Can we learn anything from members of different generations when it comes to job search? Consider the following things Millenials (born between the late 1970s and early 2000â€s) do that all job seekers should do:

Use social networking to connect and extend your network. While some criticize Gen Y for sacrificing in-person conversations and preferring to communicate via text messages and Facebook, everyone could learn something from this generationâ€s ability to extend their networks via online tools. Donâ€t underestimate the importance of your digital footprint – what people can find out about you online.

Collaborate. Gen Y is known for their interest in interaction, collaboration, and connectivity. Other generations can gain a lot if they embrace the interconnectedness that extends networking beyond lip service to actual engagement.

Demonstrate flexibility and multitask effectively. Most people would agree that gen Y-ers are some of the most agile and lithe workers.

Be creative and innovative. In Forbes, Jenna Goudreau quoted Amy Lynch, co-author of The M-Factor: How the Millennial Generation is Rocking the Workplace, as saying, “Millennials are not locked into limited, linear patterns of thinking about industry issues or challenges.”

Seek more than just a paycheck. Goudreauâ€s Forbes post also quotes Paul Alofs, author of Passion Capital. He said, “An employeeâ€s passion is the companyâ€s best resource. When peopleâ€s jobs are aligned with what they care about, they put in the extra effort, and it flows straight to the bottom line.”

Get experience where you can. Gen Y-ers actively participate in internships, volunteer work, online learning, and embrace leadership opportunities large and small. If youâ€re having a hard time landing a job, think about what you might be able to do to

Move on. Dan Schawbel, Managing Partner of Millennial Branding, notes that his companyâ€s studies show that Millennials leave their corporations at the two-year mark. While pundits pin  this tendency to a lack of loyalty on the part of Gen Y workers, thereâ€s another angle to this often-cited statistic. How many experienced workers stay in their jobs beyond the time when they are learning, growing, and enjoying the jobs?

Consider owning a business. Millennial Branding found th number of 18 to 29-year-olds in the process of setting up their own companies increased by 50% in the last year alone. In the future, more and more professionals will need to be able to market themselves as independent contractors or business owners. Gen X and Baby Boomers should begin to think about how they can succeed as entrepreneurs.

Read the rest on my column at U.S. News & World Reports.

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Based on these results, it might be easy for readers to interpret younger workers’ attitudes as egotistical and self-important.

Is this a recipe for conflict in the workplace? It could be. A recent Time article reports there are approximately 80 million Millennials, between 44 and 50 million Generation Xers (those born between 1965 and 1980), and 76 million baby boomers (people born between 1946 and 1964). Also, “Approximately 10,000 Millennials turn 21 every day in America, and by the year 2025, three out of every four workers globally will be Gen Y.”

So, can we all get along at work? Charles Purdy, senior editor for Monster Worldwide has studied inter-generational conflicts and thinks it’s possible to leverage Gen Y workers’ attitudes for positive results. He suggests the following to careerists who are working with the youngest members of the workforce:

1. Create a transparent work environment. Purdy explains, “Information builds trust, community, and a shared feeling of purpose.” Retaining these workers requires engaging them. “Gen Y feels engaged when they know why. When appropriate, make data available for all employees to see. When people know the score, they feel trusted.”

Purdy quotes Brad Karsh, president of the workplace training company JB Training Solutions, when he says: “Millennials have been taught to ask ‘Why?’ So we will give them an assignment that maybe isn’t the most glamorous assignment in the world. We’ll say, ‘Go pull numbers for the spreadsheet,’ and they will say, ‘Why?’ Now older generations, when they hear that,they think, ‘How dare you? I am your boss. Because I said so.’ The reason Millennials are asking that is they legitimately want to know ‘Why?'”

2. Turn away from a time clock evaluation calendar and take the focus off of hierarchical structures. Instead, create a motivating environment where performance is related to concrete goals and projects. Purdy notes, “Millennials don’t go about their work in ways that are intended to get them to the next rung of the corporate ladder or win them favor with their bosses. They prefer to get involved in projects and initiatives that fascinate them, that they consider worthwhile, and that they see as useful to the world at large.”

3. Recognize star performers publicly, and tie their great performance to the success of the organization.

4. Teach them.

5. Ask frequent questions and wear authority lightly.

6. Invite interaction with members at all levels of the organizations.

7. Offer opportunities for Gen Y workers to start making decisions immediately.

8. Give them some attention.

9. Emphasize long-term rewards, and set an example.

10. Use social media as a way to sell your company as an awesome place to work.

Read the whole post on my U.S. News & World Report column

photo by mo pie

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In a digital age, having nothing listed in Google is the equivalent of wearing an invisibility cloak; that may work for Harry Potter, but it doesn’t do anything to help a job-seeker whose main priority is being found.

It may surprise candidates who make a habit of protecting their online privacy stringently to know that a Google search fails to reveal results. Someone who wants to learn about a candidate and finds no obvious results may be inclined to use search tools that offer access to the “deep Web,”or “invisible Web.” Pipl.com—a site that provides such access, explains, “The term ‘deep web’ refers to a vast repository of underlying content, such as documents in online databases that general-purpose web crawlers cannot reach. The deep web content is estimated at 500 times that of the surface web, yet has remained mostly untapped due to the limitations of traditional search engines.”

There are two types of information available online: data posted by a candidate, and things someone else posts about him or her. Think of the former as a “digital footprint” and the latter as a “digital shadow.” Don’t let a shadow dictate what employers will find out. Why? Because it gives control to someone else, which can be dangerous.

For example, Patrick Ambron, the chief executive officer and co-founder of BrandYourself.com, shared a story about Cody, who was applying to law schools without success. A Google search of his name revealed a post created by an ex-girlfriend that contained embarrassing, unflattering comments. Since Cody didn’t have other information online to combat one person’s vendetta against him, admissions officers were left with questions about his character.

Even if a job-seeker has no enemies, it does not prevent an unflattering digital shadow from clouding his candidacy. It’s not uncommon to share a name with other people. When this happens online, it is known as a “digital doppelganger.” Some people find themselves unwittingly implicated by unflattering accounts about their doppelgangers.

For example, one highly qualified job-seeker received no replies to his applications. After consulting with an online-savvy friend who suggested he Google his own name, the job-seeker found out that his digital doppelganger was charged with murder. Any prospective hiring manager could find this information, but nothing about the job-seeker. It wasn’t until he created a social resume using HisName.com and filling in his own professional information that he began to land interviews. Upon greeting him, the job-seeker’s first interviewer said, “So, I guess you’re not the murderer.”

So what can someone do to regain control of an unflattering or nonexistent online identity? Ambron suggests these five steps:

1. Google yourself. This is crucial, because it’s impossible to know what could negatively affect your reputation. Ambron explains, “Most people find that the top search results for their name fall into three categories: negative, irrelevant, and ‘Hey, that’s not me.'” All three of these results can damage someone’s reputation.

2. Claim your domain name and build a personal website.

3. Set up profiles on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. 

4. Do some basic search engine optimization.

5. Sign up for alerts.

Read the whole post on my U.S. News & World Report column

photo by cjsimmons

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Here are five tips to help you identify how to appeal to your targeted employers:

1.  Study organizations†websites. Companies spend a lot of time, effort, and money compiling their public relations profiles for visitors. Look for repeated words and phrases, tag lines and hints about their philosophical approaches. Some employers include videos or testimonials from employees to illustrate their corporate culture.

What can you learn?

Is the company leadership focused? Team oriented? Do they value diversity? Is community service important? What are their goals? Do they specify problems they solve? What buzzwords appear multiple times on the sites? Studying their official online presence offers a window for you to determine a) if the job is a good fit and b) how to market yourself for the position.

Read the rest on my weekly blog on U.S. News & World Reportâ€s Careers site…

How to target your resume for an employer

photo by Eileen Sand

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