Recruiting Strategy - Hiring Generation Xers

The Forgotten Generation. The Middle Child. This is how Generation X is described.

It’s surprising that nearly one-third of the workforce can be so quickly overlooked. Employees born between 1960 and 1980 and are between 35-49 years of age are generalized by many employers with statements such as:

They live to work instead of working to live. They find their purpose in their work.

Career progression is linear. They really grew up thinking about climbing the “corporate ladder.”

They are taught to respect their boss and listen to authority. In turn they expect this when they become the boss.

Are you guilty of dismissing the value of Gen X candidates? Has your company focused too much on newbie development that it’s failed to invest in the middle? This is exactly how a 2014 Pew Research Center study described Gen X employees finding them to be consistently balanced between the two ends of the spectrum and also “fiercely independent and self-reliant”.

The insurance industry’s greatest talent acquisition challenge may be attracting and retaining executive level candidates. Gen Xers present a significant pool of future leaders. Here’s how your company might prepare a strategy to attract Gen X employees.

Understand The Earning Potential Is Important.Generation Xers are highly motivated to make money for several good reasons- mortgages, looming education costs and peak retirement planning years. Motivated Gen Xers want two things: a career and the opportunity to build wealth.

Wanted: Professional Experience To Be Valued. Gen Xers seek recognition and prestige. They grew up aspiring to management and the corner office.

They Crave Stability. A steady paycheck means something. Gen Xers are loyal to companies with reputations for taking care of people. When they feel compensation and value are aligned a sense of stability shortly follows. In turn, Gen X employees are the quickest to plant roots.

They Want To Be Leaders. The Middle Child syndrome, Gen X employees grow up with something to prove. They have a deep desire to make their own mark and be able to influence future generations, i.e. Millennials.

Gen X is packed full of future CEOs, COOs, Presidents and influential leaders aspiring to middle and upper management positions. Forgetting about their potential or underestimating your need for them may be trendy but in the long run hurts your company’s ability to create a dynamic, balanced corporate culture. Gen X/Y talent is all around. They just need to be given an opportunity to shine.

Remember your past when hiring

On a day in history where we recognize and remember our past, I thought it would tie well into a few recent conversations I have had with clients looking to make a hire here in the new year.  For very different reasons they were reflecting on recent hiring decisions - one that worked well and one that did not work out so well.  Both experiences are shaping future hiring decisions.

So why is it so critical to look back on recent hires when making new hires?  I can think of several reasons:

1)  Learn what worked well.  Perhaps you tried something new or different that really paid off.  Instead of finding someone with ten years of experience you went with a college grad and are trying to train them better internally.  Maybe you hired someone from a carrier when traditionally you only hired someone with retail experience.  If it worked once, there is no guarantee it will work well twice, but you can certainly pick up key points from the growing process.

2)  Learn what did NOT work well.  If you have made five hires in a key area recently and 3-4 did not work out, perhaps it is time to make a significant change.  Maybe your gut told you NOT to make a hire and you did it anyway because your back was against the wall.  Take that experience and apply it to current and future hires to prevent making the same mistake again.

3)  Be aware of impact on culture.  Did you recently hire a few people that didn't quite match your company culture, but had the professional skills necessary to do the job?  If so, how did that work out for you and how to other employees feel about these decisions?  Sometimes it works to shake things up a little and bring in a change agent.  Other times you may need to be really careful and not upset the apple cart with a different personality.  As the old saying goes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

4)  Identify "source" companies for more candidates.  If you hired someone away from ABC Company, found out they have unbelievable training and only hire the best, maybe it makes sense to always target people from that company.  Out of college I went to work for one of the most well-known companies in the area.  I got my second job in my career in large part to that fact alone.  It was a well-regarded company, they provided me with excellent training, and I even came fully licensed as an insurance agent because of that training.

5)  Remember how you found good candidates.  Whether it be a posting site, word of mouth, or a wonderful third party recruiter (insert shameless plug here), if the experience was good, wouldn't you want to try it again in the future?  Build a platform that creates redundancies, and it could really make your hiring process more efficient.

In a world where consumers are always looking for the "next big thing", I think it is time we reflected on the past to determine some of our future successes as well.  The older I get, the more I believe that rings true, especially when it comes to hiring practices.

How to follow up from the holidays

Were you in the middle of an interview process that was held up by the holidays?  Or perhaps someone who took some time during the holidays to submit an application or resume?  If so, there are many others just like you out there trying to follow up with employers and hiring managers this week.  You may have even started the process last week after the new year began.  So what is the best bet to get a response on your follow-up communication?

The first thing I can tell you is to exhibit patience and grace.  Everyone is coming back from the break with full inboxes, voicemails, meetings, and unexpected hiccups in their schedule.  I actually came back to work last Monday ready to tear through emails, get caught up, and possibly even get ahead of my to-do list early in the year.  Then life happened.  I needed to take Wednesday off, part of Thursday, and part of Friday.  I literally woke up this morning debating whether it was January 4 on the calendar or January 18th.  Because it honestly did not feel like the 11th.  Don't ask me why, it has just been a hectic start to the year with no sense of normal routine.  If that is happening to me, there is a good chance it is happening to others.  Even if you were promised a follow-up message the first week of January, don't lost faith if it hasn't happened yet.

Secondly, be concise.  If what I just mentioned above is true, people are going to be drawn to the easy messages to reply to first.  Make your message easy to reply to in order to increase your chances of response.  Having multiple in-depth questions or demands on specific timelines will only slow things down in regards to response rate.

Next, be direct.  This also helps elicit a quicker response.  You may not get all of the details you are seeking, but along with being concise this allows the person you are contacting to respond directly as well.  I have had to play some serious games of phone and email tag already this year, but if I know exactly why someone is reaching out, it motivates me to get back to them and with an answer.

Lastly, be positive.  This is, after all, the time of year when people are making resolutions to be better people, lose weight, attain a goal, live a dream, take a trip, etc.  Which means people will likely already be in a good mood, despite how busy they are.  Take advantage of that!

Tips for your job search in 2016

Last year I drew inspiration from Stuart Scott's public battle with cancer.  He ultimately lost that battle, but we all learned a lot from him in the process.  This year as I reflected over the holidays I drew inspiration from Mark Zuckerberg.  I know, easy target, right?  But his combination of two announcements late last year were pretty amazing when he welcomed his first child into the world and simultaneously announced he was giving away billions of dollars.

A few of you may be able to relate to having children recently, but I am guessing no one else that reads my blog today has plans to give away $45 billion in the near future.  With that in mind, I will focus today on the relatable portions of Mark's story as it could inspire your job search in the new year.

1)  Be yourself.  While I can't recommend wearing t-shirts and hoodies to your next job interview, you have to give Mark credit for remaining true to himself as he rocketed into being one of the top ten richest people in the world in the last several years.  Far too many times I hear from employers that it was clear a potential candidate they were interviewing tried way too hard to be something they weren't.  Stick with your strengths in an interview and don't stray from your true self.

2)  Embrace change.  Notice that I did not recommend you changing necessarily.  Just like being yourself, embracing change keeps you ahead of the curve, just as Mark Zuckerberg has in the near past to keep Facebook on top of their game.  The fact of the matter is that the world changes around us every day.  How we respond to that is where we find our success.  Same goes for the interview process or a job search.  You may need to shake things up a bit regarding how you communicate with a hiring manager.  Or consider doing something different with your resume format.  Maybe even consider how you search for new jobs online using new tools.  It may not be comfortable, it may not seem effective at first, but without trying a few new things you may not have the ultimate success you are seeking in a new job or career change.

3)  Think globally.  You may not be able to take this advice quite as literally as Mark might be able to, but consider it on the micro level for your own search.  Instead of just seeking a pay increase or a slightly bigger title, think big.  These may seem like cliched questions, but what are your five and ten-year goals for your career?  Do you desire to move into management?  How can you impact others in your professional circles?  Would you consider moving for the right position?  These are the questions you need to be asking yourself if you truly want to get ahead in your career.

4)  Pursue excellence.  Unfortunately many people enter a job search with a ho-hum attitude.  Maybe they respond to a posting online, but put no effort into a cover letter or updating their resume.  Or they passively upload a resume to a database and wait passively for their phone to ring.  Or maybe they even enter an interview process, only to give it 50% effort.  In everything, do your absolute best and it will lead you to where you want to go.  Even if you don't get the job every time, you are bound to leave a good impression and ultimately the job you are really seeking.

5)  Be positive.  In a world filled with negativity, this should be the easiest tip to implement.  I know far too many candidates, however, that hold grudges, worry too much about the past, grumble about their current employer, complain about colleagues they don't get along with, and the list goes on and on.  No employer wants to hire a candidate simply running away from a problem.  Instead they want the candidate who is running TOWARD them because it is a better future for them.

Here is to hoping 2016 is a great year for all of you and starts off on the right foot here in the first week of the new year.  Happy New Year!