Air head chicky poos

“You are tech savvy, a blue-chip experienced software and network support guru plus a veteran sales exec who has sold over a billion dollars worth of product over the phone. You apply for a job that only requires a high school degree and “some sales experience preferred.” After learning about the job you realize it’s so easy it will be like shooting fish in a barrel. Your competition mostly consists of kids who might have a semester or two of community college at best and were in middle school on 9-11. You are the highest rated producer in your last two jobs — with years of high end sales success — in the entire company and most of your competition maybe worked a year or two at Verizon or AT&T customer service. You ace the phone interview and are given praise, you then score a 100 on the preemployment test. They call back all smiles and happy faces; it’s clear they want you. You know and they know they would be lucky to get someone like you. All that stands between you and employment is merely a formality, a face to face interview to make sure you’re legal to work in the US and a simple criminal background check. “But then you walk into the interview and the person conducting it is another 24-year-old kid…” Continue reading here...

I can certainly sympathize with this author. When I first graduated college 27 years ago, the term “manager” conveyed something completely different from what it does today. From me, that title generally evoked a good deal of respect. Based on what I observed, in order to be a successful manager one was required to have done the relevant work for a large span of time. One had to work their way up to that title, and someone who had indeed worked their way up to a “manager” more often than not had their act together, knew their stuff, and did a good job. Today, the qualifications to be a manager (and a hiring manager, in particular) are (1) to be under the age of 30, and (2) to have a hot supermodel-type photo on your StinkedIn profile. And that’s pretty much it.

And I am completely baffled by this phenomenon.

Comment from an Ask the Headhunter blog post. This old woman shares this man’s observations and frustration...

Here is the link to the Buzzfeed article mentioned in the screenshot above. 

Recalling the “hiring managers” I have encountered in applying for jobs these past few years, I see the exact same pattern as the Buzzfeed lineup. They were always “pretty young girls.” During every interaction I’d have with one of these twentysomething twits, they would prove themselves true to the stereotype…clueless, inept, unprofessional, useless. One girl was so inexperienced she didn’t even know she was supposed to shake my hand and say good-bye to me after the “interview."  Another kept me waiting for 30 minutes before emailing me she couldn’t make our scheduled telephone interview, and then she could not even be bothered to acknowledge receiving my email with a file attachment as a follow-up to said interview. (I use the word “interview” loosely as I question now whether these jobs were even real, but that’s a post for another day). I was fully prepared to share screenshots of these twentydumbthings' StinkedIn profile pictures here, but decided at the last minute to abstain from doing so, as that might be seen as “petty.” I have already called out their companies in my other blog.

From the comments section of Ask the Headhunter (PBS edition)...

My big question is, what kind of screwed-up company puts an inexperienced 24-year-old kid in charge of their business???? I certainly did not have the necessary skills to be a “marketing manager” at 24, and I sure as hell would not put my trust in any company who would bestow the title of “marketing manager” on a 24-year-old kid.

Unfortunately, I don’t see this trend reversing. The success of one “genius” kid named Mark Zuckerberg has rendered worthless anyone over the age of 30. So, good luck to all my fellow Gen Xers (and to the remaining Baby Boomers, too) on your next job interview with the 24-year-old “air head chicky poo.” I myself have made a personal vow to NEVER waste my time with an “air head chicky poo” ever again. 

From the comments section of an article in the National Journal. Where do we sign up for lessons?