Gen Y'd

The (not so hidden) Discrimination in American Workplaces

Sarah White — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 14:12:20 -0400

Were Jack Welch's comments out of line and super old school - yes. But the responses that I got back from white males over 40 were equally as disturbing and brings to the forefront the real discrimination going on in American workplaces.

Now, I am not going to sit here and tell you that there aren't cases where 'main stream' discrimination doesn't happen - but regardless of the who or why - discrimination is ugly and we should all be better recruiters (and people, frankly) to do everything we can to not let it happen at our organizations.

"The true issue in America isn't Women being pushed back into the ranks for having families, it's white men over 40 for purely being who they are."

That came to me as one of the MANY responses I got from my last blog via email, twitter or facebook in addition to the number of public comments made here on ERE. The stories were astounding, the discrimination was unquestionable and the prevalence in our own industry was SHOCKING at best.

It is no surprise to most anyone who know's me that I don't believe in Affirmative Action, Quota's or anything else that gives someone an advantage. And before you get going on me about that - our ongoing disadvantages in our country are class based - plain and simple. The whole point of our country was to create a place where everyone can be equal - not to create artificially inequities in order to do so. Quota's are not the best way to recruit. While studies have shown that students who make it into MBA & Law programs on the quota method still succeed just fine in life - it still isn't the way I would want my company ran. I would want the most qualified person for a job without regard to race, age, national origin, religous affiliation (or lack there of), handicap, haircut, eye color...or any other anything to be filling the job that I am recruiting for.

Story after story talked of younger women in their early 30's coming in and doing a "women & minority" push - basically saying, don't forward any other candidates. Seriously ladies - the women's movement was not for us to get revenge - it was so we can be equals. Not better, not worse.

So, let me get this straight - to all of the guys who keep emailing me thinking that I think it is great to get rid of all the white guys over 40 -I think it is just as wrong to discriminate against you as it is anyone else.

In college, I did a thesis on the communication impact of the Aryan Nations. Strange, I know, but after growing up in a very urban, inner city environment in California (where I was the minority) until I was 13 and moved to North Idaho (where the AN was headquartered) the thought of how differently people could think really intrigued me - so I studied it.

What does this have to do with this issue? Agenda is different, but method is the same. The Aryan Nations in the mid to late 90's would pay your student loans back college if you went into recruiting at a major organization and worked the agenda of only hiring white males. A company I know in Chicago right now is struggling because it's Director of Recruiting has replaced the entire recruiting team with people who are also gay and will only send resumes homosexuals to the hiring managers. If the managers don't want them - they are given monster access for themselves. Their response - "trying to get more diversity across the departments" (Super crazy, but truly going on as we speak) And then there are the women who try to do the same thing ...

Regardless of how it is sliced and diced and who it is that is actually doing it - Discrimination is wrong - socially acceptable or not - it is disgusting, wrong and should not be tolerated.

Why Gen Y 'chicks' and Old White Guys from F500's don't see Eye to Eye

Sarah White — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 13:24:43 -0400

Yes, this is about you - Jack Walch. And, maybe it isn't all of Gen Y 'chicks' - some of us are tolerant of being talked down to and demeaned for chosing to have a family. Being told that we (women) can still have "a nice life, but the chances of going to the top on that path" is slim may be OK for you, but I'm not buying it. The rest of us are really tired of a guy who got to the top because of an amazing woman behind him telling us that we can only get to the top in the business world if we steer clear of the mommy path.

A bit of honesty here - at one point in my life, I believed it. I thought that my world was going to revolve around climbing the corporate ladder - pinstripe suits and 4" heels in tow. I thought the title on my business card, the number of people I was managing, the budget I was responsible for, actually mattered. When I was in my last semester of college, I found out I was going to be a mom. I was terrified that any hope of climbing that corporate ladder was gone. I thought I had to chose between being a mom and a great employee. I thought I had to chose where I wanted my life to go and where I wanted to be in 10 years in an instant.

It wasn't very long before I realized that I didn't want the corporate F1000 ladder they wanted me to climb. The ladder, well, that is the easy way - with nice, scheduled - evenly spaced rungs telling me when I can take the next step. Knowing what I would be doing with each passing year... Not for me.

I wanted to take a corporate hike up the tallest hill - the hard way - with rocks & mud & bugs. No ladder, no heels, no games - just sheer will and determination to try and become the best at what I do. I wanted to climb half dome - not to the top of a skyscraper downtown.

Jack Welch's comments at SHRM about "women" and the "consequences" of their actions really just made me appreciate how far we have come in the last 30 years since Gen Y was born. It is likely true that to be a leader and an organization today (as a woman) - you likely had to make some pretty tough decisions about kids & family. I have heard the stories from my grandmother about the "role" women used to play. Luckily - she taught me never to play by the rules - especially in the world of work.

For those of us in that 30 & under crowd, we should be thanking all of those women who have come before us as those battles have been fought and a lot has been sacraficed for us to be able to have the balance that we want...and for some of us, it is still that corporate ladder - and that is ok - just thank them for the glass ceiling they broke along their way.

Check out the article that got me fired up a bit here

Excited to be a part of Recruitfest 2009!

Sarah White — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 22:03:11 -0400

Well, it will be as a sponsor - but I am still really excited! (Read the full posting my HR Technology Blog)

Ok, you are like - What is Recruitfest?

Recruitfest is a "Unconference type of Conference - Only 100 of you will even be able to get a ticket to attend. "That's Dumb" you are thinking - but it really isn't. Recruitfest wants everyone to learn in an interactive, dynamic fashion. No boring powerpoints, no 10 minutes at the end of the session to try to squeeze in a few questions, no wishing you really understood how this could relate to your role, no need to not argue with the presenter....do I really need to explain further?

Recruitfest is a Recruitingblogs.com production and will be sponsored in part by HRMDirect Applicant Tracking System (other sponsors will be announced soon!) Recruitfest is a true "unconference" and for anyone who has been to one - it is an event not to be missed!!!

The conference will be September 23-24 in Toronto, Canada - so make sure you get your passport in line, like yesterday. By the way - the conference is only $250ish

Check out the site for RecruitFest - more details will follow

Butterburgers, Cheese Curds, Branding & Twitter...

Sarah White — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 17:18:16 -0400

With a pretty big birthday rearing its head on Saturday I (like others before me) am having a mid-mid life crisis and decided it was time to get in shape. One of the things that is helping me do that is knocking Butterburgers out of my diet. If you aren't from the midwest, you are likely clueless as to what I am talking about, but soon - you too - will have a Culver's near by pushing this yummy goodness of a butterburger towards you. Don't get me wrong - I really don't eat fast food. When I take my kids to McDonalds after they beg and beg I still go home and make myself a dinner or drive across town to Culvers...

Anyway, today a chance mention of Culvers Butterburgers passed through the twitosphere when talking with a person who had visited Wisconsin recently (now you understand the cheese curd thing). Within minutes this tweet came through my tweetdeck:

@sarahw79 Glad to hear our ButterBurgers and Cheese Curds can satisfy your discriminating tastes! :)

It was from none other than @culvers themselves!! Now, how does this relate to you? If you are one of the many, many recruiters on twitter anyway - use a program like TweetDeck where you can set up searches and see everytime your company is mentioned - then simply do the same type of response back - build awareness of open position, create loyalty with future applicants, etc

It takes just a minute, but I know that if I ever need to break my diet/work out routine for some fast food - Culvers (because of great food & brand loyalty) is where I will be!

Recruiting Carnival on CruiterTalk.com Launches today...

Sarah White — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 08:37:20 -0400

and I have the first posting!?! (Are you recruiter enough to handle a MILH?) If you haven't heard about cruitertalk.com - check it out - Starting today they are hosting a Recruiting & HR Blog Carnival with a New Featured Blogger each day for the rest of the month.

See the full list of blogger's here Some of the postings I am most excited to see are:

Michael Goldberg - Really interesting guy that I met at Kennedy's Recruiting Conference in Vegas
Steve Levy - Always an interesting read!
Jim Stroud - Random, Funny Guy - video blogger on recruiting
Dan Harris - One of the nicest guys and the silent, intelligent one who when he talks, you listen.

And that is just in the first 2 weeks!

Kennedy's Coming to Chi-Town!!! (With OnRec)

Sarah White — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 19:10:22 -0400

It's official! After some early afternoon tweeting about the subject this afternoon http://www.therecruitingconference.com OnRec & Kennedy Information has official posted the following PR:

Onrec and Kennedy Information will join forces this fall to host a recruiting conference of unprecedented high-caliber.

Each industry-acclaimed company will bring to this combined event their distinctive areas of expertise, making it the richest, most high-value, recruiting conference experience possible. World-famous Onrec will bring strong recruiting technological acumen and analytical savvy. Kennedy Information will deliver the tactical recruiting expertise and industry insight that has been trusted by the industry's foremost practitioners for over 35 years.
Together, these industry champions will provide recruiters and talent management professionals with ALL of the tools and insights they need to be unstoppable - no matter what the challenge!
For more information orIf you have any questions about OnRec and Kennedy's Recruiting Conference & Expo, please call 800.531.0007 or Register Now!

My take on this is that they didn't want me to have to travel ALL the way to Florida in November and thought how nice it would be to come to Chi-Town (well, Rosemont) instead. Florida is always a lot of fun and this was going to be my first year at onRec so I am sure together it will be a blast. Personally, My vote would still be somewhere warm, but I will take it and can see some great opportunity for attendees of both.

All in all it is a smart move when the economy is tight and has hit all of the conferences this year a little hard to work together for a successful show!

So - come and join me in Chicago at The Recruiting Conference in November!

Do you tell the end to movies that others have not seen? (Recruiting Relevance, I swear)

Sarah White — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:34:46 -0400

When it comes to movies there tend to be 2 types of people in the world:

1. The type of people who are asked about a movie and the tell you about how great (or not so great) it is - giving you just enough detail to make them want to see it for themselves

2. The type of people who are asked about a movie and tell every single detail down to giving away the ending of the 1 movie I am most excited to see and crushing a little part of my Shia Le Bouf loving heart (Grr...Starbucks Girl)

Recruitment advertising and branding should be thought of like selling a movie to a friend. You don't need to tell someone everything possible - you should want to sell them to get them in - not ruin it for them and take the excitement and surprise away.

So, if you are one of the lucky recruiting teams that still have a number of open positions - relook at how you are selling that position - are you telling the potential applicant/candidate too much detail right from the start? Is your job posting enticing, engaging, exciting and leaves GOOD candidates wanting more or is was it written by the girl at Starbucks who doesn't really care and just wants to blurt out all of the details from the start.

My choice is to be more exciting, enticing and engaging.

Video Whitepapers? It is time.

Sarah White — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:31:57 -0400

Not that I don't appreciate all of the thought that goes into a traditional whitepaper - but really? If you think about our ever increasing recruiting world - there are more of us that have attention spans of a 3 year old than ever. Why haven't we seen a push toward video whitepapers that have actual people really talking about whatever the whitepapers focus is.

At this point, I would be thrilled with a video preview - like a commercial to get the basics of the whole whitepaper before I read it. I mean, it is something I can just listen to in the car on the way to the gym, or download to the ipod to watch when i am sitting at the airport or....

With all the blogging, tweeting, facebooking and every other form of social media that we have going on - is is really to much for someone to give us gen y'ers a video to watch?

Is your brand annoying?

Sarah White — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 09:45:38 -0400

I saw another installment of the Old Navy talking manniquins today - only this time it came directly to my email as they wanted to introduce me to 'Athleta'. I understand the value of branding and the role it plays in making you be seen as an employer of choice and all of the other catch phrases we read about.

If you are trying too hard to make your brand stand out and be cool or trendy vs being who you are as an organization it could be totally backfiring on you.

The old navy ads are obviously targeting someone other than me because I actually have found them sooooooo annoying that I can no longer go in to an Old Navy because I see the fake people and think back to the dumb commercials.

So - long story short - if you have an employment brand or are in the process of building one, make sure it stays true to who you are, markets to your target audience & most importantly - isn't annoying.

Are your hiring manager REALLY satisfied with the job you do?

Sarah White — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 10:00:22 -0400

Last night, I attended my 29th 311 concert. While the anticipation (I love anticipating something, often more than the actual event), songs, band members and concert itself seemed so familiar after all these years, there was one thing that really stood out to me. We are getting older.

The drive down was a mix of conversation about what our favorite venues/shows have been over the years (I am partial to the 1998 Grand Rapids show in a tiny venue when first got to meet them after a show), where others were at that weren't able to make it with us this year, and work. I know, I said work - 5 years ago, the thought wouldn't have crossed our minds - but now there are budgets to manage, hiring decisions to be made, marketing strategies to be planned. It just always is there for all of us.

Let me start (the part you may actually care about) by saying that I am the only recruiting industry person in our group of friends and I am in a group of what I refer to as "hiring managers who don't think we (recruiters) actually do anything or provide value". One of those guys by chance read my blog last week and wanted to learn more about it - potentially for the sales/marketing future. About 30 seconds in, the eyes glared over and he lost interest. Again - I think it is amazing, but not everyone else is on board yet (I think back to video resumes - but I will get to next week).

The conversation then quickly turned to why do you (by you I assume they mean recruiters in general since I am no longer actively recruiting) do various things in the process to make the hiring managers life so difficult. Another one chimed in asking why they never seemed to be listened to. While you can say these are isolated cases, from my last 4 years in consulting, I can tell you those struggles seem to effect companies across the board in terms of size, revenue, and 'staying power'.

Personally, I know that my goal was always to be a partner to my hiring managers - to give them the support & guidance they may need to help them make the right decision. It was not to cause issues or put up roadblocks in the process. My goal was always doing what was in the best long term interest of the department, manager and organization. I am sure many of you feel the same but - are you hiring managers really satisfied or are they tolerating the process you have in place?

If you want to really have a true partnership with your hiring managers, you need to make sure that they have had and continue to have a say in what you are doing and how the process is working for them. In the same fashion that you are (or should be) continually improving your process from the candidates perspective, your hiring managers deserve the same. Can you honestly say you really know how your hiring manager feels about the process? Do you really care?

If you don't care - don't bother going any further. Save yourself the extra 2 minutes in your day and get back to whatever it is that you were doing.

If you do care (and this should be almost everyone in the corporate setting) then there are a few quick and simple things that you can do without having to create a big drama filled world of surveys and focus groups and ugghhh....

(I will forwarn you that this will potentially seem obvious, but I have also found that there seems to be a general lack of common sense the more overworked we are and the longer things have been broken)

Talk to your hiring managers about the type of person they are looking for in the role - not just the skills and background. What type of EI matters in this role? How will the ideal person effect the balance of the team - what is currently lacking?
Talk to your hiring managers. That is it. Even if you don't have an opening with them, every once in a while shoot an email (you can have some pre-templated up), pick up a phone and just say hi, or (for those of you with the option) just go by their office or cube. This should be done with no other motives or agenda other than getting to know them (respectfully) as a colleague, or dare I say it, eventually a work friend. This goes a long way in continuing to build a relationship of trust and respect.
Ask them directly if the process is working for them. Just like with everything else in life, you can't possible learn if you don't have the cahones to ask the question. The worst thing that will happen is they say "no, it sucks" and you realize that you have an issue. Don't take their thoughts on the process personal - it (normally) will have nothing to do with you. Hiring managers like to have a say in things - sometimes a small little fix can make the relationship and hiring process better all around.
Ask if they are comfortable with who they get to see in the process. Especially if you (or they) are new to your company OR you are new to work with each other. Do they need to see more until they are comfortable, do they feel like you are wasting their time with too many candidates? Are the candidates you are giving them REALLY what they are looking for in the person?
Look at your metrics - are you sending over more than 2-3 people to be interviewed? (It could mean a lack of trust or a bad judge of quality people during the screen process - both should be addressed) Are you really providing them with the value that an "expert" should be providing them with?

Again, this doesn't seem like rocket science, but when I listen over and over to hiring managers complaining about what are relatively simple fixes or larger scale, process related problems. These quick fixes can give you an overview of what is going on with your hiring managers and let you know if you may have a larger problem to address.

What happens in Vegas doesn't always stay in Vegas...

Sarah White — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 17:20:23 -0400

Since leaving Vegas there has been something on my mind and I just can't stop thinking about it. It was new and exciting and different - it made my heart pound, my thoughts race and now, when I am in webinars or reading a newspaper or when I was on vacation last weekend - it doesn't go away.

(And before your mind goes racing - I was well behaved and spent most of my spare time at the Poker and Craps tables - leaving vegas with $500 of their money)

The IT is Mobile Recruiting. I know it isn't a totally new concept - but it was like for the first time the bigger scope of what could/will be slapped me across the face. It was like my freshman year of college when I realized that had to be a recruiter because of the impact it has on an organization, or 2002 when I went through CareerXRoads ATS Evaluation & Selection training at Cornell and fell in love with the business impact of ATS and KNEW it was an industry I wanted to be a part of.

But you probably are a little lost so let me back up a bit...

Last month the team at Kennedy Information's Recruiting 2009 Conference was held at the gorgeous Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas. Even though I didn't speak this year, I had a great time with the somewhat smaller crowd learning how different organizations were overcoming the challenges of the economy and reconnecting with and learning from the great minds that shared their insights. I am probably one of the few people that REALLY loves conferences. I love meeting new people, and hearing different ideas and perspectives on both the industry and the world. I love knowing that I am smarter when I walk out then when I walked in. There is just something so mentally fulfilling about learning.

As usual, the first day I dabbled between conversations with facinating people, general sessions, breakout sessions and walked around the vendor space to see what was exciting a new with everyone this year. Dinner was amazing (I tried something new!) and the Fremont Street experience was twice as nice since they were testing out a new show and we got to see both. All in all it was a great day with informative events.

On the second day, I knew I had to leave early after lunch so I made sure to hit a few of the sessions that had really seemed interesting to me and I am glad I did. By far the best session of the event was Joel Cheesman's breakout session on mobile recruiting. Not because it was particularly showy, but because I appreciate the laid back presentation style and loved the topic.

Mobile recruiting is a totally new world that we have not even started to grasp here in the US - yet is a world that seems so obvious to anyone that knows anyone that is under the age of 35. (I used to say 30, but I turn 30 in a few weeks and now must say 35) I tried as hard as I could and can not think of anyone I know that doesn't have a cell phone. In fact, I don't know anyone that doesn't have a smart phone. As he talked, my mind started racing about all of the potential that is untapped and quickly trying to come up with strategy's that could be easily integrated with out ATS. I honestly felt stupid for not getting it before this point although that was not his intention at all.

There are those of you who are going to totally disagree with this and that is fine. To you I ask you to read Maren Hogan's great blog posting this morning on why social media use isn't really about today at all, rather it is about knowing what we are doing and being on the cutting edge when the time comes. I can't help think that mobile recruiting is any different.

I can see a day where there really are no longer job boards - peoples matching jobs are simply texted/messaged to their phones instead of the email and they can automatically submit their interest - no online job search needed. I can see marketing and recruiting in consumer product organizations finally actually getting together on something instead of just talking about it. I can see....

There are so many more things I could say and go on and on about my ideas of the future and where this could lead - but I invite you to check out the free (no registration needed) whitepaper by mjob and see if your mind goes through the same crazy process mine is going through after about this. (The odds are no - but you will likely still find it really interesting, I promise!)

Brand or Process - When it comes down to it - what really matters?

Sarah White — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 10:13:55 -0400

This weekend I did a whirlwind tour of California with my husband - we managed to make it through Monterey Bay, Yosemite & San Francisco all in 2 1/2 days.

Here is a list of 10 things I learned on this trip:

1. Avis will not let you pick up your car 12 minutes early. You have to sit and wait.

2. If you let a surfer on a bike in Santa Cruz pass, instead of waving you get the hang loose sign

3. There is a limit to how much clam chowder you can eat (Trust me, I am shocked myself!)

4. Some 16 year olds think that the new "Come on Eileen" is not a remix, rather a new song

5. It is amazing to be in a place of nature so much bigger than yourself

6. A 7 mile hike in the woods is better than a 2 mile run on a treadmill

7. Roundtable Pizza is still my favorite pizza of all time

8. San Francisco is way cooler than I expected

9. Relaxing & Sleeping on vacation is overrated

10. I enjoy reading (this will come into play in my next blog posting)

While on the surface, these things may not seem to have anything in common with each other, let alone recruiting - I assue you - in my own strange way, I think they really do. You see, for the last few years we have been bombarded with the importance of your employment brand and how valuable it is to organizations. We have (At least I have) sat through hours of webinars, articles, presentations and discussions about why branding what the best thing ever and the million different ways that it can be done to make you the best organization out there in terms of the way potential employees view you. Through all of it, I have actually always wondered why no one took it the step further and discussed not only how important it was to do the branding on the front end and to really live the brand but be absolutely positive that your process upholds the image and brand you want to project. To me, it is all about the perception matching up with the reality of what is going on in your organization.

Take my list for example and you can see that there are a few spots where what you think would happen actually do.

2. If you let a surfer on a bike in Santa Cruz pass, instead of waving you get the hang loose sign

5. It is amazing to be in a place of nature so much bigger than yourself

6. A 7 mile hike in the woods is better than a 2 mile run on a treadmill

7. Roundtable Pizza is still my favorite pizza of all time

For me the perception of what the image or brand had been presented as (Yosemite is awe inspiring and amazing, Surfers are friendly and laid back) is exactly what happened when I was able to experience it for my self.

On the other hand is where your expectations are not met with the reality of the situation.

1. Avis will not let you pick up your car 12 minutes early. You have to sit and wait.

3. There is a limit to how much clam chowder you can eat

8. San Francisco is way cooler than I expected

9. Relaxing & Sleeping on vacation is overrated

10. I actually enjoy reading (this will come into play in my next blog posting)

For me - I was actually quite surprised at things on my trip - Avis whose motto is "we try harder" refused to let a number of people check in for their cars earlier than they had anticipated. One couple next to us had to wait 2 minutes. What exactly are they trying harder at?

San Francisco, which we went to on a total whim, was not the homeless infested, scary city you sometimes hear about here in the midwest. In fact - I absolutely fell in love with it and plan to go back for a full weekend later this summer.

OK - so, some of you are still wondering how this relates to recruiting - basically - make sure your branding matches what is the real experience the candidates have when they come into your recruiting process.

If your branding is amazing talking about the 'people focus' (or what ever else you may be focused on) and someone comes through the recruiting process and finds it to be disconnected, hard to get responses, generic and impersonal, even if your company really does have a great 'people focus' for its employees your recruiting process doesn't allow that to shine through and your image or brand is not meeting the expectations and is just working against you.

On the flip side, if you have poor branding but your process is great then it gives them a great impression of you as an organization - but it really isn't working in your favor. Not properly branding your organization is like a company forgetting to advertise they have a product to sell. You could be missing some great prospective employees who just honestly don't know who you are or what to do. In this case you are like the 16 year olds who thought "Come on Eileen" was a new song - excited to find a song they like, but clueless where it came from.

So - Brand or Process - When it comes down to it - what really matters? Both!

The reality of the situation is that today, a company needs to have a solid employment brand that is an accurate reflection of who the company is and what they expect/want from future employees. It should also have a process that is in line with their employment brand and who they are as an organization. (The expectation & experience should line up - Yosemite for example)

So, the overall moral of the story is the fact that your employment brand is important, but the process that you employ from resume submission through start date is equally as important and should be constantly reviewed and evaluated.

I am still alive

Sarah White — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 10:06:02 -0400

Wow - believe it or not - I am still alive - I just well, haven't done a blog in like a year or so. I wish I could say that I had some good excuse like winning the lottery and traveling the world or that I had a baby and was sleep deprived but honestly, I was just busy. I know, everyone is busy - so, like I said - no excuse....

ANYWAY... So much has happened in the last year and I have all sorts of new stories and ideas so I will be back to blogging and posting on a regular basis next week - I need to head to not so sunny California for a weekend of inspriation first.

BTW - check out a free webinar Tuesday June 9th at 2:00 Eastern Time on Becoming a Strategic Partner hosted by RecruitingTrends.com and sponsored by the good folks at Qualigence. It should be a good one with a great panel including Russ Moon of Wells Fargo, Steve Lowisz of Qualigence and myself. Lots of opportunity for questions and discussion - so come and join us!

http://www.recruitingtrends.com/webinars/index3.html

Boomers - 2/3's of you won't like it so don't bother reading it :)

Sarah White — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 16:40:38 -0400

I love generational issues - in fact, I am getting ready to write a book on the subject - but everytime I start to think, we really are similiar I quickly realize I am wrong. In fact, the concensus this weekend from Gen Y'ers I spoke with is that other than their own kids, 2/3 of boomers hate Gen Y in the workplace.

Over the past week, I have listened to multiple people discuss issues that are going on in their own workplace. Granted, I am a Gen Y and every one else that I was hearing from was Gen Y as well, but we all reached the same conclusion about a lot of the boomers we were dealing with on a regular basis.

My test group came from 26-30 year olds in (old Gen Y yes) healthcare, manufacturing, consulting, service industry and ranged from companies that were small business (under 500 employees) to mid size (500-2500) to Fortune 100 and we all reached the same conclusion - 1/3 of the boomers seem to be checked out and coasting through until retirement, 1/3 seem to be putting in the effort and continuing on like they aren't retiring in the next 10 years, and 1/3 seem to be clinging on to everything so tightly they will never retire because it may give one of those snotty nose Gen Y'ers a chance to succeed.

As I stopped and thought about my own experience and what I hear from people that I meet out and about, I realized that this may just be true. Between the boomers that are ready for retirement and those that have no interest in improving the snotty nosed Gen Y'ers, our generation is missing out on a lot of development opportunities that should be coming our way. Given the response it seems many people get with issues is to approach the boomers differently so you don't come off like a know it all. One of the people I talked to was told this about how to appoach a person HE SUPERVISED because she was uncomfortable reporting to someone so much younger.

Don't get me wrong, we have a lot to learn from boomers. On the flip side, I think the boomers can learn from us as well.

To the 1/3rd of you boomers that have stayed checked in, care about your job, company, continuous improvement and treat us with respect, Thank you.

ATS Expo was a great success!!!

Sarah White — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 21:05:54 -0400

This quarter, I switched my focus almost entirely to software evaluation and selection with companies and have been just amazed with the response that I was getting from small to mid sized businesses (50-2500 ee's) who never thought they could even afford something or just didn't know where to start! In fact, the backlog became so much I had to figure out something that would make more companies be able to get the same hands on service, with a MUCH lower pricetag all at the same time - and thus, the ATS Training/Mini-Expo was born.

Last week we had our first session was with 30-40 select companies who were ready to learn a little more on how an ATS could impact their business and were ready to make a purchasing decision, but really wanting to get around the sales pitch and fully understand the perks as well as limitations of various systems.

The sessions went of amazing and the vendors really liked the process and how it played out for them. The companies that were looking LOVED it, they got to see 3-4 products live demos without seeing a salesperson - ask questions they felt uncomfortable asking. We have about 28 of the companies seriously reviewing proposals and have already had a 1000+ employee company sign a contract - just a week after the first demo!

Anyway, we have been asked to do these sessions by a few companies across the midwest and are in the process of planning the Chicago and Des Moines sessions for early summer...I will keep you updated on events as they come around.

Our next one scheduled will be in Milwaukee, WI on 5/6 from 8:30-12 and will be designed for mid to large companies (800+ employees). To make it even better - we are a nonprofit so we run these sessions for just $25 per person if you are a member of our organization and $35 per person if you are not. At that price, you can afford to bring the entire team from IT to the Finance decision maker. I even had a CEO sit in on the last one...

As a side note - the crazy receptionist company did call me to apologize and assure me it was an isolated event....

Working Woman of the Week?

Sarah White — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 16:38:07 -0400

I just won the Working Woman of the Week for the state of Wisconsin! I am trying to figure out if that is because of all of my hard work or if it is because it is a holiday week and no one else was working|???

Either way, I can't wait for the weekend get away I won!!

Happy new year!

The importance of 2008 in the world of Recruiting/Retention

Sarah White — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 18:21:44 -0400

Last month, I capped off my year as a guest expert at a CEO roundtable. The discussion quickly evolved from online social networks and their value (or not) in business to talk about the various generations (specifically the Gen Y and Boomers).

As the sole Gen Y'er in the room, I really changes some perceptions of what people think "we" are. A lot of the misconceptions about our Generation are based on a few random companies that allow parents ot come on job interviews and crazy parents that negotiate salarys. Honestly, that is not the norm for our generation - but it is the most sensational so it gets press.

Anyway, we were discussing the huge impact both groups were going to have on business in the coming years. Like most organizations I talk to, many of them had never had any formal training in the various generational attitudes or done any business planning on the matter. Many were really surprised at just how much change we are in for over the next decade ? but they were more surprised that 2008 is a Key year for this ever coming wave of change we will face.

Here are some of the key numbers that make 2008 SO important for those of us who care about things generationally:

In 2008 we will have 4 generations in the workforce and the 5^th starting college (Millennials).

Silent Generation (1925-1942) Now well past retirement, they are phasing out of the workforce quickly in the next 5 years.
Boomers (1943-1963) The boomers are hitting retirement age with the oldest of the boomers are turning 65 this year!

Gen X (1964-1977) Gen X is now squarely into their 30's and 40's!

Gen Y (1978-1987) Believe it or not, Gen Y is turning 30 this year! (Well, not all of us - some of them).
Millinnials (1988-2000) No - I don't count them as Gen Y - talk to a 30 Year old and an 18 year old and you will find out why - The technology is changing too fast to clump them all together They are now are interns and recent grads!

Now, as we start 2008, it may be worth your time to really challenge your perceptions and learn how to integrate the amazing gifts brought to us from each of the generations in the workforce. Take some time within your own organization to see what various generations you have on hand and what you are doing for each of them that is specifically targeted to their drivers. How are you handling the large number of retirements you may have coming over the next 3-5 years? What are you doing now to ensure their knowledge is not leaving with them? What are you doing to keep the 20-40 year olds that are always networking? How do you keep selling the organization to them? This is not a "big" company issue ? it is something that companies of all sizes will need to address over the next few years. Understanding the various generations, what motivates them and what discourages them will help you have a better understanding of how to recruit and retain them as well as launch your organization to business success!

If you would like further training or information on this topic, please contact Sarah White at Sarahw@mranet.org or 262-636-3350. MRA will be offering a course, taught by Sarah White, called Recruiting & Retention: A Generational Approach that will go into these issues much more in depth. The course will be held in Milwaukee on January 15^th from 8:30-12:30.

Hope to see you at Kennedy - I am speaking at 2:00...

Sarah White — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 21:34:01 -0400

Hi! I hope to see you all at Kennedy Recruiting 2007 show tomorrow. I had the pleasure of getting into sunny Orlando this morning and spent my day relaxing at Universal Studios - without Kids!! It is amazing how quickly you can get through a theme part by your self....

Anyway, now that I am all Hulked up, I am excited and honored to be a Featured Speaker in the main hall tomorrow at 2:00 - I will be talking about Recrutiing with a Retention Mindset! I can wait to meet so many of you that I have "talked" with online before.

This new thing called "Job Shopping" -- I didn't know it was new???

Sarah White — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 11:20:08 -0400

Just this week, I was called by a local reporter wanting my take on candidates "job shopping" or waiting until they got multiple offers to take any of them and leveraging one offer against the other to get the best offer for themselves. Said journalist, had been contacted by a RPO firm to run a story on this "new fad" and the impact it has on an organization.

Now, I am not someone with 20 years of experience behind me, but even I know that this has always been in the marketplace. Obviously, when the economy is bad, candidates aren't getting as many offers and the occurance of this decreases, but it still goes on with AMAZING candidates - regardless of the market situation.

Am I the only person in the world a bit shocked that someone would think this is a "new" thing that must be leaking in from overseas?

Oh well...

Only 48% Gen Y kids have summer jobs? Add on the Mr. Rogers effect and the retiring boomers and we may have a problem....

Sarah White — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 11:49:01 -0400

According to a survey released this weekend, only 48% of all Gen Y'er that were of school age were going to be getting (or already had) a job for the summer. That means for more than HALF of the kids - they are taking it easy and hanging out by the pool for the summer while their parents give them cash.

I need to clarify a few things - Depending on what you are looking at or where you read it, Gen Y is people born from 1977-1995. I am a Gen Y'er, but am on the "old" end of the group being born in 1979. My age has also been labeled the "MTV Generation" (1974-1985) as well as the "Boomerang Generation" (1977-1989) for whatever reason.

So, as matters have it, I am the "old" in the Gen Y group and my little brother is the "young" in the group being born in 1991 and a perfect example of the new Gen Y.

When we were in high school, most people couldn't wait to get a job and have their own money to do with as they please. By our Junior and Senior year, almost everyone had jobs and those that didn't had a reason such as they baby sat their siblings or something. Even with sports, most people worked at least in the summer and the research supported that. In the late 90's - 2/3's of the teenagers (16-19) held at least a part time job at some point in the year - it may have been mowing the neighbors yard, but it was something.

As of last month - less than half of the kids in my generation will be doing the same. It really makes me question why their is such a dramatic shift in such a short periord of time (10 years and 10+%). When you couple that with the analysis that was announced last week called the "Mr. Rogers Effect" where our generation is having such a hard time adjusting to the real world where you aren't always encouraged and often have to prove your self, and we are in for an interesting 10 more years in the recruiting world. To make matters worse, right as the tail end (and worse half - if I do say so) of this generation is graduating from college and hitting the job market is about when the mass loss of the boomers will be starting.

That means we will have less people eligible in the job market and less people wanting to work that could and (I assume) an increasing demand for more skilled workers and we see a problem.

We also need to look at the hand out mentality that is being created in many areas of the country. Working used to be a thing of pride and honor - that you can support your self and you don't have to be reliant on others.

Don't get me wrong, I am not saying the sky is falling, but I am saying that we should be slightly (at least) concerned. Those of us that have kids that are in the next generation (yet to be named) should be aware of the impact that no scoring t-ball games and the lack of tough love has created in our bigger world. The "softness" our kids have had is only getting worse and in the long run will make our country worse.

If your kids are too young to work - have them EARN their allowance by helping with chores around the house. Teach them the value of a dollar and why it is important to save for something you want. Even my 22 month old has to clean her own room!

Moral of the story: I don't care how much money you have or how much your kids complain about "fair" - make them get a part time job and teach them the value and pride that comes from working and our society will be better for it.