5 Career Mistakes Boomers Made That Gen X Should Avoid

Career coach Jeff Altman in Forbes offers five examples of career mistakes made by many baby boomers that members of Generation X should avoid. His first warning is to approach reporting to someone from a younger demographic with caution, as it may signal the loss of advancement opportunities. "Freely giving away loyalty to your employer rarely leads to a good outcome," Altman adds, continuing that "people get ahead by being alert to opportunities that generally arrive from outside of their organization." Meanwhile, employees should not take praise by managers as an implicit acknowledgement of their worth to the employer. Instead, they should request written feedback to refer back to if ever a discrepancy arises. Altman's fourth lesson is to take serious responsibility for one's career. "If you step aside and allow your employer to be in charge of your life like many boomers have, you may have to learn the hard way that being nice, being a 'team player' and 'going along' is an abdication of your power and can be viewed as permission to pass you over," he writes. Altman's fifth recommendation is that Gen X workers should maintain and cultivate their industry networks so there are opportunities available should a layoff occur.