100 Reasons/Benefits Of Hiring An Older Worker. What Would You Add To This List?
It seems every day we are attempting to make the case that older employees are good business decisions. So lets together create an all-encompassing list of the possible benefits for employers when hiring older workers. Perhaps we can also distinguish between the myths and realities of hiring older workers. After it is complete we will publish it to all of our readers. So start listing your favorite selling points to hiring managers in our comments below. Thanks
We will publish the full list on Interns Over 40 Blog when you complete it. Thanks
1) Reliable
2) Less Expensive Health Insurance
3) Willing to be flexible on hours
4) No Children at home (some)
5) Less sick days
6) Well defined work skills
7) Strong Work ethic
8) Less distracted from social media
9) Knows what is appropriate in work place
Please add your list of Reasons and bene
You Don’t Need This Job Seekers Guide On LinkedIn. Right?
Wisdom & emotional intelligence (sometimes!)
Maturity to make sound decisions
Knowledge from experience…that can’t be learned through classroom training.
Ability to assess, identify and act upon situations with collegues, customers better because of experience in life and work.
More than the theory – REAL Life experience.
Those willing to work at this age are positive thinkers, ready to embrace change and can meld old experience with new experiences – provides the best of both worlds.
make good mentors and coaches in their fields of experience
You do not loose 2 hours of productivity time per day to texting
Less arrogant
relationships and industry contacts built over the years
1-IS NOT BATTLING FOR POSITION
2- IS NOT LOOKING TO MAKE RELATION SHIPE,ESPECIALLY W/GIRLS
Can provide objective advice to younger managers because he/she isn’t try to climb the corporate ladder.
Soon or late every one will become older…
Less DRAMA
Older worker can take advantage of past experience and apply new technology to support that experience
Understands the value of “Teamwork” and can work as an indivdual as well.
Real arguments insted of duhh-reactions.
Usually able to “make do” when necessary – cobble something good out of odd and unmatched parts. Think school pageant costumes on a moments notice. And if this sounds flippant, it is not. Those of us with more experience and hands-on knowledge have more bits of knowledge, info or whatever to put together.
Know better than to start every sentence with “I’m like …”
I strongly agree,there are no short-cuts.
Older workers are able to speak and write in complete sentences, with correct English. This is helpful in writing and speaking with customers, as well as internal reports.
Ability to assume responsibility sooner because less training required.
*less expensive car insurance.
*know why they are there, with a realistic view of the work, for instance:
*not “overqualified”, rather have decided to assume a less stressful job with perhaps less responsibility than previous jobs.
*able to advise younger manager without threatening his/her position.
*given previous experience, better able to separate wheat from chaff: what is critical and what is not.
*[Hopefully] thinks before commenting, thereby providing a calming influence, easing workplace stress.
Experience, experience, experience… nothing beats experience! Not only in our professional field, but in personal relationships, dealing with all types of personalities we’ve interacted with throughout our careers.
Not afraid to roll up your sleeves and do what ever it takes to get the job done
Older workers, or at least this one, are less likely to take a job that they will absolutely hate, therefore increasing the likelihood they will remain in the position. Worker loyalty is not dead, it is simply better seasoned.
Without an appreciation of ideas and concepts that have succeeded or failed in the past, there is the risk of ignoring history by younger and less experienced workers who rely more on textbook theory and a very short timeframe to base their judgements. What might have worked in the past 3-5 years or even 5-7 years might not work in the long run. A more experienced employee understands with greater depth and clarity the true risks and rewards that accompany certain tactics and strategies, with a lower risk of repeating the negative aspects of history. Experienced employees also know how to navigate an organization and gain traction for the most valuable and rewarding ideas in a diplomatic manner so as to gain support in a positive way. It is hard to teach these skills. They must be learned on the job. If all we do is focus on the short-term, we run the risk of not being around in the long run to reap the rewards and, most importantly, to serve those who hired us to serve them for the long term. Those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it.
Oh, so correct. And, oh, so under appreciated. Some firms seem willing to hire less-qualified people and hope things work out — until they don’t. THAT’S when regret seeps in and they realize that such errors and missteps (which are inevitable) would have been far less likely with an experienced professional. One cannot obtain the quality and seamlessness of a top-quality suit or pair of shoes without wanting that level of quality in the first place. But if they wish to bottom-fish to reduce compensation costs, the long-run costs might be incalculably large. That risk is diminished with experienced employees.
Yeah… that’s what I was sorta trying to say!. Joseph is an excellent example of the meat and eloquence that a more experienced worker can combine in a statement. Well said!
This is a great point and is completely under-rated. To raise the overall level of all employees, experienced professionals can point out pitfalls and potential problems so that they can be headed off before they put the firm at risk. It is the same reason why young sports teams love to have seasoned veterans as part of the mix because of the steadiness and maturity they bring that one cannot learn without experience. You can’t be taught how to react when the walls seem like they are caving in. But a seasoned pro has been there, and can maintain and improve morale, and teach others how to handle the rough patches — as well as to realize that the good times don’t necessarily last forever.
Low(er) maintenance for their manager
I like to emphasize the concept of PERSPECTIVE. Using results-laden bullets, or stories in a face-to-face, clearly show how those years of experience have afforded opportunities to experience all aspects of your industry and your profession. Also, try to include evidence of your understanding of the perspective of the employer – that’s one that will go over especially well.
BUT – DON’T SAY “YEARS OF EXPERIENCE” – it can instantly invoke lots of negative assumptions about older workers. You know what they are, so find a way to extract the essence of that experience, without leading the resume reader, or the interviewer, to the “experienced-equals-old” place.
The ability to take constructive criticism constructively without the drama. The ability from life experience and travels to relate to different cultures and accept others of different background and beliefs (mostly). The wisdom to know when to fight and when to let things go.
We know the lay of the land in life;
We have integrity (an attribute younger workers do not know the meaning of);
We can efficiently and effectively handle anything that comes our way;
We are progressive – blending new technology with life wisdom;
Minimal learning curve;
An asset from every perspective.
Agreed…for the most part.
This is a site for those of us over 40 that are not very experienced. Hence the name, intern.
I graduated from my IT night school in 2003 at 49. Put my limited resume on an intern website in Pittsburgh (2005), and about a month later, received a call for an interview. Went in and was hired. Little experience. Now I am the lead IT person at this company.
The older — mature — employees avoid office politics, which can be a time-wasting energy drainer in the dynamics of any office. Mature employees actually go to work to do their work every day — a surprising concept for so many younger workers who consider it little more than a social venue. Mature workers also accept a job with the intent of staying with it, as opposed to too many younger workers today who treat it like a marriage (“If I don’t like it I’ll quit.”)
Any age can try this Business
Opportunity! I even have my own
website now.
You are so-o-o right.
Company loyalty,humility,work ethic, real life experience, flexibility, short learning curve
Heh – we don’t even TRY to chat up the client’s secretary… or daughter… or the client…
Business relationships are invaluable. Having covered North America have busienss contacts and applicaiton experience from simple to complex. As an example, I had the Microsoft Hardware account, and developed relationships and expertixe to be the single source supplier for the WHEEL MOUSE for 8 years, selling 75 million switches per year. It was the single largest switch account. That ended in 2001. My relationships have continued to this day in 2012.
How about we live longer than the WWII era who were adults when I was young. They retired around 65 (if they had not died of a stroke or heart attack)then many of them they died within a few years of retirement. Our longevity is at least 80. There are a lot of us, they don’t call us the “baby boom” for nothing. The longer we can work and can be productive the less anyone has to worry about us “becoming a burden to them”.
The value of the law of the harvest that includes, seeding, nurturing, cultivating, protecting and finally harvesting and storage for the future and new crops. This law applies in any industry, organization and job. The seasoned worker will know how to make each step work. The new worker still needs the mentoring.
Knowing the value of learning from past mistakes, and assimilating that into future work decisions. Having the ability to see the short and long-term effects of various decisions, not being afraid to admit a mistake and taking it in stride, making changes if necessary. I also see a “business maturity” in approaches to various problems, social situations, and organizational needs that younger workers just don’t have.
I’ve also come to appreciate the fact that EVERY interaction I have with anyone can lead to a possible connection, job, assistance, etc., later. Many times the assistant or non-exempt staff have a better idea of the “company climate” than the boss does. Or, if you’re lucky, the boss considers their impressions when you’ve interacted with them on your way in. A true test of a person’s ability to function and interact with others is how you interact with EVERYONE, not just the boss you’re trying to impress.
The ability to develop lasting collaborative relationships with all levels in an organization. I’ve heard loyalty said many times above. After being unemployed for 15 months, and being told “we’re just going in a different direction, or as one CFO actually told me that he didn’t think I could keep up
with the owner, gratitude would definitely one thing I would say. I don’t have enough money to pay all the bills and feed my family because I have two strikes against me – I am unemployed and I am a baby boomer.
Older employees have a greater value of time, and make better use of it. We know how to prioritize tasks. We are slow to judge others; can make sound and quick business judgments. We have a sense of propriety. Have fewer personal crises and can be great at business crisis management.
for me a simple thing is to see at what age some of the groundbreaking discoveries/proofs were made by mankind and how long those individuals carried on after that. general life expectancy has moved to 90+, at 40 you’re not even half way! UK is at least seeing the light by not having a pensionable age anymore
We are the thrusting, dynamic and ambitious young people of today, except that we have made the journey, we have made and learned from all the mistakes. We are not distracted by the bar, or the nightclub, or the latest romance gone wrong.We are settled and stable, we understand the real value of life. We consider our work a duty and of prime importance in our life, we understand the meaning of loyalty, good ethical behavior comes naturally, we have a sense of duty. We dont do “sickies” preferring instead to take pride in a record of perfect attendance. We are reliable and can be relied upon.What to others is a emergency, is to us no more than an issue we have dealt with many times before and we deal with it calmly, without breaking our stride. When you employ an older person, you are buying all these attributes and more.
Awesome list Kevin. Thanks Bobby
Young people are still looking for the best opportunity, where as older
workers understand by a certain age ‘you should have alot more focus on
keeping to a reasonable standard of living, therefore, take a more adult
point of view, they are stable, appreciate and work to better goals.
We are more resourceful, dependable, with better inter-personal skills and talents than the younger ones who have trouble thinking outside of the box.
You may think the younger ones are more resourceful due to their methods of communicating being far advanced to ours. To be resourceful, you not only need to be able to communicate, you need to be understood. To be resourceful, you need to be able to execute, follow through, fine tune, and then transfer to others the best learnings possible to allow them to grow too. Otherwise, how will your future be as the company falls apart?
I do not think I need to explain too much about dependability.
With Inter-personal skills, todays generation is not familiar enough with developing working relationships. FOr the long term, they are ones to connect with the people they feel will help them, rather than ones they can help also. Whereas we have been ones to not only be served, but to serve and recipricate back, to strengthen relationships for future developments.
The younger generations are ones to think and plan for now, now, now and not future, future, future. We on the other hand plan for now, and future together.
More interested in a longterm stable job – less likely to job hop.
Able to make sounder decisions, and knowledgable of how to apply new methods faster.
Older workers have the ability to stay focused on what’s important; they are less likely to get caught up in workplace pettiness. Experience lends itself to practical, efficient problem-solving strategies.
Knows how to get up EARLY in the morning…
Me personally, I don’t really care for those social media sites like Facebook and Twitter or cell phones for that mattter. I miss my phone machine, it used to take my messages and when I came home I would check them. This “always on” enviroment is a pain. SOMETIMES I DON’T WANT TO BE FOUND!!!!
I am a recent MBA graduate (Jan, 2011) looking for an opportunity to use my business acumen, work history, formal training and transferable skills to make a positive contribution to the growth and Sustainability of any firm that hires me. Such a position may include retail banking, franchising, business development, financial services – sales / sales management, investment banking, or an equivalent position in an industry outside the financial services arena. Please take a moment, look at my Linked-In profile and give me some feedback. I am open to suggestions regarding job fit and / or resume modifications that can improve my marketability.
Very little training required, the older person may be apprentice trained as the man straight from uni has no training only what uni thinks is training.
Our sense and experience of maintaining composure under stress, or equanimity, is unmatching.
….experience gained through the years, very valuable, and young managers will not know it unless they loose it. i’m sure they are the ones being always consulted anytime a problem comes up and no one is sure what to do…
As a 69 years old corporate hard-hitter for over 50 years and now taking a break, I am becoming increasingly aware of the one great issue involved in making an older employees decision.
Management frequently fall into the trap of building a comfortable and easily controlled team rather than a powerfully successful operation.
Consider the core issue. 1. Are you looking for a cog or a piston? 2. What is best for business success, cog or piston?
It’s lovely to have someone who fits-in easily to the team (cog), but money will only be made when successfully driving ahead (piston). The power of the piston declines with age.
Think about it
I really truly believe the older worker with stay with the job longer and try harder. We all know that the older you get – the harder it is to find work. We hate job jumping so we will only take the jobs we think will take us into retirement … Yhere are a lot of great reasons being listed here.
Business-wise logic, better and holistic view of projects and problems.
Better and faster understanding of the company strategy and targets. Same for customers. Loyal and stable.
Willing to share accomplishments with other team members.
Willing to stand up and take the blame if things go wrong.
The very basic rule in this field: No matter how brilliant and well trained one can be, there simply is no substitute to experience.
Don’t believe me? Ask a pilot. Better yet, ask its passengers!!!
Attitude, attitiude, attitude!
We know better than to take things for granted. At my age, I am pretty saavy to what the end result will be to almost any scenario. Also, I have had years of experience and know what questions to ask or prepared for what answers to give.
Let’s go to 50+, as this is probably the least “employable” group. Much of it due to a skewed perception disguised as Age Bias. Frequently you hear arguments such as:
* Can’t afford to pay for all that experience
* Too set in their ways
* Experience may keep someone from trying something new
* Is not up to date with the latest technologies
Although in some cases that rationale could be true, I believe it all depends on how the 50+ asset is used.
– If we’re going for the latest and greatest, that could hold true.
– Or if you want to chart a new course, experience based on old assumptions may keep you from pursuing that new course.
Now let’s look at it from a different point of view:
+ Most 50+ ers, that have been downsized, have something to prove and they’ll do one heck of a job when given the opportunity.
+ Most of these individuals are not out to jostle for a position, they just want to be a contributor.
+ Most are done with office politics, so there’s less time wasted gossiping or worrying about what others are doing.
+ They know that there’s not that much time left to ready for retirement, which means they are ready to take on profitable challenges
In summary, rather than thinking of placing the 50+s in typical job situations, think of how their learned skills can bring value to a company or project. It may be research, making contacts, looking at situations from a different angle or, connecting with other Boomers.
That experience can be used to open new horizons. Just some thoughts.
Although experience can be gooToo e
Most older workers have an eye for detail opposed to the younger generation. Older workers take more pride in their work, and do not just come to work and mess around untol the shift ends. Older workers adhere to safety precautions to prevent accidents or injury. America was built by the older workers, that is what made America stand apart from the rest. Older workers or (experienced workers) don’t have calls coming to their cellphones all day, they don’t allow themselves to be distracted.
This is so true. Once they have a thorough understanding of what is to be accomplished they start to make progress and will excel beyond the status quo.
Use the word “yes” instead of “yeah” and use the word “awesome” when something actually fills us with awe rather than the latest Subway sandwich combo.
And, older workers actually know how to provide good customer service – as they’ve been on the end of non-existent or rude customer service reps for too long!!
Highly developed Social Skills – NOT Social Media skills
Less drama (hopefully) and the ability to know the value of working smarter.
Whether any potential employee would be considered a “Cog” or a “Piston” is much more related to their personality than their age.
Experienced managers more often tend to look at longer term results when making decisions thus avoiding the pitfalls of short term gains at the cost of long term losses.
Management seeking primarily comfort and easily controlled teams usually is looking only at the short term. This type of planning tends to be more symptomatic of younger, less experienced, and less confident Managers.
It takes a balance of both Cogs and Pistons to have a fine running Machine. A broken Cog can be repaired but an out of control Piston often leads to a “Blown Engine”.
Think about it
Can show up to work with a hang over, or come to work right after partying all night.. not calling in with the “Booze Flu” and be functional!
Bill, while I can understand and appreciate the analogy you are using, I believe it has some fundamental flaws. First of all, I must begin by stating that every comment I have read here so far have all been generalized statements assuming that everyone fell out of the same mold. Although it is nice to hear all the positive things about older workers it is also a truth that many people do not fit into the category of worker with all those traits. Just as there are also real go getters that literally just got out of college and are 21-22 years old.
That said, not every person is going to be the one to propell a business into the next level of greatness or profitability. The point of the article was to point out positive traits or benefits of hiring older workers. Again just because these traits are from older workers does not mean that every older worker has all of these traits.
Here is my issue with your analogy Bill, when was the last time you looked under the hood of a car and saw nothing but pistons? I can venture a guess that you have never seen the likes! The biggest reason is that nothing would ever get done. The car would go nowhere. The fact I agree with is that every car must have at least one piston but 6 or 8 would make a stronger engine. However, there must be a whole team of hundreds if not thousands of other supporting parts that actually put the pistons power to use.
You will need valves, a head, a manifold and a carbourator to actually create the power necessary to propel your vehicle. You will still need a transmission and a set of wheels to transfer that power to the road. You will need a muffler and emmissions control to reduce polution. You need oil and grease to lubricate parts and a water cooling system to help keep things cool under pressure. You will also need a steering wheel, linkage and power steering fluid to be able to guide the vehicle in the right direction to avoid any potholes along the way let alone just to stay on the road. You will also need at least one mechanic to perform preventive maintenance to avoid costly unscheduled down time. Things like safety inspections will need to be performed to ensure you are legally operating without undue safety risks to other users of the road as well.
Enter the older workers. Some may be able to fill the role of piston. Many others will definitely be able to fill all the other support roles listed which not only contribute to the success of the piston but they actually make the success of the piston. Remeber that the success of the piston is the success of the conglomerate which translates to the success of the company.
I don’t know about anyone else but I would rather have a complete system with fewer pistons than a box filled with just pistons and no other parts. It is about the business as a whole not an individual player.
Pierre, I agree. I’ll give you one more expamle, how about a doctor, or their patients!
Good manners! Know the value of thank-you notes, turning phones off during conversations, and how to say “You’re welcome” instead of “No problem.”
We also how to determine what’s a crisis and what is NOT and we understand the value and how to create contingency plans to avoid disasters.
The quality of their contributions are vested in actual results and less theory.
I absolutely agree but how do we get employers to hear what people are saying on this site? I was downsized 2 years ago, have applied to nearly 300 positions and haven’t had any luck. I taught for more than 20 years and have lots of skills that are transferable to other jobs.
Coming at it from a different perspective, very harsh, but these comments and the piece generally look at it from the employers’ viewpoint. Maybe knowing why employers should hire “older” workers is a good justification for spelling out these reasons. The important thing, however, is to use any and all of these reasons to show why you should be hired, if you’re an older person, and know how to present the appropriate ones as part of going after a given job. I teach people to do this in my coaching practice and I also work with them not to buckle under the pressure of those awful words “age discrimination.” It’s a little like wringing your hands and saying to yourself, “I know they should hire me for these reasons, but they don’t.” They need to hire an experienced person who can do the job better than anyone else, who will fit into their organization, who asks for the acceptable salary level, and that person can be fifty, sixty or twenty-five. If you fit those three requirements, and know how to present them and yourself, you’ll have an exceedingly good chance at getting the offer.
Indeed!
Commited to company interests as opposed to personal interests.
Very well stated! Experience can mean so many things and age has nothing to do with it. The younger generation learns skill sets so quickly, thus they are easy to train. The baby boomers have lots of experience which they sift through when learning new tasks. They can easily see if something will work or not. Sometimes this can lead to slower decisions and less of a “buy in” if they can’t get past the “that didn’t work the last time we tried it” mindset. All in all I think the greatest teams are hand picked with personality traits that will strengthen the team. Unfortunately it’s hard to tell what your getting when you hire someone. A crystal ball would be so much easier!!
Nothing counts like years of on the job learning and experience. Always found when working with such people as likened to men on the battlefield, Westpointers with their pips and stiff necked bookworm strategies had these in tatters when facing the enemy.
Here in South Africa we have a replaced regime that grabs the spoils, marching, looting and riots when their cradles don’t get filled at the cost of the older hard working who understand value.
A seasoned professional (which is usually at or over 40) has learned the value in producing quality work and choices their battles carefully. I will not put an age on this statement or many of the others I have read because it depends on when you started your career.
decision making skills and we keep our shirts tucked in
I don’t have an answer to that question. Perhaps we need to come up with a different approach because the same old one isn’t working and perhaps never will. I’m beginning to think differently about this – new approaches. Like how can I benefit or be of service to a potential employer or business.
Whether we like it not bias, no matter what, will always be there. It’s part of our human DNA. I think we just need to get innovative.
People skills and an ability to spot and nurture potential, a trait too often overlooked these days
Unless I missed, we have a far higher level of Moral Courage. The wherewithall to do the right thing when nobody is looking and willing to admit failures and faults instead of point the finger in other directions.
This topic has shown how much the Baby Boomers have to offer. Many of the attributes that we possess were bottle fed to us by our parents, who inspired us to to excell and to change the world. It is unfortunate that the words that defined us in a positive way, have been turned around by the current generation to be negative factors. Let’s celebrate and reward these words:
*Experience
*Maturity
*Seeing the Big Picture
*Strong Organizational Skills
*Seasoned
*Weigh the Pros & Cons
Older workers are an invaluable source for organizational knowledge transfer within organizations from one worker generation to the other. This just has to be used – by the organization and younger workers!
When one uses new technologies and Social Media, it is pointless without content.
Older employees know how to add content.
Simply put dedication !
Can you define old and young? who is younger? the one that gets up early in the morning thanksgiving for the sunrise or the one that stay complaining for everything and watching TV? if you are 50s but willing to accept new challenges, more valuable that 30s sitting in the sofa.
On the other hand, remember the rabit and tortuise race, not allways faster meand early achieving of goals..
Here’s few:
– Invented “work!” Knows how it operates best, what its weaknesses are and won’t let it be taken advantage of.
– Productivity far outweighs the extra cost having a higher ROI over the long run.
– Knows what ROI means.
– Best reason to hire an “over 40” — I’m over 40!!!
We have the experience(s) of working well with a more diverse social grouping of co-workers.
There are so many reasons why anyone should prefer to hire the older worker. So, great! Now what? Where are all the jobs?
I think older workers not only bring more experience but also have wisdom and insight which cannot be taught. I think some younger managers find it a threat in hiring an older worker to report into them for fear of their own jobs as the older worker is likely to know more than them. Although age discrimination is illegal it still goes on as some peoples attitudes are hard to change. Still what goes round, comes round as they say because they will be old one day and maybe they will experience similar attitudes. From my own experience older workers do not tend to job hop as much as younger workers and tend to be more loyal and conscientious. They also don’t have to take maternity, paternity or parental leave or time off when their child is sick which ends up in disrupting the business and incurring extra costs.
Good Day
Well said!
Also – understands “it’s not all about me”!
I agree! If I see one more application or cover letter that includes “text speak” I am going to go insane! The next generation needs to learn proper ENGLISH, GRAMMER, and SPELLING to function in the real world. Not everything has spell/grammer check so learn how to do these things for yourself people!
I’d hire someone with years of relevant experience before any youngster with a string of college degrees. “Never generalise”, so I shall proceed to do just that: People aged 40+ are more likely to have actually learned something at school, because failing and repeating a year or being expelled for bad behaviour were the ultimate humiliations. Older people have a better work ethic, because they were raised on the premise that rewards and respect must be earned and if you make an unholy hash of something you will have to take responsibility and deal with the consequences. Spare me from the “it’s not fair” and “everybody owes me a living” generation.
Have very more knowledge and experiences to share
I was surprised by your last sentence, that the “power of the piston declines with age.” Up until that point, I thought you were driving toward the idea that the older worker with experience, wisdom and ability to lead, was a piston and the younger, less experienced people were cogs.
My reaction reflects where I am in life and perhaps somewhat of a difference in men and women. In many ways, I have never felt more capable, more energetic, and more able to take on professional challenges than I do in my 50s. My children are all in college (the first just graduated) and I truly have the ability to concentrate on the work I love and use all the experience and education I’ve accumulated as a consultant for the last 20 years in a new way. I feel ready to take on the world, accept an overseas assignment, give it 24/7.
Men, who have not taken childrearing as their primary responsibility in their 20s, 30s and 40s, might feel differently. I think women who are newly sprung from the nest have a certain amount of enthusiasm that has been building up for decades.
At least that’s been my experience – and I absolutely loved being a mom with a home office for the last 20 years and being here for my kids. Wouldn’t have traded it for anything! But now, I love to work, too, and it is my time to do my “next thing”.
Rory,
Excelent points and well stated.
Older workers bring passion and focus. I know how to focus on my job and not on outside activities. Since I have no children at home or other responsibilities, I can focus on my work.
When buying in a retail store, when a package has “30% more FREE” on it, it is an incentive to buy, where when an interviewer sees the equivalent in experience, red flags come up.
I love technology, and I applied at a small mortgage company to be their tech support person. When I was asked what I was going to school for and I told him (Doctor of Management) he said his position was too “pedestrian for me.” So, I am overqualified to be working as a tech support person doing something I really like, but not as a cashier at a local Walmart. Still scratching my head on that one.
I would also add….more of life’s experiences which enables someone to handle difficult situations much better than a younger person. Younger people today do not have the social skills that seasoned older people do.
I feel as though once I get to the intial interview it’s all down hill from there. I’m over the hill to scattered or something haven’t accomplished enough the last 6 years have been hell for me emotionally. Also i feel ashamed in an interview any tips?
yeah good points!
– More excessive loyalty to the company and work itself
– No maternity leave for women
– Wisdom of behaving with the right manners and communicating with different ranks of people
– Long suffering
excellent summary
I think you mean grammar! 🙂
Older workers:
1. Takes a mature approach to the job.
2. Is less distracted in the work place.
3. Is not a member of the trade union.
4. The organization is not obligated to paying benefits.
Thanks for your comments which are helping other older workers demonstrate and articulate their value to prospective employers. Have a wonderful day.
Bobby
Debra,
Feeling ashamed when you are employed is a normal response for a difficult situation.But i would advise that you focus on what your career strengths are. Easier said then done. I know!. But i tell clients that you need to think of that work moment that you were great. You felt great, accomplished seemly superwoman feats and enjoyed your work.Take that feeling with you. Then focus on the mechanics of what you are doing every day to find a new career. It is a long and arduous process that has road blocks, but if you have a plan and act on it your new career should eventual arrive. There are numerous other articles on our blog that might help you. http://www.internsover40.com. Much success to you.
Bobby
Internsover40.com
Older workers can potentially enrich the workforce by offering much needed expertise and experience needed for talent development in any organization.
The employment of older workers is complementary and not mutually exclusive for success in the workplace. Properly blended, the combination is awesome.
Ibrahim,
Great point. I think sophisticated organizations understand there are synergy with diverse groups of people working together. The problem is as a candidate identifying what a particular hiring manager is keying in on.
It is important to connect and create a dialog that sees your value as an older skilled worker. Have a great day.
This was probably mentioned, but older workers bring experience to the workplace that younger people do not have. Older workers may also be more interested in the common good as opposed to their own individual benefit.
NO DRAMA
These are all stereotypes. Does every mature worker have a good work ethic? Is every worker more than 50 even mature? Employers hire individuals not demographic groups. Each one of us, regardless of age, has his or her own skills, accomplishments and strengths, and we should stand on them, not buy into a list of attributes, because we could also be labelled with the bad stereotypes, such as “resistant to change” or “dated technolgy skills”.
Randall,
Great point.We are all one individual , looking for one job and we must present who we are. But awareness of stereotypes should help enhance our job seeking effectiveness.Your thoughts?
Hmmmm, good subject. (yep I’m one of the older workers) A “been there, done that” experience in life I feel it vitally important in business. When I was a young businessman, in business with my father, I would of course think “I” had all the great ideas. But needless to say, when I made a decision contrary to my father’s suggestions, Darn, if he most always was right on the money. I would always go back to him and say, Geeezz Dad, you were right again, how did you know? He of course would let me make the “wrong” decisions so I would “learn”. Now I realize there is “huge” benefits and collateral issues that the younger generation is yet to realize, (as I did not) Experience comes with time and wisdom will soon follow. My opinion also is most of the older workers put principles before personalities, so the work place is mostly clear of personal outside issues and emotions. Much more I have thoughts about, this quickie just popped into my head.
If an interviewer would ever state, “I like older workers because they have a good work ethic,” I think the interviewee should reply that they have a good work ethic not because of their age, but because of other factors. You can’t buy into the positive stereotypes, without opening the door to the negative ones.
How true; how many of us have worked with both and they all have their parts to play; we could not work without the pistons, but as, Rory says, the cogs and other support folks who help refine the working of a well-oiled engine. Sparks have their place and we must have them to get the engine going and to keep it going, but we can’t forget all those other parts which are unappreciated (in a lot of instances) due to their normal, recurring, mundane work that keeps everything moving. Thank heaven for those who will do this work… we have to have them to keep the engine running or we would just have a lot of sparks which as I believe some eluded to a fire (blown engine). Excellent commentary by all.
Lawrence, as an employer of approximatley 50 folks, I totally agree. We recently hired a 66 year old business development person who is exactly the right candidate for the job; he knows so many people and can walk the talk. He is computer savvy and has done a number of jobs in the field that we are in, so he knows the potential clients needs/wants from our perspective and theirs, having been on both sides of the fence. We hire a LOT Of younger folks just because it is so hard to find older folks who want to work in our industry, so proving your case is very important. Thanks for pointing out the obvious, no one wants to hire a charity case…but if you have the skills and the attitude, then who wouldn’t want someone with more experience?
Older workers understand loyalty and integrity. They have a since of stewardship and servatude to their employers and their co-workers.
…or is well beyond the “partying” phase.
Hmm, I see ~100 or so comments so far, and if you read through it all, it does sound like hiring a young(er) worker ever is just a stupid idea. Don’t ever hire a student (who also needs to make living, but why should I care, right?…) and hunt only for older workers – no training needed, old fashion respect, loyalty etc no younger person possess, stability, etc. I don’t see ANY reason it may make sense to hire younger grad or worker, at least to
balance opinions. I guess this is for different list and all the comments here I’m sure are posted by older workers naturally defending the subject.
I’m in high tech industry and would hire anyone who does the job and have qualities I’m looking for; as long as this is the case I don’t (and should NOT) care if he/she is old or young. Granted, older workers are more likely to possess what I may be looking for, but this is very much industry and hiring body personality dependent. So is it better to hire older worker? The true answer is “it depends”.
If you go to the site discussing why is it better to hire younger workers, you will read ~100 arguments exactly opposite of what one reads here. This just means disagreement and one side has got it all wrong. Which side it is depends on which side you’re on.
Victor:
Even though I am one of those “older” workers. I do agree with you. I have been CEO and general manager for my whole life for various enterprises.My thinking was just like yours, (I am happy to say) I am and was color blind, male or female, and of course age. I hired who I felt would support the position I needed filled. I looked at the “big picture” at my companies and made choices accordingly. Like you say: “It Depends”.. I’m sure when the time is right, I also will find my employment here in the Bay Area. I have over 25 years in the high tech industry, Silicon valley I feel can use me???
Thanks
Ken Heggem
Well said Rishah Coller. I liked the line which says ” experienced workers don’t have calls coming…”
I too find these things here in India. Younger generation have lots of distraction from work.
Rgds,
Nitesh
Older experienced workers can add significant value to a company or organization with their ability to potentially handle multiple roles or “wear multiple hats”.
Also, experienced older workers have a much better ability to visualize the big picture. They will be in a good position to help solve problems, make recommendations for process optimizations or improvements, and help develop strategies for moving the business forward.
A marriage is supposed to be lifelong, “till death do us part”. The disposable attitude on marriage and family is part of what is wrong these days.
Once upon a time a job was also lifelong with the employer doing what it took to keep the workforce employed. Now it has come to the point that despite any loyalty of the employee, if the employer thinks the employee is “too expensive” they think nothing of dropping the older worker with experience and knowledge of the job and replacing with a younger person that has no clue. Workers have become a disposable resource.
Apart from the most important element of exposure to complicated situations, experienced workers are less biased to the area of their assigned task … they are committed to perform and accomplish the given task sans if and but..
Research indicates that while older workers may work more slowly, they have a higher degree of accuracy. This is a trait employers wants to look for when the job values accuracy over speed.
Older workers don’t job hop. They respect there employers. They want to do a good job
Older people still party, they just have more responsible priorities.
I agree. Buying into stereotypes has no positive value. Everyone should be judged solely on their individual merit. To do otherwise is prejudice and nothing more.
Thank you for this article. I think it’s valuable.
A note on the following comment:
No Children at home (some)
This should not be viewed as a benefit as employers cannot legally take this into account when interviewing candidates.
Or “basically”
Grammer is your step mother’s mother.
Short learning curve and keeping curve.
As far as opportunities go, the harder I worked the luckier I got. You’ll make as many opportunities as you find. The nippers might want to try that approach instead of ‘why doesn’t the boss just crown me price and get it over with.’ My college dean told me how valuable I am. My grandmother too!
They go to work…to work. Not to hang with their friends.
Amen, Brother or Sister. I’m not that interesting, I love to be alone, and I won’t talk on the phone at home unless I want to. I am “connected” with more than I need and don’t want everyone knowing my business. I do just fine in a bathroom without a phone.
Young people are deluded if they think they are really connected because they can text to each other. they are as disconnected as the rest of us.
I’ll give you credit for your use of operational buzzwords. Hope you find what you want.
Aren’t you glad an experienced pilot is “set in his ways?” Just think if he thought 50 yards on either side of the runway was “close enough.” Maybe they’re set in their ways of doing things correctly, thoroughly, and well. Not much wrong with that at any age. Despite what Harvard may tell you in their current text books.
Amen. There’s a big difference and in this case size does matter.
I agree.
You could not have made a more accurate statement. (The trouble with generalities is that they are too general). some people are retired at 40, but are still getting a paycheck. Some don’t slow down when they’re 70. I see more young people (generally, not absolutely)not trying to produce anything and couldn’t care less. Coasting and slacking. These are traits that you could not get away with 40 years ago.
Just saw this article in Forbs today…
Older Workers, There’s Hope: Study Finds Employers Like You Better Than Millennials
If given the choice to hire a Millennial worker or someone age 50 or over, 60% of hiring managers said they would hire the mature worker.
We keep hearing that older workers have a tough time landing new jobs. In a survey of 1,500 hiring managers that I wrote about last week, only 1% of respondents said it is easiest to place job-seekers in their 50s, as opposed to younger workers in their 20s, 30s and 40s. Finally, there is some good news for older workers
PLEASE READ THIS: http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2012/09/24/older-workers-theres-hope-study-finds-employers-like-you-better-than-millennials/
Integrity. Analytic skills in older workers are much better than younger generation.
Ms Fran McGinnis,
I agree with your statement, and all the others, on the value an older and more experienced worker offers the employer. An older and more experienced person has been involved in many, and usually varied, situations and environments and probably with many types of people. So he or she has learned how to adapt, be flexible to changing situations, use of better intercommunication skills, and have learned to analytically reason things out and decide appropriate action or when to fight or let it go. An older/more experienced worker has learned valuable skills and wisdom to effectively & efficiently assess/prioritize/organize and implement appropriate actions in almost any situation. This person usually understands the value of quality work,is detail-oriented, takes pride in the work, and is persistent in completion of tasks. An older person wishing to work, such as myself, wants a fulfilling position where both the employee and employer are benefited, and is willing to accept lower financial compensation for other rewards. More experienced people make good mentors or coaches,and enjoy helping others succeed without wanting to take over. Most are positive thinkers and embrace change, learning the necessary skills or technology needed for success and melding their old experience with their new experience in an effective and productive way. Some may have experiences , as I have, of being bosses, supervisors, and entry-level employees; so have learned what each position needs and the responsibilities involved. This gives a healthy respect and understanding for others in those positions. Those of you who admonished for correct English, grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure are correct. Employers, and almost everyone we meet, judge us by our written and oral communication skills, so we must be as careful as possible. Use the appropriate language for the situation. Never use text-speak for business purposes!
Thank you for taking the time for a very relevant and detailed response. I hope other readers get a chance to see it. Bobby
Older Employee has ability to think,understand ,and act in unforeseen situationin an organized manner with responsibility instead of taking emotional step.
Thanks for sharing this great article.
Too often employers forget about the skills of older employees.
The professional maturity leads the employee to the capacity to quickly understand and adapt to different circumstances and work situations. It brings more flexibility, as well as the ability to create balanced relationships at work and to interact in the best way with different third parties.
Older employees possess a huge portfolio of skills which cannot be acquired through any training or coaching course, they are just the result of their professional and personal experience. Last but not least, they usually have a sounded and consolidated network of strategic and useful contacts.