A Baby Boomer's Perspective on Interviewing Millennials

I’m a baby boomer who recruits for a living. I speak to people from all walks of life on a daily basis, many of them being millennials.  One of the hottest topics out there right now is the subject of generational differences in the workplace.  As discussed in a previous Hobson blog, chances are, you currently work with or have managed employees from each generation. In order to have a successful organization and increase your profits, you must deal differently with each demographic.

According to an article by Medium.com “with Millennials being the largest generation in America with over 75.4 million according to Pew Research Center and surpassing Baby Boomers with roughly 74.9 million, we need to find effective ways to bypass these differences in the workplace.”

One of the most common and challenging examples of this is when these different generations cross paths in the job interviewing process. Here are some tips for millennials, when being interviewed by a baby boomer:

Don’t assume that all Boomers are technologically “unsavvy”.

Sure, we boomers weren’t born with a smartphone in our hand and didn’t grow up playing video games, but we have learned the skills needed to do our jobs and hold leadership roles in organizations.

Not everyone that is older may be as quick to pick up new technologies, but don’t forget that it is very likely that a Boomer invented or invested in the digital device you are currently holding in your hand.

Also, don’t forget the wisdom and experience that older generations bring to the newer generations of workers. A diverse mix is what will lead any team to success.

Boomers value verbal communication

Peter Du, a communications professional, wrote an article called “This is Why Millennials Find Making Phone Calls So Terrifying,” and explains why “telephone apprehension” is a real thing for Millennials. Generation Y has grown up with email, IM, texting, tweeting, and feels the most comfortable communicating via those mediums. Their parents, however, have spent the majority of their lives socializing face-to-face. This puts younger generations at a disadvantage, since they did not gain as much experience learning the nonverbal cues that face-to-face or even voice-to-voice (phone) interactions provide.  So do yourselves a favor and work on your face-to-face skills prior to an interview. It will give you an edge, especially if you’re being interviewed by an older hiring manager.

Boomers value hierarchy and respect

Boomers don’t put an emphasis on rank and hierarchy as much than their predecessors, but still respect the hierarchy of leadership, especially when they can be part of it.

So keep that in mind when interviewing with a Boomer. They have likely worked twenty-five years to get to where they are and feel that their status, title, and experience from paying their dues warrants respect. So give it to them and they’ll be likely to give it back to you!

Don’t TELL a Boomer about something, SHOW them the benefits

Boomers tend not to respond to just a discussion about something. In order to gain our buy-in, we need to understand how something works, why it’s better than what we are using now, and how we can either make money, save money, or gain a competitive advantage from it.

So when you are interviewing with a Boomer, don’t just tell us how wonderful you are, but SHOW us. No matter how high your GPA was or how prestigious your alma mater was, you will still need to demonstrate your strengths and the value that you bring to the table.

Research the company, identify potential problems in their current operations, and show how you can create an effective plan using your skillset and perspective. Back it up with data from your previous successes, and you’ll have one impressed hiring manager on your hands.

We can learn from each other

We all have specific values that we bring to the table and that the others can learn from. So no matter how wide we think generational gaps are in the workplace, they can bring benefits too.

Boomers- mentor your younger generations ... Millennials- show those older than you new technologies and ways of thinking/doing things. And the most importantly- let’s listen to each other.

Please note that what I mentioned above are generalities, and are based on my current experiences. In no way do I mean to stereotype anyone. I just hope that this blog can help people of all ages navigate the intergenerational corporate terrain!