Transcript how to work for baby boomers

HOW TO WORK FOR
BABY BOOMERS
J. David McMahon ’69
Associate Director
Texas A&M Career Center
Do You Have a Career Plan?
 39% of college graduates do not have any
career plan
 69% lack knowledge to make an informed
career plan
“If you don’t know where you are going – any
path will get you there.” – Alice in Wonderland
 What can you do with your major?
 What do you really want to accomplish with
your major and career?
“Jobs are owned by the company, you own your
career’ – Earl Nightingale
Four Generations
Generations
 Matures
Born Between….
1922 – 1943/46
 Baby Boomers
1943/46 – 1960/64
 Generation Xers
1960/64 – 1980
 Millennials
1980 - 2000
Generation Differences
Matures
Boomers
Success
because…
Fought
hard & won
Born into it and
should have it
Have 2 jobs
Teanacity
Style is ….
Team
player
Self-absorbed
Entrepreneur
Team player
Leisure is …..
Reward for
hard work
Point of life
Relief
Part of life
A birthright
A way to get
ahead
Life long
Education is… A dream
Gen X'ers
Millennials
Managing
money…
Save
Spend
Hedge
Spend parents
money
Phone is….
Rotary
Touch tone
Cellular
Wireless
Calculators
Spread
sheets
Nintendo
Technology
Slide rule
Matures on the Job
Assets
 Stable
 Detail oriented
 Thorough
 Loyal
 Hard working
Liabilities
 Inept with ambiguity
& change
 Reluctant to buck
system
 Uncomfortable with
conflict
 Reticent when they
disagree
Baby Boomers on the Job
Assets
 Service oriented
 Driven
 Willing to go the
“extra mile”
 Good at relationships
 Want to please
 Good team players
Liabilities
 Not naturally budget
minded
 Uncomfortable with
conflict
 Reluctant to go against
peers
 Put process ahead of
results
 Sensitive to feedback
 Judgmental of those
who see things
differently
Gen Xers on the Job
Assets
 Adaptable
 Technoliterate
 Independent
 Not intimidated by
authority
 Creative
Liabilities
 Impatient
 Poor people skills
 Inexperienced
 Cynical
Millennials on the Job
Assets
 Collective action
 Optimism
 Tenacity
 Multitasking
capabilities
 Technological savvy
Liabilities
 Need for supervision
and structure
 Inexperience,
particularly with
handling different
people issues
Realistic Expectations
 There is no such thing as a dream job
 Don’t expect a 6 figure salary
 Every job comes with responsibilities
– Some of them are unpleasant
• Dealing with customers, overtime, weekend/night
duty, cleaning up, budgets, appraisals
 You are not entitled to raises and
promotions
Realistic Expectations
 No trophy for just showing up to work
 What are you going to contribute to the
company? vs. What can the company do for
me?
 Volunteer for tough projects or seek out
opportunities to solve problems outside of
your job role or responsibilities
 Profit Sharing
– The company has to achieve a profit above the
cost of money first .... > 5%
– You don’t always get rewards
Realistic Expectations
 Bosses are given the responsibility to supervise –
that means POWER & teacher
 You know the theory, but you need to learn &
develop work savvy
 You’ll be working in global cultures – they don’t
pamper Americans – no kudos if you don’t
contribute
 It’s not about you, it’s about Economics 101 – are
you contributing to making a profit, have you
added or saved 1 year’s worth of your salary?
Realistic Expectations
 Not just a 40 hour week
 Employees are ranked
– Highly valued, run-of-the-mill, lowly valued
– You must be better than good to be considered
indispensable
“It’s not what you do between 8 and 5 –
it’s what you do between 5 and 8”
- A&M Recruiter
Realistic Expectations
 Figure out the unwritten rules – is your
workforce really empowered?
 You earn respect when you give respect
 Do you know how to take notes in a
meeting?
 Employees who embrace and implement
change prosper while those who don’t
struggle throughout their careers.
Realistic Expectations
 Instead of being able to spend as much time as you
want checking your Facebook or MySpace
account, or responding to every text or e-mail
message when it appears on your screen or phone,
you are faced with rules and policies curtailing
their use. Especially if it is a company supplied
Cell phone or computer.
 What are the rules of communication within your
new work environment:
– is it okay to send a message with wallpaper or border;
address your boss in an e-mail as “Hey Jessica”; or
forward a mass e-mail or YouTube video to a few coworkers?
Anticipate Failure
 Learn from your mistakes
 Have you failed yet?
 You are expected to complete assignments – on
time!
 When things don’t go your way – GET OVER IT!
 Embarrass your boss (or co-worker) and you lose
their loyalty
“I really didn’t say everything I said”
– Yogi Berra
THE GOLDEN RULE
“Them that have the gold,
make the rules!”
– As long as it isn’t illegal or immoral, you
probably ought to do it the company way.
Your Momma
Don’t Work Here
Think and act for yourself
Employer hired you, not your
parents
Work out your own problems
Top 6 Reasons for Firing
College Graduate New Hires
 Unethical behavior (28 %)
 Lack of motivation/work ethic (18 %)
 Inappropriate use of technology (14 %)
 Failure to follow instructions (9 %)
 Late to work (8 %)
 Missing assignment deadlines (7 %)
2007 survey of Employers by
Collegiate Employment Research Institute
How to Be the Employee Your
Company Can’t Live Without
Glenn Shepard, John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 2006
1.
2.
3.
Create your own job security by making yourself
a highly valued employee
Learn what your supervisor’s values are
Be highly productive, pro-active and low
maintenance
“Things come to those who wait, but only the
things left behind by those who hustle.” Abraham Lincoln
4.
5.
Answer questions before your boss asks them
Earn your paycheck, the company will not exist
if it doesn’t make a profit
How to Be the Employee Your
Company Can’t Live Without
Do whatever needs to be done, whenever it needs
to be done
7. Take great pride and be the best at whatever you
do
8. If you can’t be on time, be early
9. Minimize unnecessary mistakes and learn how to
handle reasonable mistakes
10. Polish your social graces if you want to influence
others
“Remember not only to say the right thing in
the right place, but far more difficult still, to
leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting
moment” – Ben Franklin
6.
How to Be the Employee Your
Company Can’t Live Without
11. Adopt a strong work ethic – don’t let the
monkeys pull you down your ladder of success
“Opportunity is missed by most people because it
is dressed in overalls and looks like work”
– Thomas Edison
12. It’s hard to soar with eagles when you surround
yourself with turkeys
13. Be proud of what you do, but let others know
you appreciate their work also – check your ego
at the door
14. Your raise will become effective when you
become more effective
15. 85% of people get promoted due to personal
work skills, only 15% is due to their education
How to Be the Employee Your
Company Can’t Live Without
16. Understand the difference between failing and
making mistakes
“In order to succeed, your desire for success should
be greater than your fear of failure” – Bill Cosby
17. Have a desire to solve the company problems,
succeed in solving those problems, earn a
reputation for your problem solving skills
“We have no problems; however, we do have lots of
challenges and opportunities” – David McMahon
18. Don’t confuse activity with accomplishment;
don’t give ultimatums; don’t break the chain of
command; don’t underestimate your duty to
serve your employer
The Older Worker Advantage
US News & World Report, Dec 2008
 Understand
 Can control their
recessions
 Willing to work part
time
 Have real life
experience
 Want to be
challenged
 Healthier
emotions
 Network is bigger
 Loyal and reliable
 Want to learn
 More satisfied with
their job and
benefits
Bill Gates Advice
 Rule 1: Life is not fair - get used to it!
 Rule 2 : The world won't care about your self-esteem. The
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world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE
you feel good about yourself.
Rule 3 : You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of
high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car
phone until you earn both.
Rule 4 : If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you
get a boss.
Rule 5 : Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your
Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they
called it opportunity.
Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't
whine about your mistakes, learn from them.
Bill Gates Advice
 Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring
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as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills,
cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how
cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain
forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.
Rule 8: Schools may have done away with winners and
losers, but life HAS NOT. Some schools have abolished
failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you
want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest
resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.
Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get
summers off and very few employers are interested in helping
you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.
Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people
actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.
Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working
for one.