Chances are that you know someone who is “Too Young To Retire (TYTR)” and by extension, may be considered, “Too Old To be Hired (TOTH)”. This unenviable but common status has the capacity of becoming more common as long as the economy is stalling.
Plenty of reasons for people being at this stage and age is a symptom, the key reason is our ever increasing dependency on technology and the rate of technological evolution. The direct consequences is judging present and future employees for their mastery of technology, hence associating youth with newer skills and making life experience redundant at an ever-increasing rate.
Technology and Education are coupled more then ever, as college education is geared to the application of technology, as is indicated by the increased number of co-op programs. New graduates learn the latest “how to” of their profession and therefore, if you graduated 10 years ago, then you studied “old technology which may become obsolete in short time. Bad news, as the appreciation of your life experience is scaled down and adjusted for the technological skill set. But this is not the subject of the article …
A common advice to people looking for work is “start networking” which is a pity, because if you start networking when you are looking for work, then it is unfortunately the wrong time to do it. This is the point in time where your social network should be all set up to support you. The advice should be “use networking”, meaning, “you have been connected to so many people and, among other things, spent hours helping others with advice, introductions, job offers, mentoring etc. It is time to see if these people remember you.” Because if they do not support you, then you probably should have done a better job in evolving your social network.
Whether you are employed or unemployed, “top gun” or an ordinary “working bee”, in white or blue-collar profession, I urge you to start social networking frequently and beyond your immediate circle of friends. Social networking is not abut becoming closer to your existing circle but about getting connected with a wider circles of society. And society is not always people who are like minded, live in your city or are potential future employers or customers.
If you are employed, as most of us are, then now is the best time to widen your social circle, you are likely to have the least to ask for and the most to contribute. Have an extra eye open for people who are TYTR as these contacts may be your best contribution to yourself. TYTR are likely to be the most appreciative, the most likely to be actively reaching out (see above) and help you widen your social network. Eventually, TYTR will land on their feet; most will find a job and be there to help you. And judging by the rate technology is evolving, you may be in danger of becoming TYTR at a younger age then these people are.
If you are not employed, aka TYTR, then my heart goes out to you. It is a lousy time to be TYTR. You may have the right to be pessimistic but you do not have the luxury of self-pity as it will not make you any more qualified, and it will not make you feel any younger. My advice is, widen your social network and be pro-active in expending your horizons. Social Networking for TYTR is not another way to send your resume to people; and it is not about marketing yourself. Try pushing your resume too early and you are likely to fail. However, there are plenty of good reasons for social networking, and staying current with technology, where this post started, being one of them. Evolving your on-line social network, using blogs, forums, twitting, LinkedIn group discussions etc. will get you exposure to the latest technology, where you skill-set may be a little short. It will give you new ideas for reaching your objective of becoming more technology savvy. And, as said earlier, the key is having the latest skill-sets, because this is what employers require, for solid reasons.
Some employers are using age as an initial screening mechanism under the assumption that if you are already at certain age then you don’t have the required technology background. At the same time, if you can show that you have the current skill-set, then you may be over the barriers of entry and guess what, their will be less people because now the evaluation is based on technological skills and not life experience. As a bonus, in social networking, you may be introduced to someone who has the need for a person with latest skill set, but consider this a bonus and not as the ultimate reason for social networking. Good luck!
By: Yoram Shalmon
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Posted by: guaranteed seo | November 24, 2010 at 08:58 AM
The direct consequences is judging present and future employees for their mastery of technology, hence associating youth with newer skills and making life experience redundant at an ever-increasing rate.
Posted by: SEO Web Analytics | December 23, 2009 at 04:42 AM