Are You Discouraged Pursuing Millennial Job Opportunities - Career Pivot

Are You Discouraged Pursuing Millennial Job Opportunities - Career Pivot Millennial Job Opportunities Copyright: zinkevych / 123RF Stock Photo Millennial job opportunities are exactly what some of you are pursuing in your attempt to reinvent yourself. What I have been hearing is you are getting pretty discouraged. Many of you are pursuing career opportunities that target the millennials and are wondering why you are not being selected and if you are selected why you are not advancing. Let me give you 3 examples that I have heard in the last few months. Specialty 3rd Party Recruiter Recently, a gentleman in his 50s told me the following story. I am pursuing a position as a 3rd party recruiter position in a specialized market that I have intimate knowledge of. The hiring company has a 12-week training program for all new hires. The base pay is very low but there is a commission structure that could be quite lucrative. I submitted my resume but I have not heard anything back. I am pursuing the position because I want to do something different. What do you think? My response was: These kinds of positions target the millennial generation. They will hire them, train them, hope to retain some portion of the recruits for several years with full knowledge they will have to repeat the process, again, and again,… They are not looking for someone who is older and willing to stay long term. Some might say these are ‘churn and burn’ kinds of positions. You are probably wasting your time pursuing these kinds of positions. Millennial job opportunities are often designed to be ‘churn and burn.’ Targeting positions and companies that specifically create a work environment for millennials is probably not a good idea. Reinvented Java Programmer Another story from a 50-something reinvented Java programmer. I am a 55+-year-old woman who took a Java programming boot campafter being laid off from my IBM mainframe programming job several years ago. I traveled halfway across the country to take the boot camp and I was able to land a job with a company converting mainframe software to Java. Over the last two years, I have been passed over for promotion or advancement several times. They have promoted younger people during that same period who have less experience and accomplishments. I have been encouraged to attend various gatherings after work but I have family obligations that interfere. I am responsible for my elderly parents who are in poor health. Besides, I do not want to go happy hour mixers with people half my age. I am frustrated and I am not sure what to do next. My response. I worked with someone at my last corporate gig, who told a similar story. When he asked why he was being passed over for promotion, he was told he did not have enough “career runway” to justify a promotion. I believe you are running into the exact same situation. You are not going to change that. Look for a company that values older tech workers. There are a few out there. Check out my post onFinding People Who Look, Taste and Smell Like You. Get on LinkedIn and search for people with very similar skills as yours and who are older. My guess is you will find most of them working at federal, state or local governments. You may also find them working at Universities or community colleges. These are the places where you will best fit in. I claim that your environment and who you work with is more important to job satisfaction than what you do. Think about that. Quit chasing Millennial job opportunities. Look for the Ideal Environment Look for the environment rather than the job. I know that sounds a bit idealistic. One of the things I am learning from listening to my online community, which you can learn more about that endeavor here, is most want freedom. They want to be able to continue to work doing what they want when they want and where they want. I am also hearing they want their horizon’s broadened. There are ways to make money today that did not exist 5-10 years ago and many times this is not getting aJOB.It is doing things online, using video and/or audio. Just like your job search, it will take longer than you think. You have to remember this will be a marathon and not a sprint. Are you ready to stop chasing millennial job opportunities? Marc Miller Like what you just read? Share it with your friends using the buttons above. Like What You Read? Get Career Pivot Insights! Check out the Repurpose Your Career Podcast Do You Need Help With ...