Let's See What the "Grey Hair" Thinks!

“Let’s see what the ‘Grey Hair’ thinks!” As the young lady said this, all four sets of eyes in the conversation turned and looked at me.?

“Remove the first two roles on your resume. They make you appear old.”

?

These both are quotes I’ve heard in the last few weeks. Since this is a professional networking site, I’ll focus on the coaching I received on my resume first. I know that I’m certainly not the only person in this…predicament. It’s common, and it’s been happening for as many years as I’ve been working – and it started well before that. There seems to be an undefined line of demarcation in people’s careers when their years of experience start to become a liability rather than an asset.?

However, I can certainly attest to the “old” adage that “the older I get, the smarter my father was.” And now, quite honestly, the more experience I gain, the more I realize how truly wise my first boss was.

When did experience become a bad thing?

Seriously. A job-search coach is advising me to remove the first professional job I had from my resume. Yeah, I'm referring to the job with that first (of many) wise boss. I started that first job in 1997 (that’s a few years prior to the turn of the Century for some of you young folk!). I learned so much in that role! I worked for a boutique consulting firm that did the same level of work, as I’d find out later, that the “Big 6” did at the time. I started with the firm when I was finishing my Bachelor’s Degree. I later worked my way through business school taking evening and weekend classes to earn my MBA. When I started, way back before the turn of the Century!, it was my job to empty trashes, keep the restroom clean and assemble client binders. From there, I worked my way up to being an Associate Consultant, and traveled our great country doing a lot of the “grunt” work in support of our top-end consultants. I traveled alongside a few different "Grey Hairs," I listened, I observed and I learned. Eventually I became responsible for working my own clientele. I sold “billable days,” and became a profit center ("Billable Consultant") for the firm. I grew tremendously and “earned my chops” in that business. And apparently, I’m supposed to remove that role from my resume because it makes me appear “old” to potential employers? (I think the ‘kids’ today would input an eye-roll emoji here).

Back now to those seeking this “Grey Hair’s” opinion.

I’ve loved the game of soccer my entire life. It is at the same time the most basic (don't use your hands and try to put the ball in that net over there) and the most complex chess-like sport there is. I played, quite competitively, for most of the first three decades or so I spent on this planet. And when I married and started having children, I focused on my kids of course. I’ve volunteered my time through AYSO (the American Youth Soccer Organization) for more than 15 years. I’ve been a coach, a referee and a Board Member for our local region. Over the past few years, I’ve been focusing on advancing my skills and knowledge as a referee, and I’ve been fortunate to have been trained, mentored, advised, evaluated and officially "Certified" by many other knowledgeable and dedicated volunteer referees. I’m certainly not perfect, but I’m very confident in my ability to manage and call a game effectively – at any level. Earlier this year I earned my “Advanced” certification. According to AYSO statistics, that puts me in the top 2 to 3% of all referees in the United States. I’m now one of a few “Referee Mentors” in our local region.

What does all of this mean? To me, and others, it apparently means that I have a certain level of credibility related to refereeing soccer games. I slap on my "Advanced" badge (yes, I literally wear a badge on my shirt that says "Advanced"), and sport my grey beard on a very regular basis. So when there was a clarification needed for some of the more junior referees at the fields this past Saturday, they apparently wanted to ask me, the “Grey Hair” for my opinion. The grey hair in my beard seemed to have garnered some credibility. (I think the 'kids’ today would insert a shoulder-shrug emoji here)

One last clarification here - I still have a LOT to learn as a referee. There is one more level above "Advanced" (called "National") that I haven't earned yet. I need to put in more time. I need to do more training. I'll work my way there; and I'll certainly earn more "Grey Hair" along the way.

Now back to business. Why does my “Grey Hair” earn me credibility as a soccer referee, but I need to, apparently, hide it in some way in business and in my current job search? These two things seem incredibly incongruent to me.

I have not just “been around the block.” I have literally been around the world as a Learning & Organizational Development leader. I’ve facilitated sessions on 6 different continents. And when penguins are in need of an OD intervention, I’ll be first in line to head to Antarctica as well. These grey hairs in my beard have been earned. The next company that dares to hire me will get an experienced, capable, dedicated, mature leader. And they'll also get a hungry leader that still has a lot to learn, is humble, and is looking to further advance. Yes, I still have plenty to learn. Yes, I still seek the counsel of others. Just like I do as a soccer referee. But you can bet that I also know how to handle myself, quite well, whether I’m the Center Referee for a competitive U19 Playoff Match, or I’m running your Organizational Development function.

So I think that I’ll keep my resume in tact. I would encourage others to do the same. I’m proud of the 7+ years I spent at that boutique consulting firm. And as I write I realize also that I was there during the faux-crisis that never was called "Y2K" (kids, ask your parents about that non-issue). And I was also a traveling consultant when "9-11" (September 11, 2001) genuinely did change our lives forever. I learned a great amount. I emptied trash and I cleaned the bathroom in the office. I also worked my way up to manage clients and run my own book-of-business. And, I’ve since been around the world, I've earned many stamps in my passport book, I've seen a lot of things and confronted more and more. My career spans more than 25 years, and I have many more to go. I've earned every grey hair I have, and I have many more still to earn.

To my fellow "Grey Hairs" out there, let's keep rooting for and supporting each other. Women and men, and individuals of all ilks, if you've got any shred of earned grey hairs, then you're my people! "Grey Hairs" unite!

If you’re looking for a “Grey Haired” OD Leader, someone with the right level of experience and a whole lot of passion and energy left, then I’ll be the “needle in the haystack” that you’ve been looking for.

Let’s talk!

PS - a big THANK YOU ("huuuge shout out" as the young whipper-snappers would say) to those that helped me become the "Advanced" Referee I am today:

Matt Richins Chris Becker Al Prado Brian Caporrimo (Just to name a few of many)

And an even bigger THANK YOU to the leaders that have helped coach and mentor me (and give me some extra grey hairs) in my professional life:

Kevin McAndrews Christopher Gruttadauria Chris Walker Sam Aborne (He-His-Ally) Tracy (Trace) Wagner Bill Hawkins and far too many more to mention.