Being the “new kid on the block” is hard enough for new college graduates who are starting their first jobs.
But it’s even harder for mature workers, many of whom have taken lower-ranking jobs than they previously had because of the difficulty in finding employment.
Increasingly, I’ve been hearing from older workers who, while happy to have a job, are fairly uncomfortable about starting a new one–especially those who had been in their previous jobs for many years and are new at starting over.
These mature workers want to know how to work with managers and colleagues who may be much younger than they are, how to avoid being seen as bossy or a know-it-all and how to allay fears that they simply may not be up to speed.
“It’s a challenging situation and I’ve been through it myself,” said Lyndy Nierman, head of the executive coaching and career development practice of Scherer Schneider Paulick, a career coaching firm based in Chicago. It has five branch offices.
Nierman, who has been in her present job since 2002, has been in human resources since 1978. And she distinctly remembers being the “new kid” in 1993.
“I had my own business and merged with another firm,” the career coach said. “It was challenging because I was now an employee, the only woman at my level–I came in as a senior manager– the only single person, and I was much older than most of the others. And what’s more, it was a totally different culture.”
Nierman says she was well aware of the situation and knew that first she had to establish rapport with her own manager.
“I’m a flexible person and just went along with the flow,” she said. “I created a strong alignment with my immediate supervisor by setting up regular meetings to establish clear goals and to understand his expectations. He was younger, but a peer and very knowledgeable.”
Eliminating the fear of colleagues that she might feel superior to them was another challenge. “There were a lot of different people for me to get to know and to get to know me,” said Nierman. “So I made lunch dates and meetings to make sure they knew I wasn’t there to be a threat to them but to make the organization successful. And to let them know I was on their side.”
It took at least six months to a year for her approach to work, but it did.
“I was made a partner, which required buy-in from the other partners,” she said. “And that meant I was no longer the new kid on the block.”
Raymond J. Sonoff, president of Sonoff Consulting Services Inc., based in Darien, Conn., has a basic approach to the problem many mature workers now face.
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“Tell yourself that age is not an issue,” advised Sonoff, who consults with corporations and individuals about productivity. He has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering.
And here’s what he suggests doing next: “Come in with an inquisitive attitude. Don’t hesitate to ask questions–and listen to the answers. The more you ask, the more you learn and the more you are accepted.”
Have a plan going in. “Make a checklist of tasks and get them done,” he said. “If you don’t have the canvas, you don’t have the picture. Be helpful. Don’t always figure you have the better way to get things done. Don’t preach.”
And remember, he added, “actions speak louder than words.”
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Carol Kleiman’s columns also appear in Monday’s and Tuesday’s Business sections. Hear her on WBBM-AM 780 at 6:21 p.m. and 10:22 p.m. Mondays and 11:20 a.m. Saturdays. Watch her “Career Coach” segments on CLTV. E-mail [email protected].