In a counseling session last week, I worked with a young woman in her mid-20's that informed me that Gen-X had "checked out" and "abandoned the Millenials."
She was feeling out of sorts because she had observed that many Gen-Xers seemed to be "trucking along" by successfully managing their relationships, their careers, and their money. She, on the other hand, felt like she was "struggling in all aspects" of her life.
Job seekers often believe that no hiring takes place over the holidays. As a result, they stop pursuing job leads with the intentions of restarting their job search after the New Year. But stopping your job search over the holidays means stopping your pipeline, and it will take more time to restart it later. Keep the job search momentum going over the holidays, and use the New Year as inspiration to achieve your career goals.
At some point in their careers, workers will take (or dream of taking) a time-out from the workforce. Many reasons exist for riding the workforce bench including injury, illness, raising children, caring for a family member, or losing employment. Having a break in game play doesn’t mean you can’t be redrafted, but it does mean you will need a well thought out playbook to get back in the workforce game. Whether you are leaving (or have left) for months, years or even a decade, it is important to create a game plan with strategies for workforce re-entry.
Leaving a job by choice or via a layoff can be very stressful, but it can also be a catalyst for identifying priorities, career interests, and long-term goals. If you lost your job tomorrow, would you be prepared? Here are seven ways to effectively prepare yourself both professionally and emotionally in the event of a job loss.
Gen Xers are the smallest generation in the workforce (20%), and the majority of them are still being over-looked at work. Gen Xers represent the current and future leaders with both the wisdom of experience and the technological savvy to drive strong performance. While the media continues to focus on the Boomer’s extended transition to retirement and the engagement of Millennials who will eventually represent 40% of the workforce by 2020, the forgotten Gen Xers could become a flight risk. Told to be patient and wait for their turn, frustrated Gen Xers might decide to depart for better opportunities along with the retiring Boomers and leave some organizations with an inexperienced cadre of unprepared Millennials.
Most university career service organizations specialize in helping their graduates find their first job and most are very good at that. With extensive networks of employers seeking emerging students and an approach focused on landing that first job, graduates often effortlessly transition from school to work without breaking a sweat. However, gaining immediate success may not prepare them with the skills and experience to tackle a future job search that may prove more challenging.
