Dear Employers, Ability > Age (Experience)

Before you read I will say this, this is not a story or piece of “how I made it” because it’s not. This is a piece on how so many are just seeking for that chance to blow an employers’ mind and show them I’ll go above and beyond the scope of the position that needs to be filled. This is a piece expressing the struggle of the job search, conveying the frustration of hearing no (a lot), articulating the mindset through it all, and ultimately is a self-encouragement piece as you continue to find the strength to continue your search while admonishing employers to not be so narrow-minded on who to hire.

Success requires lots of work (or a great timed strike). Maintaining / duplicating success is much harder. Seek to maintain, not just to gain. — Troy Sandidge

Dear Employers,

I refuse to settle for anything less and neither should you. Do not confuse “lack of years” as “lack of ability”. It’s quite possible that I do not have 10 or 15 years of experience simply because I have not lived that long to achieve that mark. Yes, you should, in fact, choose the best candidate for your needs. Yes, experience plays a good part in that evaluation. However, do not let that be your “only guide” in navigating through job applicants.

If you had met a Mark Elliot Zuckerberg, a Jack Dorsey, a Steph Curry, a Jewel Burks, a Jennifer Carter Fleiss, and so many others of the same caliber, then it wouldn’t be a question, a hesitation, or any doubt. Who knew these and so many others had the potential, ability, and greatness in them in the beginning? Just pause and think for a moment. To have someone of such caliber in your respected industry, undiscovered, just ready to be that catalyst to take a company or organization to the next level, wouldn’t you want that person on your team? Wouldn’t you give that person the freedom to grow and develop under your banner, with you having the ability to cultivate them without changing their direction of being the next game changer? Everybody uses the Michael Jordan and North Carolina coach story, but there are so many others where many turned them down and/or said he or she wouldn’t achieve much, to only discover later on that they would have to eat those words and regret their lack of vision evaluating them from now on. I’m sure those who said they were no good, would go back and change their decision if they “had only known”. Here’s the thing, you will not know off the cuff. In most cases, you won’t get an audible voice telling you otherwise. What I am saying is, don’t discredit the ability of the applicant applying. Sometimes different and unique is the way to go.

Not trying to get personal but…

I was an engineer turned marketer. I have a great deal of experience in videography and video editing (since I was 13) and developed an extreme passion for social media marketing, engaging with people, storytelling, and expressing how all of these things together can grow and establish a brand. I have been blessed to have so many opportunities at a young age to grow and develop and learn under so many. Yes, I did work under 3 agencies and did 2 jobs while completing my full-time college degree. Yes, all at the same time. Yes employers, in case you were wondering, those all did count (and should count) under my work experience. Looking back on it, I have no idea how I was able to maintain all of that with a full workload at the same time. Did I mention I was also a commuter student? I didn’t have the luxury of staying on campus because college is expensive and even though with my scholarship I had worked so hard to get and to maintain during my time there, I recognized I could save money by commuting from home every day. I don’t believe in wasting money and my parents sacrificed so much for me to go college, the least I could do was find ways to save money.

So with that being said, you wonder what I see? I see an extreme workaholic, with great work ethics. One who can manage multiple projects simultaneously. One who is young enough to be developed in any system and who is focused. One who will get the job done no matter what they have to sacrifice to do it because they have the ability to see the “bigger picture” and will put the company first. Let me ask, did you see the same thing I saw? I wonder how many times my resume went down to the first line and recognized I was 24 going on 25, had recently graduated college in 2014, and stopped right there. They didn’t see the things I achieved at a young age and that I’m just getting started. But that’s just my assessment based on “knowing my story”. I think employers should focus on learning their candidates’ story vs just their stat sheet. There could be many who have the stats you want but can’t deliver. For example, you found someone with 10 years’ experience in social media, however, the true essence of “social media in business” is more so 5 to 6 years strong and so 4 of those years don’t count as “active” pushing vs they were just literally on the platform longer than someone else. So they may have more years but not the capability to perform what is necessary out of a social media manager.

To go back to my point about my love for social media and that being where I want to take my career. I did a poll on Twitter, asking would you select someone by their ability or how much experience?

I also did a poll on what the top stereotype on millennials was that would prevent them from being considered for a mid-level position.

Going into the home stretch…

I read this great article from Michaela Alexis, It’s Called a Life, not a Life Sentence! How to Move Forward When You Feel Stuck, and I would like to quote a small section of it:

The stigma surrounding “job hopping” is straight up silly. Yes, of course, there are extreme examples of people that just can’t seem to get it together, but for the most part, “job hopping” is just “career experimenting”…So if the job is making you miserable, stop obsessing over how it may look to recruiters and/or hiring managers. That can’t be your sole deciding factor. When I was laid off, I was only working at my last job for about 4 months. While, yes, it made me self-conscious, I knew that a resume could never fully capture my capabilities anyhow, and focused on proving that I deserved an awesome career. You are just as deserving! — Michaela Alexis | Read Her Full Article By Clicking Here

I am a strong believer that whatever is for you, will be for you. I am also a strong believer that whatever you want in life you do in fact have to work extremely hard for it. Now, this piece is not about a millennial not getting his way. This piece is not about not evaluating experience effectively. This piece is simply about asking recruiters and employers to look at a candidate in more depth. This piece is to encourage those looking for work or better opportunities and that you are not alone in your pursuit. Don’t give up!

And may I add to those looking for work, you just don’t quit when 20 or even 100 applications fall through at various stages. You’re talking to someone who has put in over 1000 applications (in 2 1/2 weeks) and have more emails in my inbox right now (at the time of writing this piece) saying “Your experience is really impressive and we thank you for sharing all of your great achievements with us, but we will be considering others that we feel are a better fit for the role”. I shake it off, assess what I can do better, and keep going. I remind myself that I know what I am capable of and it’s simply a matter of time before someone notices me, and when they do I will work very diligently for them. So keep that mindset. I am human. Reading so many emails with “no” or “not what we are looking for” is not easy and can lower your self-esteem. There will be times where it does get to you. But when those times come, you remind yourself why you are working so hard: a better job can give you that sense of fulfillment, a better job will allow you to take care of your family, a better job (to a certain degree) can lead to a better life. Remember, if things were easy, everyone would do it.The right person or company who was meant to find you will find you. Until then, put in that work. Learn new things to make yourself more versatile for an employer. Believe in yourself. Be patient. And one more thing, keep on applying.

“One of the hardest parts of life is deciding whether to walk away or try harder.”

One more piece of advice, while you’re looking for your “career job” or a better one at that, don’t just sit around doing nothing. Educate yourself more. Do side jobs or take on another position as you keep pursuing what you want.

“The first four and a half years was me in the studio every day, writing songs for other people. I had jobs too — eleven jobs. I worked at Kinko’s, Fatburger, Subway — I was a sandwich artist — and I was a claims processor at Allstate Insurance.” — Frank Ocean

Final thoughts...

And by the way… to all my employers and recruiters reading, experience is experience. Whether it was pre, during, or post-college years, all work experience (in my honest opinion) should count in the evaluation of someone for a position, especially if it’s relevant to where the applicant is doing or pursuing.

A great Twitter colleague of mine, Sonya Magdalene Dunne, weighed in:

I’m not here to give you a “5 Step Piece on Obtaining an Upper Management Level Job as a Millennial”. Although that is a nice title, I am going to be real with you, you just have to keep trying, keep learning, and be patient. I understand the frustration that may come. I understand that companies want the best candidate for the amount of money they can afford or are willing to give to someone. I get both sides of the conversation but I believe you can be whatever you want to be with the right amount of work ethic. I hope, if anything, that this piece allows more constructive talks on the subject to happen.

I don’t do this often so hopefully, this piece doesn’t have too many errors and gets the point across, to you the readers. If you enjoyed it, let me know, maybe I will be inspired to write a lot more. I hope and pray that anyone who reads this discovers where they belong and gets there and I send good vibes to any companies who takes a chance on someone because you may never know how much of an impact they may be to your future success.

Until next time,

T