How smart families are beating the brutal job market
The 'boomerang' hits both generations: Graduating seniors move back home after months of rejection while their parents face ageism that forces career retreats—but smart positioning prevents both scenarios
I got a text from a mom I’ve worked with in the past. She said her son asked, "Is my room still available?"
Her son—brilliant kid, stellar GPA from a top university—had been job hunting for six months. Zero offers. Dozens of rejections, or dead silence. The kind of soul-crushing experience that makes parents wonder if that six-figure education investment was worth it.
You invested four years and six figures watching your graduate transform from nervous freshman to confident adult. You celebrated at Commencement, posted the proud parent photos, and assumed the investment would pay off.
Instead, they're getting daily updates about rejection emails and interviews (if they’re lucky) that go nowhere. You’d love to have them back home, but you know they’ll return feeling anxious and defeated…and it won’t get better over the next few months.
But here's what's really keeping you up at night: You might be facing the same struggle.
Whether you're 55 and "suddenly overqualified" after a layoff, or your 22-year-old is "inexperienced" despite a stellar GPA (and they’re competing against layoff victims with 3-5 years of experience, you're both fighting the same war. The weapons have changed, but the battle remains: How do you stand out when everyone has credentials, and some are 15-20 years younger than you?
The brutal truth? Most families are losing this fight because they're playing by old rules in a new game.
The New Reality: When Both Generations Get Squeezed
Let's cut through the Career Services nonsense and talk about what's actually happening out there.
For New Graduates:
Three out of four graduating seniors have yet to secure a job
71% of "entry-level" jobs now require 1-3 years of experience
They're competing against laid-off professionals with real experience
For Experienced Professionals:
Over 60% of workers over 50 have experienced age discrimination⁵
93% believe ageism against older workers is common in the workplace⁶
When hired, over-50 employees make 41% less than their previous jobs⁷
Job postings subtly discourage older applicants with terms like "digital native"
Sound familiar? You're both facing different versions of the same problem: Your value isn't translating into opportunities.
Why Traditional Job Search Advice Is Brand Garbage
Career counselors keep peddling the same tired strategies: Polish your resume. Apply to more jobs. Network harder.
That's like trying to clean a windshield with a dirty rag. You're just smearing the Brand Garbage around.
The real problem isn't your qualifications—it's how you're positioning them. While everyone else is competing on credentials, smart families are competing on clarity. They've figured out that hiring managers don't just hire qualifications—they hire confidence, potential, and the ability to solve problems.
Here's the secret: When you can articulate your value with laser precision, experience becomes irrelevant. A 22-year-old with clear positioning beats a confused 30-year-old every time. A 55-year-old who owns their expertise outshines a desperate 45-year-old. One way to do this is with a detailed brand positioning statement that can serve as a strategic roadmap for creating consistent marketing collateral, including your LinkedIn profile, resume, and other professional materials. Drop me a note and I’ll send you an example.
The 5 Positioning Strategies That Prevent Boomerang Kids (And Revive Stalled Careers)
Strategy #1: Stop Apologizing for Who You Are
The Problem: New grads position themselves as "just a student." Experienced professionals apologize for being "overqualified."
The Solution: Own your positioning—don't defend it.
For New Graduates: Transform "Recent Marketing Graduate" into "Emerging Brand Strategist | Data-Driven Creative Problem Solver." You're not lacking experience—you're bringing fresh perspective and current knowledge.
For Experienced Professionals: Stop saying you're "flexible on salary" or "willing to take a step back." Instead: "Seasoned Operations Executive | Proven Track Record Scaling Teams Through Growth Phases." Your experience isn't a liability—it's insurance against costly mistakes.
The point here for all readers is you need a headline that highlights your value, rather than your role. When looking for candidates, who’s going to search by title and company unless you’re looking to poach someone from a competitor? Many companies (particularly banks) have multiple levels for vice presidents and senior vice presidents, so saying that isn’t going to differentiate you. Show how you solve the problems hiring managers have. And remember you have 220 characters for your LinkedIn headline. Use them.
One other suggestion for experienced professionals: Create a “brag sheet” and take the time after each job change (or job search) to update it with information about your scope of responsibilities and list all your accomplishments starting with a verb, the accomplishment, and how you did it. Then when you see an interesting opportunity, you can substitute bullets on your resume. This is also a good way to use AI: Feed it your current resume, the job description, and your brag sheet and ask it to suggest ways to strengthen the resume or cover letter to address what the company needs.
Strategy #2: Translate Your Experience Into Business Language
The Problem: Graduates treat college projects like "school work." Experienced professionals bury their wins in corporate jargon.
The Solution: Reframe everything as professional accomplishments with measurable impact.
For New Graduates: "Developed integrated marketing campaign that increased student engagement by 40% and drove 200+ event registrations" beats "Did group project for Marketing 401."
For Experienced Professionals: "Led cross-functional team through $2M system implementation, delivering on time and 15% under budget" beats "Responsible for various IT initiatives and stakeholder management."
Special Focus for Student-Athletes: Stop hiding your NCAA experience. "Managed rigorous 25+ hour weekly schedule while maintaining 3.4 GPA and leading team through high-pressure competitions" demonstrates time management, leadership, and grace under pressure—exactly what employers want.
I sat down with “Sarah,” the decorated captain of a Division 1 team, and asked her a series of self-reflective questions that enabled me to position her NCAA achievements as business credentials.
Here’s where we ended up with her LinkedIn About section: "I helped teammates resolve conflicts and improve their skills. I guided them through a difficult COVID season and feel that my leadership enabled us to get to the national championship game." She connected her athletic leadership directly to business value: "At my highest level, I deliver creative ideas and solutions to help clients solve their communications problems." The result? She landed a PR role where she's proving to be "someone whose team wants to work with, laugh with, and succeed with."
Strategy #3: Build Strategic Credibility
The Problem: New grads have thin networks. Experienced professionals have stale ones.
The Solution: Create fresh credibility through strategic relationships. Sure, post on LinkedIn, but look for opportunities to comment intelligently. If someone Likes your post or agrees with you, send them a note and build a stronger network.
For Both Generations:
Share insights about industry trends, not just job search updates.
Avoid posting on how bad your job search is going, whining about people who use em dashes, or anything else that will get you eliminated by exhausted HR people.
Request specific recommendations that highlight relevant skills.
Engage meaningfully with industry content—add value, don't just like posts.
Attend virtual events and contribute to discussions.
Advanced Move: Write about what you're learning or observing. Position yourself as someone who thinks strategically about the industry's future.
Strategy #4: Leverage Your Network Intelligently
The Problem: Most people either don't network or do it wrong — treating relationships like vending machines.
The Solution: Focus on giving value before asking for help.
For New Graduates: Your professors, alumni network, and parents' connections are gold mines—if you approach them correctly. Ask for advice, not jobs. "I'm exploring the marketing technology space and would love your perspective on current trends" opens doors. "Do you know of any openings?" closes them.
For Experienced Professionals: Your deep network is your secret weapon—but only if you reactivate it authentically. Reconnect by sharing industry insights or congratulating people on recent wins before mentioning your transition.
Strategy #5: Maintain Professional Momentum
The Problem: Long job searches create visible gaps that signal desperation.
The Solution: Stay professionally active and strategically visible.
For Both Generations:
Take on consulting projects or volunteer for nonprofit boards.
Pursue relevant certifications or professional development.
Create content that demonstrates your expertise.
Update your LinkedIn regularly with new insights, not just job search status.
The key is appearing "in demand" rather than "available." Busy professionals get more opportunities than desperate job seekers.
Why This Works: Positioning Beats Pedigree
Here's what most career counselors won't tell you: Clarity trumps credentials every single time.
When you can articulate your value with precision, age becomes irrelevant. Experience level becomes irrelevant. You stop competing on what you've done and start competing on what you can deliver.
I've seen 24-year-olds land senior roles because they positioned themselves as strategic thinkers. I've watched 58-year-olds get "young company" offers because they demonstrated digital fluency and fresh thinking.
The secret? They stopped defending their circumstances and started owning their unique value proposition.
The Bottom Line
Your graduate doesn't need to move back home. You don't need to accept "overqualified" or even “over 50” as a death sentence.
You both need better positioning.
The job market is brutal, but it's not hopeless. When you can cut through the Brand Garbage and communicate your value with crystal clarity, opportunities appear. Not because the market got easier, but because you got clearer.
The choice is yours: Spend the next six months sending out hundreds of applications and collecting rejection emails, or invest a few weeks mastering these positioning strategies and watch the dynamic shift.
Because sometimes the difference between moving backward and moving forward is simply learning how to tell the right story.
Ready to stop the boomerang scenario and start positioning for success? If you need help translating your experience into compelling positioning, let's talk. Because your story matters—you just need to learn how to tell it.
