3 Ways Older Workers Can Stay Competitive In Todays Career Culture

3 Ways Older Workers Can Stay Competitive In Todays Career Culture In this high-tech and ever-changing age, it often makes sense for employers to value the flexibility, energy, and digital know-how that comes with youth. But discriminating against older applicants isnt just illegal its also ill-advised. Hospitality heavyweight and Airbnb adviser Chip Conleyexplores this topic in his upcoming book scheduled for release in September, published by Currencyand entitled WISDOM WORK. Conley uses his book to celebrate the herunterkommen Elder, a new aspirational model for boomers looking to carve out a space in todays career landscape. For older employees seeking new opportunities and a way to share their talents and knowledge in a work environment, Conley recommends 3 courses of action to keep this generation of workers fully competitive in the job market.1.Modern elders generally possess higher emotional-intelligence quotients than their younger counterparts, and they should use them to t heir advantage.Knowledge of digital processes and advances is an unquestionably important asset for those in the 2018 job market, and its understandable for applicants older than richtung X to feel at a disadvantage here, especially in comparison to the younger generations whove spent their entire lives with tech at their literal fingertips. However, employees whove been in the workforce for decades often have the ability to build a skill set that cant be duplicated by their less-experienced cohorts. One example comes in the cultivation of emotional intelligence (EQ). Conley believes that Modern Elders can use their higher EQ levels to offset their comparative lack of digital intelligence (DQ) and provide valuable insight in a work context. In an interview with Fairygodboss, Conley explained it like thisDigital intelligence (DQ) is on its way to becoming the top skills corporate recruiters seek, and younger workers, being digital natives, have great fluency with not just tech tools, but with where technology is leading us. In terms of Modern Elders, I think the ultimate intergenerational trade agreement is EQ for DQ. Studies have consistently shown the longer youve been on this planet, the mora you understand humans (including yourself). So, emotional intelligence (EQ) is a skill that Modern Elders can share with their younger co-workers, whether its how to read the emotions in a room before leading a meeting or how to be more fluent about your own emotions and intuition.2.Revamp your definition of productivity.A common concern for Modern Elders seeking a foothold in the current professional sphere involves the way in which todays companies (and industries as a whole) measure success. Conley specifically points out the more hours = more value philosophy, in which employers push their subordinates to work for long stretches in order to prove their worth to the companySo much of our thinking about productivity is stuck in an industrial-era model. As in, how many widgets can a worker produce in an eight-hour shift, for the least amount of labor cost, without factoring in the positive spillover effects of the invisible productivity that a dollop of wisdom offers the workplace?Grueling 10-hour shifts may be possible for a 25-year-old, while candidates twice her age will find that expectation unreasonable and, in many cases, impossible. But Conley argues that invisible productivity- which Modern Elders understand more thoroughly than their younger co-workers- contributes more value than pushing for long hours. Theres a growing amount of academic research showing that diverse teams on all levels - including age diversity - operate more effectively and older members of those teams are particularly effective at both team collaboration and individual counseling with team members that helps make them more happy and productive. So, its not just about working more hours. Its also about working more wisely, Conley told Fairygodboss.3. Give modern ment orship a try.In the professional world, mentorship is generally considered a one-way street. A senior employee takes a junior worker under her wing, imparting knowledge and wisdom meant to be absorbed by the young acolyte. Conley, on the other hand, advocates for a different model of mentorship, one that provides concrete benefits for both sides. Honestly, I think mutual mentorship can be a great way to start a relationship - as in, Ill help you with understanding all the new tech tools, if youll help me understand how to become a better junior leader in the organization, Conley advises.When Modern Elders have the opportunity to offer advice to younger colleagues, Conley recommends a personalized approach Ive had dozens of Airbnb employees half my age ask if they can have coffee/tea with me to talk about their career path, a challenge they may be having with their boss or one of their direct reports, or a geschftliches miteinander challenge that needs to fresh wisdom. As the Modern Elder is presented with this opportunity to provide counsel, they should ask themselves, How can I best serve this person? The more performance-oriented the inquiry (Im not meeting my sales numbers, what can I do differently?), the shorter the likely duration of your engagement. But, a development-oriented inquiry (How can I build my emotional intelligence to create a better relationship with all of my direct reports?) will likely be ongoing, so you need to determine whether you have both the skillset and time capacity to take on that relationship. Another way to look at it is to ask yourself, Will I primarily be transferring knowledge (performance-oriented), or facilitating awareness (development-oriented)? Knowledge speaks. Wisdom listens.