Dinosaurs, Boomers and Owning a Smartphone [Survey] - Career Pivot

Dinosaurs, Boomers and Owning a Smartphone [Survey] - Career Pivot Dinosaurs, Boomers and Owning a Smartphone In April 2015, Pew Research Center published a report called U.S. Smartphone Use in 2015. Given the massive changes in the job market by SMAC (Social Mobile Analytics Cloud), I checked out the report to see how baby boomers are adopting smart phones. My conclusion is that weâ€"baby boomersâ€"will become dinosaurs if we do not pick up our pace of change. A little over half of us from 50-64 years of age have a smartphone. I fall into that age group. Only about a quarter of those over 65 years of age have a smartphone. That includes people outside of the baby boomer generation (over 70 years old) but you get the picture. Smartphone Ownership One obvious reason that baby boomers do not own a smartphone is cost. When I ask people in my job club about smartphones and using social media, I inevitably hear, “I can’t afford it.” My claim is that you cannot afford to not have a smartphone. I have a client who recently purchased a 2-year-old Motorola Android smartphone for $100. His data plan is $50-75 month. You do not need a huge or unlimited data plan. You do not have to have the latest devices. I sure do not have the latest! I have a two-year-old iPhone 5, which I will replace in a couple of years. I look at this like buying a car. I would much prefer to buy a year or two old car and keep it till I need a newer model. Being skilled at navigating smartphone apps will be a job requirement in the future. If you cannot navigate a smartphone like a 20-something, you will be deemed a dinosaur. World of Mobile Apps If you are performing a job search, having a smartphone is critical to make and receive both phone calls and texts. Having a smartphone adds the following capabilities: Listen to the most recent episode Internet Browser â€" This is the most basic function of the smartphone, but it is often the most critical. I can Google search a business and the phone number will pop up. I can click to dial immediately. E-Mail â€" This is invaluable in your job search. I have my phone set to utilize both company and personal e-mail accounts. Calendar â€" I can access my Google calendar via the Google Calendar app. Maps â€" This is invaluable if you want to be able to easily find a location for an interview or networking event. LinkedIn â€" You have access to any of your network’s LinkedIn profiles in the palm of your hand. Twitter â€" You need to learn how to use Twitter. If I want to reach a recruiter quickly, I tweet them. Think of it like texting, except that I do not need to know their phone number. Weather and Traffic â€" I get traffic and weather alerts from a local television station app. This has proven to be very helpful when traffic or weather is bad. Audio â€" I do not listen to music on my iPhone. I do, however, listen to books and podcasts. This has caused my learning to skyrocket. I used to read maybe two business books a year. Now, I listen to 15-20 books a year. I listen to 10-15 podcasts a week (look for a post on the podcasts I listen to in a couple of weeks). Finance â€" I use mobile apps from my credit union, financial adviser, credit card company, and PayPal. I can deposit checks directly from my iPhone. Skype â€" I have met with clients using Skype from my iPhone. The video is absolutely stunning. Do not be surprised that you will likely be asked to interview with a recruiter via Skype. Camera â€" It is great to have a camera with you at all times. Besides shots of friends and nature, you might get pictures of receipts, products that you want to purchase later, or screenshots on someone’s computer. From a personal perspective, there are several smartphone apps that I adore: YMCA â€" My YMCA has an app that has a barcode. This allows me to enter the facility and alerts me to closures. In the last year, this has proven to be invaluable because of severe weather. I walk about two miles to get the Y. News Apps â€" I have multiple news apps on my iPhone. This includes CNN, CNN Money, Yahoo Finance, and KVUE news. Games â€" The only game I play on my iPhone is Solitaire. I am a heavy smartphone user. I run much of my business from my smartphone. Smartphone Survey I’ve told you how I use my smartphone. Now, I would like you to take a short 3 question survey on smartphone use. Even if you do not have a smartphone, please take the survey. The survey is now closed. Check out this and all of the rest of the survey results here. If you subscribe to this blog, you will get a notification when the survey results are available. Marc Miller Like what you just read? Share it with your friends using the buttons above. Like What You Read? Get Career Pivot Insights! Check out the Repurpose Your Career Podcast Do You Need Help With ...