Putting It Out There

A great number of Boomers are not comfortable putting themselves out there.  They are far different from the narcissistic Gen Y who seek opportunities to share information about themselves readily.

Maybe the Boomers can learn something from the younger generation.  

Ryan Healy of Brazen Careerist addresses two key points:

1) People have the power (hard to believe but true)

2) People make the best matches

You have to read the full article to see why.  It makes sense to me!  

Frequently I hear Boomers or Gen X job seekers or transitioners tell me that they don't want to put their information out there.  FEAR.  What they don't understand yet is that they have to play.  LinkedIn is the bare minimum.  Recruiters of all kinds from all industries are using this tool to find candidates.  Healy explains there are too many factors to consider when hiring.  Plus:

"But the truth is that the future of online recruiting is not simply in search engines. It’s in human connections and conversations."

Brazen Careerist has taken the concept of "self promotion" one step further by offering a forum/tool to attract match making.  Social Resumes.  Here are some of the components that can be incorporated:

You might be thinking it sounds a bit like VisualCV.  Yes, but with more "real time" features.  It is also within the Brazen domain and I think that draws some employers.  It's interactive, VisualCV is not.

I am not necessarily suggesting that you all pop your information on Social Resumes.  I am however, suggesting that you begin to consider the fact that you have power to promote and control you message.  You also should remember that having the greatest resume in the world won't necessarily get you the job.  Getting the job is about relationships...

Comments

[Career Sherpa]

Who knew? This is fascinating information! Thank you for enlightening and educating us all!

[GTF652]

Interesting blog, Hannah, but it’s missing an important part of the equation: Generation Jones (between the Boomers and Generation X). Google Generation Jones, and you’ll see it’s gotten lots of media attention, and many top commentators from many top publications and networks (Washington Post, Time magazine, NBC, Newsweek, ABC, etc.) now specifically use this term. In fact, the Associated Press' annual Trend Report chose the Rise of Generation Jones as the #1 trend of 2009.

It is important to distinguish between the post-WWII demographic boom in births vs. the cultural generations born during that era. Generations are a function of the common formative experiences of its members, not the fertility rates of its parents. And most analysts now see generations as getting shorter (usually 10-15 years now), partly because of the acceleration of culture. Many experts now believe it breaks down more or less this way:

DEMOGRAPHIC boom in babies: 1946-1964
Baby Boom GENERATION: 1942-1953
Generation Jones: 1954-1965
Generation X: 1966-1978
Generation Y/Millennials: 1979-1993

Here are some good links about GenJones I found:

http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20090127/column27_st.art.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ta_Du5K0jk

http://generationjones.com/2009latest.html