In part 1 of our series, we chatted with Richard Atkind, an HR Manager, Resource Development at TAC Worldwide and the 90th most-connected person on LinkedIn.

Today in part 2, we chat with Mr. Dana Ladd, an ISM/KM PhD student at Walden University and former job-seeker of the “Boomer” generation.

Do you believe that this “Silver Tsunami” will bring all of the challenges that are predicted?

DL: In some form, yes. Industry perhaps has to step up to the plate and begin thinking more aggressively toward coupling young leaders with seasoned Baby Boomers, hopefully passing some wisdom and experience more directly into our younger work force. The wisdom learned from the experiences in the past 8 years alone may very well prove to outweigh collective experiences of an individual leader’s prior three decades of decision-making.

Leadership experiences and business decisions applicable to the industrial age, even the information age, may not be applicable to an economy built around a convergence of technology, information, and biology. But perhaps the stability brought into the workplace by Baby Boomers will be what is most sorely missed.

In this four-part article, we intend to come face-to-face with one of the most talked about threats to our industry on the horizon—what some are calling the Silver Tsunami. We’ve all been warned about what our workforce will look like in the wake of the Boomers’ departure. Some are making careers out of the prediction that this dramatic “mass exodus” will change how recruiting is done and intensify the battle for the top talent among Gen X, Gen Y, and Millennials.

In order to get a less-biased idea of what we are facing, we put together a panel of professionals and asked them their thoughts on this subject. This panel is composed of a CEO of a recruitment process supplement company, a highly qualified Boomer and former job seeker, an HR Director for a content management company, and an HR Manager of Talent Development at a major multinational IT staffing company.

Perhaps the light that they shed on this subject will break through the clouds of confusion surrounding the matter and hopefully, offer us some insight on how to engage with candidates, hiring managers, HR leaders, and others influenced by this potential phenomenon.

As recruiters, we are measured against time to fill. In this climate, while our clients are trying to schedule third and fourth interviews with our candidates, they will be somewhere else signing an offer letter.

Whether the proverbial sky is falling or not, we still have to consider our response to the concerns of all of our clients. Do we start strategizing now or do we wait and hope that this foretold “Perfect Storm” turns out to be just another Y2K?

In part 1 of our series, we chat with Richard Atkind, an HR Manager, Resource Development at TAC Worldwide and the 90th most-connected person on LinkedIn. He shares his thoughts on the “phenomenon” below:

Do you believe that this “Silver Tsunami” will bring all of the challenges that are predicted?

RA: The effect of the “Silver Tsunami” isn’t new. It’s been in place since the Y2K period. Look at all the startups that, despite huge amounts of capital, failed due to a lack of seasoned leadership and a seasoned, disciplined workforce. Additional challenges now exist due to the numerous corporate layoffs resulting in a total lack of company-to-employee loyalty and therefore, the existing lack of employee-to-company loyalty.

When you combine these factors, recruiting top talent has become extremely difficult and competitive in what I call a free-agent market. Clients will have to be more reliant on outside recruiters as they keep their infrastructures lean. The challenges already exist.