Age aside, when you were born does have an impact on your work life. There are three major generations at work in America today; Generation X, Generation Y and the Baby Boomers. All three of these have different interests, different ways of doing things, a different background to pull from.
The Baby Boomers, who are nearing retirement, are the backbone of our current management structure. Boomers are in management not only because of their years of experience, but also because they are goal oriented individuals. The Boomer generation values hard work and understands teamwork and the need for social interaction in the workplace. Boomers are also loyal to their employers, believing that fewer employers one has the better.
Generation X is a little different. This generation went from the do nothing, Nintendo generation, to the software centric computer addicts we all count on. Generation X thrives on their individuality and the ability to problem solve on the fly. Unlike Boomers, Generation X has always been on the lookout for their own best interest. They aren’t afraid to switch jobs and find what works best for them. This generation tends to work more as contractors where they have more options and more flexibility.
Generation Y takes the boomers goal oriented mentality and melds it with the tech savvy of Generation X. This combination with a few family focused additions gives Generation Y their own spin on the way the world works. Generation Y is a group of problem solvers who aren’t afraid to question the status quo and go after what they want. One major difference with this generation is their consistent push for family over work at the expense of work.
Is one generation better at one task than another? No. All three generations have access to the tools and experiences to make it no matter what field of work they choose to do. Part of the beauty of life in the 21st century is that you are free to reinvent yourself and your career at any stage of the game. There are differences in the generations, but most of them are social not educational or job related.
If you believe the National Bureau of Economic Relief, the recession is over. My question is, Where are the jobs? A recession isn’t over until the people are back to work and the economy is stable. Sorry to disappoint all those politicians. Now, don’t get me wrong. Things are definitely moving in the right direction and we are recovering, but we aren’t out of the woods just yet.
According to the white house blog, over 103,000 jobs were created last month. The report also states that the overall unemployment rate has dropped by .4%. While this is progress, it’s a far cry from stability. Unemployment rates reached record highs of over 12% in some places in 2010 and some states went bankrupt because of it. The housing market crashed and is still burning, our banks crashed showing major flaws, recruiters found themselves swamped with candidates and very few openings for them. The signs of relief are here. There are more job openings and the number of applicants per job has decreased from staggering to simply shocking. The areas that are seeing the most improvement are manufacturing and temporary work. It seems, even with the recession receding, employers are hesitant to pick their payroll numbers back up.
Everyone wants the perfect employee. That elusive individual who both loves what they do and gets along with those they work with. It doesn’t hurt if they also know what they’re doing. But let’s face it, finding that perfect individual isn’t always easy. It takes time, patience and money. Job boards aren’t free, recruiters don’t pay themselves and interviewing each applicant that comes close to a set of basic criteria takes time. But to keep employees and avoid going through the interview loop over and over again you need to balance cost and quality.
The Hiring Matrix was designed to calculate the cost of every hire. This formula takes into consideration the cost of a recruiter, the time the position remains vacant, the cost to post the job opening on job boards and in newspapers, and many other costs variables directly associated with any one particular job. This number is not constant. You cannot predict how long it will take to fill any one position. What the hiring matrix can tell you is how long you can afford to keep looking for the “right” employee before you start cutting corners and re-evaluating your search criteria.
Finding the right employee should be more about matching abilities and personalities than about money, but sadly that is not always a possibility. If you want to keep you quality standards high, have a solid set of criteria for each position. This set of “criteria” that the new employee will have to know and deal with in order to function effectively. Understand that these “criteria” are different for each and every position. There are no cookie cutter jobs anymore. By having your ducks in a row you can more easily narrow the field of candidates and cut your recruiting time without cutting corners or sacrificing quality. Will it take time to develop this list of “criteria?” Of course it will. Can you effectively find perfection without knowing what perfect is? No. The choice is yours.
