Generation Integration: Roberta Matuson Unites Boomers, X-ers and Millennials in the Workplace

Summer Jobs

It looks like this year summer jobs will be even harder to come by for young people. Maybe someone should have told this to the young clerk at General Cleaners in Easthampton, MA.

I went in to pick up my dry cleaning today only to find that the pants that go with my suit are no where to be found. In an effort to track down my pants, I asked him a few questions. He then told me my bitc***" attitude wasn't going to make my pants appear. Oh really?

This type of "service" isn't going to add any revenue to this company's bottom line. In fact, I'm taking my business elsewhere. 

There are tons of people waiting to take this guy's job. He doesn't know it yet, but I suspect by next week he will get the message loud and clear, as I've just sent a note to the owner regarding my experience.

So here's my advice to those young people who have jobs. This isn't the time to diss your customers. Do what they ask and do so with a smile. And for those young people who are looking for work. Stay the course. Go back to the places you applied to every few weeks. I suspect there are more people out there, like this guy, whose job will be opening up shortly.

Are You Sabatoging Your Employees?

On the way home from Houston on Saturday we had a short layover in Cleveland. Given the fact that there was only one "fast food" place in the terminal, we had no choice but to enter the long line for Pizza Hut. After a long wait, we finally arrived at the front of the line only to find there was no food ready to be served. The restaurant was out of cheese pizzas and bread sticks. Now tell me how a restaurant that only serves pizza can be out of cheese pizza. My 9-year old was even able to figure out they could have taken off the pepperoni prior to heating the pizzas so they could serve cheese pizza.

It was obvious that the young staff was quite willing to accept the status quo and could care less that hungry travelers with young kids in tow would leave disappointed. Normally I would blame the organization for hiring people who were a bad fit from the get go. But I suspect this group started out with a lot of enthusiasm and things went down hill when day after day they had to tell customers they were out of food.

Is this really any way to run a business?

What are Soon-to-be Grads Waiting For?

With all the doom and gloom in the headlines you'd think there would be a line wrapped around the college placement office with soon-to-be grads. Not so, according to the director of college placement for a major university. I asked her if parents were calling to ask what the placement office was going to do for their off-spring. Nope!

So here's what I'm thinking. Parents believe their children are diligently looking for work as graduation nears. Yup, just like they are back in their dorms by 10 PM every night...alone. And the kids believe that they'll easily find a job after they come back from Europe this summer, just like their friends, who graduated last year. You know the ones who have recently boomeranged back home after losing their jobs.

This is your wake-up call. If you haven't stumbled into the placement office this year then put your running shoes on and get your tush in there. It's very unlikely that you are going to find a job hanging out in your dorm room nor will there be a huge rush of openings come this summer. You've got a lot of catching up to do, so don't delay.

Now this part of the message is for the parents. Don't assume your children know how to find work. Nor should you assume the placement office will be able to place your child, particularly if they've never met him or her. It's going to take a village to get your kid employed this year. So do what you can to help them now, before it's too late.

College Grads Feel Like Dead Man Walking

Yesterday, I was contacted by CareerDiva, Eve Tahmincioglu, who is among many things a career columnist for MSNBC.com. Seems she had an intern, Katherine, who needed another perspective on how her story might end, (or begin, depending on how you look at things).

Her posting titled, College Grads Feel Like Dead Man Walking describes exactly what many other soon-to-be college graduates must be thinking. I suggest you share this with people you know who may have some of the the same questions.

I don't have a mirror ball, but I suspect this young lady will do fine in life. She is gathering information from experts, leveraging her boss's network and weighing all of her options before making any long-term commitments. Plus she is a great writer! (Must have learned a lot from her boss.) 

If you have a job for a young person like this, let me know and I'll be happy to personally introduce you to Katherine. Don't wait too long. I suspect that even in this economy, she won't be on the market very long.

Hiring Outlook Bleak for This Year's College Grads

Seniors graduating this year will get diplomas, but they may not get jobs. This just in from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), a professional group that forecasts trends in the job market. According to a recently released study by NACE, employers expect to hire 22 percent fewer graduates than they hired in 2008. Click here to read Workforce Magazine.

So here's my advice to those who are graduating in 2009:

Keep things in perspective. We've been through recessions before and eventually this too shall pass. In the mean time, if you have an opportunity to continue your education then do so. Maybe by the time you finish grad school the employment outlook will have improved. 

Take what we used to call an entry-level job if it's offered to you. You will have an opportunity to see how a company runs from the bottom. Not a bad thing if you plan on running your own company one day.

Don't even think about asking where your office will be located. Smile and say thank you when you are escorted to your cube.

Be open to adjusting your social schedule. Yes, your friends may have been able to leave the office in time to make yoga class but that was last year. This year they may be teaching the yoga class. Stay at work until you've exceeded your bosses expectations. This will help to ensure you have a job tomorrow.

Lastly, if you haven't had a chance to introduce yourself to the people in the career placement office yet then run (notice how I didn't say walk) across campus to do so. The people who will get the most help are the people who they know.

Yes, hiring will be down significantly but this doesn't mean every college grad will leave school without a job. Quite the contrary.

Helicopter Parents Hovering More Than Ever

It seems like the helicopter parents (those parents who hover over their child's every move) are staying closer to their offspring than ever before. Concerns regarding the economy are turning parents into career counselors. Is this really a wise move?

The last thing kids need to hear are their parents harping on them to find work. It's scary enough out there when you graduate from college and you begin your life with a mound of debt. Now you've got mom and dad asking you daily (yes, including weekends) what you are doing to find work.

Parents, do yourself a favor. Give your kids some breathing room. Be supportive, but for goodness sake, stop hovering. Instead, give them the resources they need to find work. This may include a trip to the mall to buy an interview suit (yes, suits are still a requirement when searching for work), a few months free rent at home or an introduction to a job search mentor Job Search Mentor Program .

Yes, we know how difficult it was for you to find work when you graduated from college, but these times are unprecedented. Focus on nurturing your child and allowing them to spread their wings while someone else guides them through these turbulent times.