In a world where Gen Y's, or millennials, are largely looked down upon, criticized and attacked for their laziness, entitled attitudes and lack of hard work, it is highly important that you remember that you were once a twenty-something too.
I don't intend for this letter to be a rant about how millennials have been dealt a bad hand with regards to the economy and job availability. No, this letter is much more than that. This letter is about professional courtesy and how everyone, millennials, gen-Xers, secretaries, CEO's, construction workers, and business owners alike, all deserve professional courtesy and respect.
In order to truly understand my frustration and stance on the subject, it would be helpful to know what I have been through.
I was recently on the receiving end of a sincere lack of respect and professional courtesy from a business professional who is fairly high up in his company. This person has a resume with a wealth of experience and knowledge that would appeal to most businesses in his industry.
After learning about his hard work and dedication to the industry, I was immediately overcome with respect and admiration. I too plan to work hard and dedicate myself to cultivating my passions. Seeing an example of exactly how this type of hard work can pay off was inspiring.
Unfortunately, with a resume like his and the empowerment that presumably comes from his current title, comes an attitude that screams, "I am better than you" and "you are not worth my time."
In fact, I am worth so little of his time that after dedicating a great amount of my time, energy and passion into his questions and inquiries, I waited seven weeks for a response. Seven weeks.
When I finally received an email, I was shocked, to say the least. When I opened it and read the first few words, I was bewildered.
"As a professional courtesy, I wanted to make sure I got back to you."
First of all, I believe the window for his so called "professional courtesy" had passed. However, since I truly do respect him, appreciate his time, and would like to remain professional, I didn't bother to mention his obvious lack of professional courtesy and instead I responded respectfully.
I must also mention that in his response email, he asked that I stay in touch with him. Interesting.
I responded one last time. In that response, I thanked him for getting back to me, wished him luck in the new year and asked him one last, simple question relating to the topic at hand.
I am now approaching day 11 with no response, yet again. Go figure.
Although I understand the demands of the industry and how busy a professional of his level can be, I find his behavior toward me, and his complete disregard for my time, rude and unprofessional.
Coming from someone with as much experience as him, you would think he should understand what it means to be in search of a career that fulfills one's dreams and ambitions. He should understand the value in someone like me seeking advice from someone who has so much to share. He should understand what it takes - the hard work, the time, the extra effort put into each and every related endeavor.
For someone who also had to, presumably, work his way up from the bottom, he displays a sincere lack of respect for the hard work, time and effort put in by those of us who are still working our way into the industry. It's not easy and at times, it's uncomfortable.
In a world where we are surrounded by technology, it doesn't seem like it would be too hard to find just one minute to pick up the phone, to turn on that iPad, to open a web browser and send a quick message to someone who has put so much time and effort into reaching out to you.
Unfortunately, this is not the first time I have heard of or encountered such behavior from professionals who have been in the "working world" longer than me. In fact, I have had similar experiences with folks who have only been doing their jobs for a few years. Regardless, those few years are a few more than I have under my belt, therefore the behavior is justified, right? Wrong.
It's about respect. It's about professional courtesy. It's about consideration.
So please, business professionals, higher-ups and gen-xers, if someone - anyone - has taken the time and put in the effort to do something for you or your company, do not blow them off. Give them the respect they deserve, be considerate of what they had to do and the time they put into doing it, and display some professional courtesy.
After all, the young ones, those of us just starting out, are the future.
Sincerely,
A frustrated, yet ever-so-motivated, twenty-something
