Slackers Attack Here Are Strategies For Twentysomethings Competing For Jobs With Baby Boomers

“Slackers,” for those of you who don’t know, is the pejorative sobriquet for twentysomethings who have been pouring into the workplace. According to the stereotype, these Generation Xers lack the drive and ambition that it takes to succeed. They’re strictly 9-to-5ers who split right from the office to the brew pub or the couch in front of the TV set.

But, it turns out that these so-called slackers may be misdiagnosed. According to a recent Roper Starch Worldwide survey on retirement attitudes, it seems that twentysomethings may be more mindful about saving than the Baby Boomers, who are pointing the finger at them. And in other ways, people in their 20s may be more suited for today’s career realities than others.

“We’ve seen our parents put in 80-hour weeks, hit middle age, get laid off and divorced,” Bradley G. Richardson, the twentysomething author of “Jobsmarts for Twentysomethings (Vintage Books, 1995),” told The Wall Street Journal recently. “We’ve seen what blind loyalty can do.”

Richardson himself was just a college kid with no drive and mediocre grades when his father’s company went bankrupt. Those unfortunate circumstances forced him into debt and a reality check. He got a good job in the high-tech industry upon graduation, but after writing his book quit in 1995 to form his own consulting firm in Plano, Texas.

That’s one of the new maxims of success in the ‘9Os: You can’t be afraid to quit and try something totally new.

Here, Richardson describes some other success strategies.

Just do it.

The workplace has changed a great deal, and companies are no longer going to come to you. Campus recruiting is way down, and you have to be a lot more creative about finding a job.

One of Richardson’s favorite quotes is: “Whatever you want to do, or dream you can, begin it.” Just shut up and do it. That’s great initial advice for anyone.

Get a life.

Richardson grew up in west Texas, where he had these really corny high school coaches who were always saying, “You’ve got to set some goals, son.” But it’s really true. When you tell someone what you want to do, you can be held accountable. You’re either going to do it or you’re going to look stupid.

Writing things out is also great. One day when he was working in high-tech, he was thinking about where he wanted to be and how he wasn’t there yet.

He pulled out a piece of paper and started brainstorming on everything he wanted to do - no matter how unrealistic.

Now he looks at that list about once a year - there are things on it like “I want to own a beach house” and “I want to own a company someday” - and about half of them have already happened.

Network, network, network.

Almost 80 percent of all jobs are found through some kind of connection or relationship. A lot of young people think networking means being some cheesy insurance or car salesman, or using your friends to be political.

That’s not it. People hire people they know and trust, pure and simple. A lot of it is simply making your goals, needs, wants and options available to people.

Richardson has read about someone in a newspaper, then called and done business with him just by saying he saw the story.

Never underestimate who your friends, your parents or your parents’ friends may know, and always treat secretaries and assistants like gold. They’re often your best way into a company.

Treat finding a job like a full-time job.

Sending out 500 resumes and waiting for the phone to ring is not a job search. Employers don’t know you; it’s up to you to make yourself known. Set up your house as an office, setting specific times to write letters, make follow-up calls and be available.

It sounds corny, but it creates a mindset. Don’t sit around in your boxers and baseball cap making business calls. Treat it like a job.

Read the trades, surf the Net.

If you want to be a professional, start thinking, acting and reading like a professional right now - before you get there. If you’re trying to get a job with Reebok, don’t wait until you get the job before you start checking out the footwear industry, learning which athletes are endorsing which shoes and reading the trade journals.

Most articles and stories quote executives. Learn who they are, then contact them. Surf the Net. There is so much information available on the Internet about companies now that there is no excuse not to do your homework before an interview.

Find some soulmates.

It’s healthy to have some people who know what you’re going through and can identify with and support you. When you come back from a great interview, they can be happy for you, and when you’re dejected and have had some doors slammed in your face, they can pick you up.

Tangible results are what counts.

What speaks to employers in virtually any business is tangible results in numbers and figures. If you waited tables to work your way through school, did you train new staff members? That’s a leadership skill you can take to employers.

If you’ve worked in retail before, don’t just put “Sales Associate - Gap,” say “Sales Associate - increased sales X percent; in charge of $X worth of stock.” Employers are not interested just in what you’ve done, but how you’ve done it.

Ask some questions during interviews

The worst thing you can do when an interviewer asks if you have any questions is say: “No, I think you covered everything.” Always have questions, and ask them even if you know the answers.

Sometimes you’ll have to interview with several people at the same company, but if you ask every person the same questions, you’ll get different responses and a better idea about the job. You’ll also be showing your interest.

Keep learning

The best thing you should have learned from college is how to learn. For instance, someone 55 years old who runs a company probably started when there were no computers in the workplace, but he or she has survived by adapting. That’s the modern work environment.

It’s not just your formal education; it’s on-the-job training and life training. Learn a new language, learn a new skill - that’s how you grow and make yourself marketable.

Try anything

Recent grads always worry and say, “Oh no, I don’t know what I want to do!” But that’s OK. Not everyone does right away.

But while you’re figuring it out, you can find out what you don’t want. It’s a process of elimination.

Informational interviews can be great

Don’t limit your interviewing to places where there is a specific job opening. Keep a file, and anytime you read about someone and think, “That sounds like a neat job,” make a note of it and give that person a call. Make an appointment for an “informational interview,” and find out what a person likes most about his or her job, what he or she likes least, and how he or she got started.

The more you know about everything out there, the easier it will eventually be to make your choice.

MEMO: From the book “The Practical Guide to Practically Everything” by Peter Bernstein and Christopher Ma. Reprinted with permission of Random House Inc.