The job market is competitive these days, to say the least. If your company has been trying to hire younger water treaters and you haven’t had much success in the recruiting process, I have the perfect podcast guest for you to learn from.

Her name is Dr. Ai Addyson-Zhang, and she is a college professor turned entrepreneur, education consultant, and career and life coach with more than 15 years of experience in education. For most of her life, Dr. Ai has been teaching and because of her innate ability to inspire Millennials and Generation Z, she is uniquely qualified to educate water treatment hiring managers and business owners on what we need to know before we schedule interviews with individuals from these two generations. 

Dr. Ai  founded Classroom Without Walls (CWW) in 2017 to normalize learning beyond the four walls of a classroom. CWW created a new model in learning that includes the elements of online learning (classes + digital mentors), certification earning, and in-person enrichment. Dr. Ai is also the host of the two live-streaming shows: Classroom Without Walls which focuses on social media and digital marketing; and What Is School For? which was inspired by Dr. Ai's interview with author and entrepreneur Seth Godin, and aims to discuss, debate, and disrupt education. 

Today’s interview focuses on how we should attract and recruit Millennials and Generation Z to work at your company so that it is a win-win relationship for you and your new hires.

 

Bottom line: Dr. Ai is going to share how we can attract and hire the next generation of water treaters.

Your roadside friend, as you travel from client to client.  

 -Trace  

 

Timestamps:  

Goal setting [01:44] 

Get to know college professor turned entrepreneur, Dr. Ai Addyson-Zhang [09:50] 

Preparing yourself for real-life as a student [16:18] 

Storytelling and Story-selling [24:21] 

Tailoring interviews for the younger generation [27:18] 

Preparing students to join the workforce [29:31] 

What is the next generation looking for in a job [35:53] 

Mentors [38:40]

LinkedIn tips [42:51] 

Lightning round questions [47:12] 

James’ Challenge: “Calculate how much heat energy goes down the drain with boiler blowdown and how much it costs.”  [58:33] 

 

Quotes: 

“Showing up consistently makes a big difference.” - Dr. Ai Addyson-Zhang 

“GPA is inversely related to innovation.”  - Dr. Ai Addyson-Zhang 

“The best way to connect with each other is storytelling.” - Dr. Ai Addyson-Zhang 

“If people are not applying, it is time for you to study who you want to attract.” - Dr. Ai Addyson-Zhang 

“This is a “Show me” economy. Show me what you created based on your skills.” - Dr. Ai Addyson-Zhang 

“When you don't have purpose, you don’t have drive.”  - Dr. Ai Addyson-Zhang 

“When they (applicants) choose your organization they need to know your mission and vision and know that what they will do is important and is part of the bigger picture.”  - Dr. Ai Addyson-Zhang 

“Instagram and Tiktok: those are the places where young people actually congregate. You need to go where they are as opposed to [telling them where you are].”  - Dr. Ai Addyson-Zhang 

“It is very hard to find 1,000 people who are really passionate about what you do, but it is not that hard to find one single person.”  - Dr. Ai Addyson-Zhang 

“Most kids are allowing social media to use them, as opposed to, they are using social media to serve their own career needs.” - Dr. Ai Addyson-Zhang 

“It is okay to realign your goals when you learn new information.” - Trace Blackmore 

“Your day to day is never going to get any better unless you start making changes; unless you work on the outside of what you consider comfortable.” - Trace Blackmore 

 

Connect with Dr. Ai Addyson Zhang: 

Live Streaming Shows:  

• • • What Is School For? (Goes live on LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Amazon every Wednesday at 2PM PST) 
    • Classroom Without Walls (Goes live on LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Amazon every Friday at 9PM PST) 

Email: [email protected] 

Website: https://lifeaccelerator.classroomwithoutwalls.ai/ 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/aiaddysonzhang/ 

Instagram: @aiaddysonzhang 

Twitter: @aiaddysonzhang 

Facebook Group: @LifeAcceleratorCWW 

YouTube: Classroom Without Walls 

 

Links Mentioned: 

Do Schools Kill Creativity? | Sir Ken Robinson’s Ted Talk 

LinkedIn Live 

The Rising Tide Mastermind 

AWT (Association of Water Technologies) 

 

Studies Mentioned: 

50% of Millennials regretted their major in college 

The number of questions children and teenagers ask in a day

A Study of Engineering Education - (Mann, C.R., 1918) 

Exploring Innovative Entrepreneurship and Its Ties to Higher Educational Experiences - (Mayhew, M.J., et al., 2012) 

 

Books Mentioned: 

Why "A" Students Work for "C" Students and "B" Students Work for the Government - Robert T. Kiyosaki 

Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us - Daniel H. Pink 

Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable - Seth Godin 

Your Personality Creates Your Personal Reality - Dr. Joe Dispenza

The Five Minute Journal