Category: Life

I was looking at some job postings lately (I do this from time to time just to see what I might be missing in the marketplace of ideas) and I noticed that one posting (in the thrilling world of PR) called for the candidate to have an “upbeat personality”.

That struck me as a little odd. I like to work with the upbeat so it stands to reason the people at this unnamed company would as well. But it is not something I’ve ever written into a job posting. I guess upbeat would be a plus and not a deal-breaker for me.

Perhaps the person who quit (or perhaps was fired for being crabby) was a rather dour sort?

I better not even think about applying for that one … when I was interviewed for my current job, my manager mentioned (after being around my wacky self for a few weeks) that I seemed very no-nonsense (and I daresay a bit boring) when she interviewed me.

She was pleasantly surprised that I was a little more humorous than the (boring … and overwhelming talented— ed.) person she interviewed.

I had my interview persona and get-a-new-job suit on … so there you go.
You know, there’s not much of a chance that I could ever go on an interview and not be professional Christine — it would be weird and I’d be unemployed.

So the story ends this way … I think she was expecting me to be a bit less than thrilling in the workplace. But, of course, not only am I upbeat I’m also perhaps a little bit quirky.

Mind you, I’ve yet to see a job posting looking for the quirky — I would hate trying to fit in there. Too much competition.

I enjoy Debbie Travis. I’m not always onside when it comes to her decorating ideas — I lean to the very minimal — but I think she’s just terrific.

She has a new show on now called From the Ground Up. During the opening , Debbie talks about the impetus for the show. I can’t remember what she says exactly but it has something to do with young people today lacking a good work ethic. But through the miracle of Google, I found this delightful little blurb:

The idea of the show came from Debbie’s own experience on TV sets: she realized that the new generation was lacking a work ethic: they want everything fast but are not willing to work for it. This new show has the backdrop of a renovation but is focused on these 20’something, the “entitled” generation who have it all… except a future.

At first, I got a little mad at Debbie. This is so not true, we are too willing to work for it (at least I am) … and then it hit me. I am too old to be on that show. Debbie’s not talking about me and my hardworking peers. She’s talking about the Millennium Generation (aka Generation Y) — people in their 20s. They’re a whole segment.

The M-Generation — those who will come of age in the first decade of the century — represents the first wave of a technologically-switched-on, affluent generation of young people. The M-Generation are causing major changes to family life, education and technology.

What happened to Generation X? Remember us? The young people of yesteryear?

The media introduced Generation X as a group of flannel-wearing, alienated, overeducated, underachieving slackers with body piercings, who drank franchise-store coffee and had to work at McJobs.

Douglas Coupland is now 45. I have a mortgage and yes, young people today most certainly are lacking a work ethic.

Why, in my day we worked so hard to get ahead… cue slacker music.