Photo Credit: Offbeat Photography @Flickr
They’ve been out of the job market for years.
Parents mean well, but they can give a lot of useless advice to their kids.
Especially when it comes to job searching. If your parents have been at the same place since you were in high school – they most likely haven’t had to actively look for a job in quite some time.
That being said, when they gripe at you about not finding a job – their perspective is referenced from a job market that existed 1o to 15 years ago.
Of course, they’ll bring up anecdotes about that time they were unemployed for a year in 1983 or how they had to look for a job in the bubble of the 1990s – it still won’t compare to your job search.
Why? Because they haven’t had to look for a job now.
Their contacts are in the same boat
If your parents are in the same boat as this guy – their connections may not be as strong as they once were. Since older job seekers entering the market haven’t had to look for a job in ages, they’ve probably become a little lazy and insulated from the necessities of keeping a fresh (and relevant) network.
Despite building up powerful contacts – there’ s no guarantee that your Baby Boomer parents can capitalize on them like they could several years ago.
And, by the time your Mom or Dad hits the job market – their contacts may have dwindled (if not disappeared).
The same places that won’t hire you will hire your parents
Nowadays, employers are taking advantages of the blood fest going on in the job market. Seizing upon the opportunity, they can now doubly trade in on getting cheap experience – even if it means hiring baby boomers to work at a fraction of what they could really make.
So why hire you when cheap labor comes at a better price by hiring an applicant that has twice the experience?