In the book, So Good They Can’t Ignore You, the writer shares a term (that I love) called Career Capital.
This means there are folks who have put in their time, earned their stripes and learned “a thang or two about a thang or two”.
When you hire an older guy like me or my contemporaries, you are getting a crap load of experience and know how.
If what companies need are viable candidates with life experience and no need to be trained in soft skills, I suggest they look for older people.
During the last decade or so on my day jobs, I am often teased because of my lack of technology skills.
I never tease my young counterparts about failing to communicate properly, an inability to focus and a flat-out refusal to plan long term.
These are skills that can be learned and when combined with follow through, focused attention and well-honed people skills you have an awesome work candidate.
For the past seven years, I have worked with all kinds of employers hungry for new, dependable talent.
Repeatedly, everyone has a horror story and very few solutions regarding “this” generation.
My solution is simple: hire an older person looking to reinvent themselves and share their skills.
Often, when it comes to anything that involves starting and maintaining relationships along with creating the impossible, they (those in charge)come to the elder peeps serving much Olivia Pope- handle it!
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/09/the-coddling-of-the-american-mind/399356/
No one will admit that the one thing that trumps technology know-how is people and life experience know-how.
I might not know the ins and outs of Facebook and spend hours on it.
However, I know how to turn a ship around when it involves getting off my ass and going to see people(gathering resources) that could have a significant impact on the bottom line and allow us to keep our jobs a bit longer.
I’ve proven this myself on multiple occasions.
Here is a typical exchange I’ve had with my youngsters:
Did you locate x,y and z person to take care of this issue?
I called and they never got back to me.
How many times did you call/ reach out?
I called twice and sent an email.
My peeps, myself included, would handle this differently.
If it is something that I need and it will have a major impact on me or my livelihood, my ass would be up-keys in hand-heading over to the office of said individual.
There would be no need for a third failed attempt.
I’m going in.