10. TELEWORKERS: The freedom conveyed by teleworking allows employers to draw on a number of demographics, the members of which might not be interested in the 9-5 office environment. Women caring for children or elderly family members who need schedule flexibility; retirees not looking for a long commute; millennials with up-to-date skills who are determined not to work in an office—there are plenty of options available when telework is part of the conversation. In fact, a report from the Conference Board says that in 2016, 3.1 percent of U.S. full-time workers did so remotely, compared with 2001, when just 1.2 percent of full-time employees teleworked.
The perfect candidate for the job doesn't exist anymore. Or if they do, another company has likely snatched them up. Here are a few groups employers are taking a closer look at as they modify their hiring practices.
1. FORMER PRISONERS: Whether they are aware of it or not lots of businesses have already gone this route—although employers aren't exactly rushing to do so. Still, The New York Times reports that work-release programs and other incentives—such as a federal bonding program cited in a Florida Sun-Sentinel report—can offer employers some reassurance even as they provide a second chance for a candidate they might never have considered before.
2. PEOPLE OVER 50: Even though age discrimination persists in the job market, employers are gradually coming around to realize that older workers have a lot to offer—and in one particular area, they're benefiting by picking up former employees or partners of large firms with mandatory retirement policies, such as within the accounting field. Often these workers aren't ready to retire, whether out of financial necessity or the desire to stay active, and smaller companies are taking advantage of their knowledge and experience in increasing numbers.
3. RETIREES: Lots of fields—including teaching—are reaching out specifically to retirees as they struggle to fill positions. Not only do retirees have the necessary skills and experience, but they're highly regarded for a stronger work ethic and their additional ability to mentor younger workers. And since lots of retirees are looking for ways to stretch or augment their retirement savings, it's a match made—well, on the way to the bank.
Advertisement
4. PREVIOUSLY REJECTED APPLICANTS: People who didn't make the cut on a previous application have gradually looked better to employers—even employees within their own companies who might have been turned down for a promotion or transfer. Someone that wasn't quite good enough the first time can improve on reacquaintance in this tight job market. In fact, they've gotten so attractive that an employer survey last year found that 88 percent had offered jobs to people who had previously been passed over. The prior year, only 59 percent said the same.
5. UNDER-EDUCATED, UNDER-TRAINED: Job candidates lacking the skills to do a given job aren't necessarily rejected these days, with companies finding ways to match potential employees with the right aptitudes to the training or education they need to do the job—or outright changing educational requirements in order to fill empty positions. Not all job requirements are inflexible, and lots of employers are reacting to low unemployment by reviewing their own standards to see whether a certification is really necessary or whether the candidate can learn what's needed on the job.
6. FORMER EMPLOYEES: Rehiring someone who used to work for a company has its advantages, depending on why they left in the first place. Obviously disgruntled former employees, or those sacked for cause, are not a good fit, but someone who left for better pay, benefits or educational/promotion opportunities could be a great candidate. After all, they were good enough to hire once; why not twice? Not only are they already familiar with an employer's company and procedures, but if their stint away from the company got them additional training or broader responsibilities, those are talents the once and future employer can benefit from.
7. PEOPLE WITH PHYSICAL DISABILITIES: Modified job interviews and accommodations for physical limitations highlight some of the entrées into the job market for people with disabilities, who prior to near-record-low unemployment rates had a tough time breaking in. A USA TODAY report points out that some firms are even modifying jobs and rearranging duties and responsibilities to create a more flexible workforce that can accommodate what Carol Glazer, CEO of the National Organization on Disability, says some companies regard as "an untapped talent pool."
8. PEOPLE WITH AUTISM: Minor accommodations, says a report from the Society for Human Resource Management, are pretty much the key to tapping a workforce known for its analytical, focused mind. Such talents can be of particular value in a number of positions, particularly in technology, that require "a heightened aptitude for pattern recognition and attention to detail— traits commonly associated with many autistic people," according to a report from CXO Magazine.
Advertisement
9. GIG WORKERS, FREELANCERS, CONTRACTORS: It may be a tight job market, but that doesn't mean all candidates actually want a full-time job. Employers are looking at otherwise-qualified candidates who may be able to negotiate pay/perks more to their liking than those usually offered by a company to regular full-time employees. In addition, targeting freelancers can be a way to entice millennials—a notoriously tough bunch who are already jobhopping and/or flocking to independent work. They could be doing so because they feel bored, underutilized and stressed—issues that they might feel they can better address from a position of independence than as an employee.
10. TELEWORKERS: The freedom conveyed by teleworking allows employers to draw on a number of demographics, the members of which might not be interested in the 9-5 office environment. Women caring for children or elderly family members who need schedule flexibility; retirees not looking for a long commute; millennials with up-to-date skills who are determined not to work in an office—there are plenty of options available when telework is part of the conversation. In fact, a report from the Conference Board says that in 2016, 3.1 percent of U.S. full-time workers did so remotely, compared with 2001, when just 1.2 percent of full-time employees teleworked.
The perfect candidate for the job doesn't exist anymore. Or if they do, another company has likely snatched them up. Here are a few groups employers are taking a closer look at as they modify their hiring practices.
1. FORMER PRISONERS: Whether they are aware of it or not lots of businesses have already gone this route—although employers aren't exactly rushing to do so. Still, The New York Times reports that work-release programs and other incentives—such as a federal bonding program cited in a Florida Sun-Sentinel report—can offer employers some reassurance even as they provide a second chance for a candidate they might never have considered before.
2. PEOPLE OVER 50: Even though age discrimination persists in the job market, employers are gradually coming around to realize that older workers have a lot to offer—and in one particular area, they're benefiting by picking up former employees or partners of large firms with mandatory retirement policies, such as within the accounting field. Often these workers aren't ready to retire, whether out of financial necessity or the desire to stay active, and smaller companies are taking advantage of their knowledge and experience in increasing numbers.
3. RETIREES: Lots of fields—including teaching—are reaching out specifically to retirees as they struggle to fill positions. Not only do retirees have the necessary skills and experience, but they're highly regarded for a stronger work ethic and their additional ability to mentor younger workers. And since lots of retirees are looking for ways to stretch or augment their retirement savings, it's a match made—well, on the way to the bank.
Advertisement
4. PREVIOUSLY REJECTED APPLICANTS: People who didn't make the cut on a previous application have gradually looked better to employers—even employees within their own companies who might have been turned down for a promotion or transfer. Someone that wasn't quite good enough the first time can improve on reacquaintance in this tight job market. In fact, they've gotten so attractive that an employer survey last year found that 88 percent had offered jobs to people who had previously been passed over. The prior year, only 59 percent said the same.
5. UNDER-EDUCATED, UNDER-TRAINED: Job candidates lacking the skills to do a given job aren't necessarily rejected these days, with companies finding ways to match potential employees with the right aptitudes to the training or education they need to do the job—or outright changing educational requirements in order to fill empty positions. Not all job requirements are inflexible, and lots of employers are reacting to low unemployment by reviewing their own standards to see whether a certification is really necessary or whether the candidate can learn what's needed on the job.
6. FORMER EMPLOYEES: Rehiring someone who used to work for a company has its advantages, depending on why they left in the first place. Obviously disgruntled former employees, or those sacked for cause, are not a good fit, but someone who left for better pay, benefits or educational/promotion opportunities could be a great candidate. After all, they were good enough to hire once; why not twice? Not only are they already familiar with an employer's company and procedures, but if their stint away from the company got them additional training or broader responsibilities, those are talents the once and future employer can benefit from.
7. PEOPLE WITH PHYSICAL DISABILITIES: Modified job interviews and accommodations for physical limitations highlight some of the entrées into the job market for people with disabilities, who prior to near-record-low unemployment rates had a tough time breaking in. A USA TODAY report points out that some firms are even modifying jobs and rearranging duties and responsibilities to create a more flexible workforce that can accommodate what Carol Glazer, CEO of the National Organization on Disability, says some companies regard as "an untapped talent pool."
8. PEOPLE WITH AUTISM: Minor accommodations, says a report from the Society for Human Resource Management, are pretty much the key to tapping a workforce known for its analytical, focused mind. Such talents can be of particular value in a number of positions, particularly in technology, that require "a heightened aptitude for pattern recognition and attention to detail— traits commonly associated with many autistic people," according to a report from CXO Magazine.
Advertisement
9. GIG WORKERS, FREELANCERS, CONTRACTORS: It may be a tight job market, but that doesn't mean all candidates actually want a full-time job. Employers are looking at otherwise-qualified candidates who may be able to negotiate pay/perks more to their liking than those usually offered by a company to regular full-time employees. In addition, targeting freelancers can be a way to entice millennials—a notoriously tough bunch who are already jobhopping and/or flocking to independent work. They could be doing so because they feel bored, underutilized and stressed—issues that they might feel they can better address from a position of independence than as an employee.
10. TELEWORKERS: The freedom conveyed by teleworking allows employers to draw on a number of demographics, the members of which might not be interested in the 9-5 office environment. Women caring for children or elderly family members who need schedule flexibility; retirees not looking for a long commute; millennials with up-to-date skills who are determined not to work in an office—there are plenty of options available when telework is part of the conversation. In fact, a report from the Conference Board says that in 2016, 3.1 percent of U.S. full-time workers did so remotely, compared with 2001, when just 1.2 percent of full-time employees teleworked.
It's a tight job market, with companies coping with talent shortages and unfilled jobs. Not only are workers aging out of the job market, but younger people aren't staying in one company anywhere near as long as older workers used to—exposing employers not just to vacant jobs but also to a talent drain. While slightly higher pay and a sharper focus on benefits are helping to recruit new workers, employers haven't exactly opened their purse strings as much as prospective employees are looking for, so bosses are having to resort to unconventional talent pools to keep their businesses running. In fact, among others, they're taking another look at candidates they might never have considered before, or even that they had considered but rejected. Related: Stuck in a low-wage job? Try sales, new study suggests While some companies are reacting to the labor shortage by doing more with fewer employees, others are being more creative in their approach to the existing labor pool, venturing forth to recruit in demographic groups they might never have considered before—or certainly not as a regular source of employees. And it's paying off, to varying degrees, even though sometimes that means taking on people who have little or no experience in the fields to which they're recruited. Inexperienced workers can gain experience on the job, those with no training or education in a given field can learn, and sometimes those from other demographic groups can provide businesses with alternate approaches to getting the job done that pay off in more than a day's work.
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
Marlene Satter
Marlene Y. Satter has worked in and written about the financial industry for decades.
