder Before You Post

In this age of instantaneous communications and rapid sound bites, long gone is the luxury of correcting something said in haste. Today's proliferation of channels and technologies has completely obliterated any chance of a safety net. There is no place to hide. The old axioms we thought were destined for the dustbins of history now take on new purpose and vigor.

Sayings like "a card laid is a card played," "haste makes waste," "discretion is the better part of valor" reveal both the benefit and the bane of going on the record with a witty quip, a critical critique or a wrathful word.  It no longer matters whether you are the CEO or the community crier.  The public has no patience for commentary in poor taste or words lacking authenticity and integrity. 

Compounding the dialogic dilemma, should you be on the hunt for a new gig or seeking a recommendation, the retribution can be swift and permanent.  The corporate world is littered with examples of misTweets, Facebook faux pas and loose lips on LinkedIn.  So the judicious thing to do is to ponder well before you post.  Here are some factors on which to ruminate.  The life you save may be your own.

·      Set limits.  Assess and define what you will publicly post.  Decide what is relevant for your career, profession, family and avocation.  Write it down and commit to it.

·      Outline a logical strategy that includes where and how you will comment and whether it helps forward your personal and professional interests.  Ask the question, “Will this comment or post help or hurt my goals and objectives.

·      Choose your weapon.  Identify the channels that are most resonant for your personal and professional brand.  The choices are many – Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Quora, Snapchat, Pinterest, Wechat, Tumblr, YouTube, Google+, etc., etc., etc.

·      Whither Form and Function.  What is the best medium to get across your message.  Is it a text, blog, voice, image or video?  It may be an oversimplification but as Marshall McLuhan once opined “The  Medium is the Message.”  Choose the means or methods that help you make the best case in the most relevant environment.

·      Trust but Verify.  Confidence in your message and commentary is critical.  But as President Ronald Reagan made famous “Trust but Verify.”   Test and validate your comments by answering the following simple questions :

o   Is it true?

o   Can you back it up?

o   Is it intentional?

o   Will it offend or hurt?

o   Does it send an appropriate message?

o   Will your Mom approve?

        If the answer is no, you have

        two choices, 1) don’t post 

        or 2) re-engineer your words.

·      Prepare for the consequences.  Good or bad, right or wrong, get ready to respond and act on commentary that comes your way.  Be honest, open and authentic.  People will appreciate it and if your response is immediate, all the better to blunt any aftershocks.

Everyone today has a voice, can use it and likely will.  Always keep a clear head and stay on message. There is no room or patience for anger and vitriol.  Don’t let your words come back to haunt you.  Ponder before you post.

How to Invent Your Next Job

As government bickering and inaction continues, job seekers are growing ever restless, frustrated and annoyed because, for many folks, there just are no jobs to be had.  You are either too old, too young, suffering the stigma of no job or you have run out of runway in your network.  According to a recent article in The Wall Street Journal, “More than one in three of the unemployed were out of work for at least a year in a handful of U.S. states that appear to be disproportionately caught up in the long-term unemployment problem.”   So if you are sitting in the unemployment barrel with a bunch of lemons, it is high time to make lemonade. 

Have you thought about making a job for yourself?  And I am not talking about flipping burgers.  Let’s look at the landscape that is you.  A key to inventing a job is to take inventory and look within yourself to your hobbies, interests, passions and skills.  Here is a potential subscription for engineering your own gig:

Many people have hobbies and passions that allow them to escape the madness of the daily grind.   According to the Oxford Dictionary, a hobby is “an activity that you do for pleasure when you are not working.”  What do you for a hobby: collect stamps, ride a motorcycle, write poetry or sample every restaurant in town?  Take a hard look at what you do for leisure and see if there might be a business model for earning a living. 

1. Make a spreadsheet listing all of your passions, hobbies, interests and skills.  Rank them in order of priority or interest level.

2. Scour the internet for information on each and make note of which ones have potential for being a market or a potential revenue generator and are already a business for someone.

3. Absorb and digest everything you find in cyberspace, paying strict attention to facts that validate their business potential.

4. Consider different business models for monetizing your hobby.  For example, can you take your knowledge of the subject matter and sell it as a commodity or turn it into a saleable product?  Can you make what you enjoy a service for others to purchase? 

5. If so, develop a thumbnail business plan that outlines the product or service and how it can be sold and serviced and to whom.

6. Set up a brain storming session with family, and a few friends or colleagues and bounce off the ideas to them taking note of their commentary, good or bad.

7. Select a model you feel works well for you based on your research with friends and family.

8. Assess your capital needs.  You may be surprised at how little investment you need to kick start the business.  If it requires more than you have, develop is list of potential investors who are willing to take a flyer on you.  Also look at other creative financing such as selling that old antique car or HO train set that is sitting in your closet collecting dust.  Worst comes to worse use your credit cards but sparingly.  And don’t forget about sweat equity.

9. Start building your own “thought leadership” credentials by blogging, commenting, tweeting or employing numerous other social infrastructure platforms.  Stay focused and comment heavily on what you know and for what you have a passion.  If you start, don’t stop. 

10. Brand yourself consistently and tightly.  Take a review of your online presence.  Review every social platform in which you participate.  Update the platforms so that you present yourself uniformly and consistently.  Have the same positioning, platform to platform.  For example, make sure your single-minded brand identity and thought leadership comes to the fore on Facebook, Linkedin, Quora, Twitter, FourSquare, MyWebCareer, Google+, Plaxo, VisualCV, Slideshare, etc., etc.  Leave no stone unturned.

For better or worse, we are living in unusual times that are fast becoming the usual.  You often are your only back up plan.  So take control of your own destiny and make one.