‘Sunset’ industries exit plan
Generation X needs to think about transition to new jobs
THOSE workers who think they are most secure in their careers may actually be in need of the most help to find a new job.
Generation X staff are on the cusp of taking over from Baby Boomers in senior management roles and need to stand out against other internal and external candidates in the recruitment process.
When in the market for a new job, they increasingly will come in front of hirers who are younger, as Generation Y staff begin to be appointed into management roles.
Other Gen X workers, meanwhile, may be employed in “sunset” industries that may cease to exist between now and when they retire in 20 to 30 years time, so will need to start thinking about how to transition into another industry.
The Career Consultancy director Catherine Cunningham says Generation X staff need more help than they think in securing their career.
Cunningham, author of My Career Rules, Recipes to Crack the Career Code in 21st Century Australia, says they cannot take anything for granted.
“It’s worth sitting down and working out how many more years they are going to work because that can help them make significant decisions,” she says.
“If you have to work until you’re 69, you’re working another 20-plus odd years.
“They are likely to be in line for promotions because Baby Boomers are going to be looking at retiring.
“If they are in a sunset industry, they need to work out how they are going to exit that sunset industry and move across to another industry.”
She says they need to be prepared to be interviewed by people more senior than them, who will value a well-presented cover letter; be unimpressed with grammatical errors in speech such as saying “somethink” or “youse” instead of you; and will be annoyed with fidgeting during an interview.
“It’s too late to make those changes a week out from an interview,” Cunningham says.
“(Gen X workers) should really be doing an audit once a year, so they are ready whenever the opportunity arises.”
However, Gen X staff also need to be mindful managers increasingly will be younger than them and while a well-written cover letter is still important, old rules may no longer apply.
“If you said ‘Yours faithfully’, ‘Dear sir/madam’, it would make you look like a dinosaur,” she says.
They also need to appear relaxed, connect well with younger people, and make a concerted effort they do not fall behind technology, as it is unlikely they will be at the forefront of it.
Career changer Melissa Coppi twice experienced redundancy before deciding tourism offered a sustainable job.
“I felt that it was an industry that was growing and could offer me the opportunities to develop and grow in my career,” she says.