Encore Careers

Off the air for a while, I've actually had some opportunities come my way which I've been focussing on.

Anyway, following up from a previous post on HR hurdles, I had a morning coffee with my long time mentor and former manager.  This person is now involved with executive education at one of Australia's post graduate institutions.

Much of discussions revolved around "baby boomers", and our inherent sense of entitlement borne somewhat of our tenure, age and in some instances results.  We pondered during our hour together what is frustrating Gen X/Y/Z and exacerbating their opinions of older workers.

Given the very poor follow up education undertaken by boomers, it is possibly not surprising to suggest that the younger workers out there might see us as out-dated, technologically inept, and generally unaware of how the market/s operate in an i-Device world.

While unemployed, I've not sat idle.  I am constantly reading, educating myself (or more correctly re-educating myself), and find in the past 5 or so years* - the world really has turned upside down in regard to how we buy, interact, sell, buy, recruit/hire, fire, relate, interrelate etc.

Possibly doing it hard for the past few years has put me in a better position to see what the entitled, ensconced boomer is not seeing - who knows?  Do we necessarily deserve to be where we are, or should we maybe be listening to the very smart, agile and learned youngons coming through?  Could this improve our opportunities to remain engaged, employed and relevant as we near our retirement - or will be looked upon as the dinosaurs we might possibly already be....

My mentor mentioned "encore careers" - more on that shortly.

Have a great day.
Dom
* -  (incidently today is the 5th anniversary of the launch of the iPhone by Apple)

Increasing the retirement age

I read with dismay over the weekend in the NY Times on line edition, regarding a 62 yo who has not been able to find full time work.  Much of her situation I've heard, I've experienced, I'm sharing with others, and reading about it more often than I'd care to wish.

There is much talk about extending the retirement age here in Australia.  We are already phasing in a change from 65 to 67, and now there is further discussion about 71 being a retirement age  This is something that I certainly will experience at the now tender age of 52.

I personally have no qualms about working to 67 or 71. I very much enjoy work, and enjoy the interaction I have - and yes, I like to make money too!

The quandary that governments and we all must face though, not everyone is in a position to keep going until 71.  I'm trying to imagine a labourer still swinging a pick axe at that age - not likely, and it will apply to many trades, professions.  What do we do from when we are forced to retire to when we are legally and financially able to retire???

The NY Times article describes this aged worker being trapped in a prison.  What's your experience?

Have a good day.
Dom

The HR Hurdle

I've been off the air of late, busy trying to find a job, and still coming up short.  I'm finding myself presently thinking that getting through to an interview is an achievement, and having done one just last week (but missing out), I noticed an interesting trend.  I'm getting through for interviews where my qualifications / resume are being reviewed by a real person, rather than a software package, and then I stumbled across this article last Friday via Linkedin - it gave me some interesting perspectives and food for thought which I thought I'd share with you.

The WSJ article argues that HR departments have been pared back like many others in organisations, and the use of software to screen potential applicants is now common place - but figure, the GFC has made employers VERY picky.  The selection criteria is now SO specific that they can advertise, yet sit there and say to the market - we have no qualified workers to employ!

Wow - and in this current situation where as a mature age worker, I'm being told I'm too experienced, will be bored, too senior etc, the market is also screaming there are no qualified workers, or (here in Australia for example), we are now going to ship in foreign workers to make up short falls in our booming mining industry in WA and QLD.

Pity sake - read the article, it makes some excellent pointers - lower the bar a little and cut some people a break!  WHY would anyone want to move from their current employ to move somewhere else to do exactly the same job??  Well that's what hiring managers want according to this article, and I must agree given some recent experience, that is what is being asked for interviews.

What ever happened to growth in a job?  Training? Education?

I've got more to say on this tomorrow and on, I'm interviewing a leading educator next week from the Australian Graduate School of Management to address this very issue.

Have a great day.
Dom

No One is Immune

One of the lead stories in the newspaper today - the NSW government has rejected a submission by its judges to be able to work on until 75 rather than 72.  The editor opines quite correctly (I can't believe I'd actually find myself agreeing with a Murdoch press but stranger things are happening these days!) - that the judgement should be made on ability rather than age - here, here!!

I'd be very pleased to hear from US readers on this matter, I've read that US Supreme Court Justices, once appointed, can stay on the bench until they so desire to step down, or mother nature takes its course.  Is this appropriate? or not?

The news article claims age precedence in pilots here in Australia where a cut off of 55 applies owing to the physical nature of the job duties are deemed to excessive - I guess just the same as it would be in the Armed Forces and possibly many other very physical professions.

Yet again I ask though?  Is this limitation appropriate or borne of a bygone era that assumed frailness in all once they reach a certain age.

With London 2012 looming, I was called to note by my daughter who was aghast upon learning that women runners in the early Olympic games were prevented from competing because of "their fragility and tenderness" - they obviously hadn't heard of the grunting female tennis players of the new game had they!

Till next time...
Dom

Are we up to date?

Doing the rounds of CeBIT today in Sydney's Darling Harbour - for a booming economy it still feels somewhat quiet.  Disheartened by the politicians this morning and their prattle - it is still clear to me that many (and they are of my era), simply don't fully comprehend the magnitude of change possible through technology and access - for another time in another blog!

From an aging worker's perspective I note that older technologies (telephony, data infrastructure, hardware) had a smattering of all ages manning the stands, however the key observation was around the newer web based offerings and applications that I noticed a distinct lack of grey hair - why?

I can say that having to learn new tricks now that I'm almost 52 is not easy.  I'm not sure if its an age thing or complexity issue related to the times we live in.  I can remember my reading list being far smaller when I first started in this game, yet now, I find myself reading prodigiously every day, and still feeling like I know nothing about new technologies, emerging trends, new companies etc.

I have to admit I don't always get why social media is SO big, but I certainly do understand numbers, and when you total up the market cap of social media companies today, its seriously big money, and there are plenty of people out there investing - and that's why I keep reading, learning, and trying to understand the opportunities around these trends.

So how are you keeping up?  Personally, I subscribe to a number of daily newsletters, some paid, most are free to keep me informed of my market interests, I read my daily newspapers as well as NY Post, and a number of start up related newsletters (which is my interest).  There is a plethora of paid educational courses out there, disturbingly, I understand from a very good friend at the Australian Graduate School of Management that Australian senior managers are amoung the lowest trained executives in the world, and many fail to keep their education up to date with refreshers etc.  I am meeting with this person early next month, and I look forward to posting about that discussion.

What's good? what's not so good when it comes to "keeping up", and are things that much different from when we first started our business careers, or is it because our brains are now addled owing to age :-)!!

Best
Dom

Thinking young is fine, just do not pretend you are...

Trust you had a great weekend - we rarely buy the weekend paper in our household, but my wife occasionally indulges the extravagance to read the extended coverage pieces, and since having started this blog, I find myself also combing through the paper with a watchful eye toward a contribution of worth to this ongoing tome.

This weekend just gone has uncovered a gem from the Sydney Morning Herald, courtesy of Philip Clarke (who was a regular on our local ABC radio as well).  In this piece, we are taken through a wonderful journey of "hiking in the middle age hinterland", trying to understand how and when we became old - or older!  PC ponders that it's a period between 40 and 60 - and that "learning to keep putting one foot in front of the another is a great life skill".

For me, it guess it was my kids reminding me at every opportunity of my encroaching baldness.  What is it for you I wonder?  What triggers the mind to say "gee I'm not as spritely as I used to be?" the extra kilos on the scale, the faster quickening of the heart beat on the tread mill, or the lack of low rider jeans in your wardrobe (I am eternally grateful for that one though).

In my last post, I discussed how being old is an attitude, not grey hair, well I had to laugh when reading this piece because its byline was "Thinking young is fine, just do not pretend you are..." , and when applying these thoughts to this blog, very salient advice.

Dying ones hair, wearing very updated kit, or trying to talk the same language at Gen Y, will very quickly be found out, and treated accordingly. 

"there's nothing funnier than a bloke in a wig" Roddy Doyle - "or a comb over" Domenic Nicholas.

enjoy the read from the SMH.

Have a great day!
Dom

Old is an attitude - its not grey hair

 '[O]ld' here has nothing to do with grey hair. ... '[O]ld' is a mentality of doing the same thing you've always done hoping to get the results that once put you at the top of your game," Herbold writes. ThoughtLeaders blog

Yes, it's all about attitude.

So when you come across someone making assumptions about you because of your age, its a handy reminder to yourself - are you doing the same things you did 5, 10 or even 20 years ago?, and expecting the same results?  And if you are still in that rut, do you really expect younger managers to look at you wistfully and say "gee I wish I had that person working for me!"

I wish to leave you with a thought regarding a webinar I watched about a year ago, at the beginning of the webinar it asked some simple questions ...

1.   When was the last time you positively reacted to a cold phone call from a sales person?
2.   When was the last time you positively reacted to a direct mail piece?
3.   When was the last time you researched a purchase on the internet?
4.   When was the last time you bought something on the internet?

If you answered predominantly "no" to 1 & 2, and "yes" to 3 & 4, simply ask yourself are you and your business still operating in the same outdated way or have you woken up to smell the coffee?

This webinar truly woke me up - I have to keep changing - ALL THE TIME!

Is it comfortable, hell NO!
Do have a choice, hell NO!

Because if I don't change, if I don't keep up, I'm going to end up with all the other dinosaurs on the scrap heap - and if you are being continually told your too old, not "up with the times", then look in the mirror and start doing something about it - one person at a time!

We ain't done yet! :-)

Have a great weekend.
Dom