Sandwiched Generations in the Campus Workplace

In this Business Officer article Margo Vanover Porter interviews author Lynne C. Lancaseter about how the recession is impacting the different generations - Boomers, Millennials, Xers, etc. - in their workplaces and careers. There are also interviews with four different campus business officers, discussing how the recession is effecting their staff, careers, and institutions:

Traditionalists are fantastic role models because they've seen it all before. They tend to say, “Be calm. This, too, shall pass.” We can learn useful coping strategies from Traditionalists.

Baby Boomers are very shaken by the recession, because they typically have not saved well for the future. At the same time, Boomers know how to survive and to work their way through challenging times. They still want to come out on top when the economy recovers.

Xers, who are our best innovators, grew up with change so early in their careers that they are good at dealing with it. They experienced the dot-com boom and bust, and they've seen the economy's spikes and lows. They know how to go right on making change and trying new things and exploding old myths and getting rid of the status quo.

For Millennials, this economy is all new. They have seen a robust job market throughout their entire coming of age. They have gone to the mall all their lives and seen “Help wanted. Help wanted. Help wanted.” A Millennial could quit a job at Abercrombie and Fitch on Thursday to take time off to go on a family vacation and go back to the same mall a week later and get a new job at the Gap.

As Job Market Shrinks, so do College Grads’ Grand Plans

Pretty good for a mainstream media report:

For Alesandra LaPointe, who has prepared for life after college by doing two internships and frequenting the career center as though it were Starbucks, it is the best of times. She has a job lined up.

For Chris Moberg, who started his job search in earnest only three months ago, it is the worst of times. He doesn’t have a single job interview scheduled.

After years of plenty, the job market is shrinking. Hiring of new college graduates is expected to drop 22 percent this spring, according to one survey. The most prepared graduates are finding jobs, but others are rethinking plans dreamed up during the good times – considering bunking with Mom and Dad or an internship instead of a job.

“There are opportunities out there, but they’re going to go to the young people who are focused,… [who] know what they bring to the table … and use their connections wisely,” says Philip Gardner, director of Michigan State University’s Collegiate Employment Research Institute.