CAREERS NOW 08-24-08

Social Networking Catch-Up For Boomers

DEAR JOYCE: In reading your columns, I see you refer to the expanding use of Internet resources to find jobs. At 59, I haven't looked for a job in 30 years and I really don't want to learn how all over again. Won't the traditional ways work today? - B.E.

No one method of search has a lock on finding attractive employment. Yes, you can find a good job without turning on a computer, or wearing out your thumb texting on cell phones by punching tiny keys that you can barely read.

TRIED AND TRUE. Instead, you'll lean on offline networking, published ads, and telephone canvassing for leads. Even so, don't be surprised if you're asked to submit a resume online.

You make a strategic point: When you don't know how to use technology in a job search, or when your qualifications as viewed online don't shine, search offline.

But before you finalize your Andy Rooney signoff, remember this: In today's economic climate and job market, just being good at your job may not be enough. Management seems always to be on the lookout for ways to cut costs, including labor costs; if their budget-whacking agenda doesn't take them overseas, it often takes them to younger workers who'll toil for less pay than older-and-wiser employees. You need an edge. Research is a good start.

CONVERSATION OPPORTUNITY. How do recruiters find the twentysomethings with whom they may want to replace you? One major hunting ground is the Internet where they scout youth haunts - where interactive Web 2.0 technology offers opportunity for a conversation through such social networking sites as Facebook and MySpace.

If you think you're too old to care about competitors who had Nintendo games in their cribs, think about a famous scene from the movie "Fried Green Tomatoes." Kathy Bates is waiting for a mall parking spot when some young women dash in, grab it and leave her fuming. After arguments in which they taunt her with their youth and speed, Bates rams their car, and announces, "Face it, girls. I'm older and I have more insurance."

Another movie, that you may remember, speaks to the value of figuring out what your competition is thinking and doing, In "Patton," after beating Rommel in North Africa, George C. Scott (Patton), explains why he was well prepared to take on the legendary German general: "I read his book!"

WAKE-UP CALL. If you do happen to change your mind and decide to hit the social networking trail to evaluate what you're up against, get ready for a shock - outlook, circumstances and language have changed dramatically. Students entering college this fall, for example, have lived their whole lives in a digital world, a world where GPS has always been available, phones have always had caller ID and tax returns could always be filed online. These observations are drawn from 60 cultural landmarks identified in this year's "Beloit College Mindset List" for the class of 2012. Google the Mindset List; after reading it and Beloit's archives of earlier lists, you'll see clearly that the cultural reference world for competitors under age 30 is different than yours and mine.

Think I'm sounding like a broken record about updating your references and command of technolog? OK, but don't bother communicating that phrase to a job seeker born in 1980. Beloit College's Mindset List of 1998 says the term means nothing to them -- "They never owned a record player."

TUNE UP YOUR TOOLS. For readers who haven't looked for a new job for quite awhile, boost your updated search skills with these four books, each of which happily contains fewer than 200 pages.

-- "Louise Kursmark's "30-Minute Resume Makeover: Rev up your old resume in half an hour:" (JIST, jist.com) is authored by one of America's very best resume professionals, who shares her expertise in a genius guide.

-- Arnold G. Bolt's "No-Nonsense Job Interviews: How to Impress Prospective Employers and Ace Any Interview" (Career Press, careerpress.com) is the straight-to-the-point work of a respected career transition coach.

- - Alison Doyle's "Internet Your Way to a New Job: How to Really Find a Job Online" (HappyAbout, happyabout.com) brings you up to Net speed quickly.

-- Ellen Sautter and Diane Crompton's "Seven Days to Online Networking: Make connections to advance your career and business quickly" (JIST, jist.com) will help boost your digital dignity.

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