There is a lot of conversation today about Baby Boomers retiring from the workforce, and an equal amount of coverage surrounding how to best work with your youngest team members – Millennials and Generation Z. But it would be a huge mistake to forget about Generation X, especially when recruiting education talent, considering everything they can bring to the table.
Enjoy!
Vincent Scaramuzzo
Supporting the Middle Child Generation
Baby Boomers are swiftly exiting the workforce. Millennials are quickly moving forward in their careers. And Generation Z is nipping at the heels of their older work siblings. But where is the lost middle child of Generation X?
Generation X is the smallest generation in the workforce today. They have also been coined the most resilient. They cemented careers before computers became ubiquitous in offices and classrooms. They lived through the emergence of the internet and cell phones. Generation X is the original group of early adopters of new technology as we know it today.
There has been so much talk of bridging generational divides between retiring Baby Boomers and rising up Millennials, that Generation X has become the most overlooked and underestimated employee group. They have been stuck in mid-level positions and bear the brunt of the work as their older colleagues leave and younger colleagues get up to speed.
Generation X’s middle child syndrome is now showing up in the data. Reports show that significantly fewer people in this age bracket, 66% in one study, have been promoted once or not at all in comparison to Baby Boomers and Millennials. While they are sandwiched between two groups with larger populations, it seems they are being forgotten when it comes to career advancement.
As a result of being passed up for promotions, 40% of Generation X respondents have said that they are thinking of leaving their company – or even their entire industry – just so they can advance their careers – and education search firms are helping them. This is causing retention issues and a loss of institutional knowledge as companies are continuing to struggle with retirements and younger talent that is still gaining experience.
It is time for organizations to see the value that this group of talented employees can offer to help bridge the knowledge and skills gap between those exiting the workforce and those preparing to move up the career ladder. Not doing so will increase difficulties in retaining great, loyal talent – and threaten product quality.
When it comes to filling vacancies, especially ones at upper levels, take a look at your existing team, especially those forgotten middle children. You may find that you have been overlooking great talent that is ready to move into more challenging and fulfilling roles.
Have you noticed the amount of applicants applying to your postings decreasing? Has a candidate decided not to relocate at the last minute? The competition for exceptional talent is at a fever pitch right now. If your interview funnel has been less than satisfactory and your pool of qualified talent is drying up I invite you to a complimentary consultation on how to attract great talent on a consistent basis AND how to procure them so you don’t lose them to competing offers. Reply to this email to schedule. I promise that in our call together you will leave with 2 or 3 ideas that will greatly impact your ability to find, attract, and procure the top 10-15% of the candidate pool on a consistent basis.
Vincent Scaramuzzo is the President of Ed-Exec, Inc. A leading Education Executive Search Firm. He is also a contributing author to various education publications. As a specialist in the education field for over a decade, Scaramuzzo works nationally. He can be contacted at vincent@ed-exec.com 860-781-7641.
*Not all articles are original works of Vincent Scaramuzzo or Ed-Exec, Inc.*