What employers need to understand and older candidates need to do

Inflation, retirement accounts at risk, and general economic uncertainty are alarming older adults. At the same time, employers are facing unprecedented talent and skills shortages. This is a problem that can be solved to the benefit of all.

In addition to the talent shortage challenge, we need to address the fact that our workforce is rapidly aging. The U.S. Census Bureau predicts that by 2030, one-fifth of U.S. residents will be older than age 65. Most of these older Americans will either need to work or want to continue working. Employers will need their skills and wisdom to sustain business growth and the economic vitality of their communities.

Our business environment has never been more challenging, from economics to HR. Hiring mature, experienced candidates can be an effective response in overcoming the issues of vacant positions, burnout, quiet quitting, and the costs of turnover. Solutions begin with rethinking stereotypes of older employees as being less capable, less able to adapt and learn, and unwilling to roll up their sleeves and dig in. Think of 83-year-old Anthony Fauci, 93-year-old Warren Buffett, and Dolly Parton, about to release her first rock album at age 77. These mature talents, like thousands of others, debunk Mark Zuckerburg’s belief that, “Young people are just smarter.”

It’s no secret that employers tend to prefer younger, cheaper, employees over older ones despite their wealth of experience and skills. But organizations that eliminate age bias from their cultures and hiring practices understand and appreciate the merits of hiring mature candidates. This puts them miles ahead of the competition in the talent war, especially in our current labor market, where job openings far exceed job seekers.

Older employees have much in common with their younger peers, looking for meaning and purpose in their work and lives. How do we go about changing not only mindsets, but recruitment, assessment, and pay systems that are all designed to avoid hiring older people – the very ones we need to help resolve our workplace challenges?

What makes mature employees desirable?

By addressing labor shortages with older employees, organizations are beginning to see a more collaborative spirit and the benefits of diverse teams that integrate youthful vitality with the insights of experience. A recent Deloitte study shows that age brings a sense of security and wisdom to teams that can be used to their advantage. When your culture provides purpose for both younger and older employees, and a community based on inclusivity, respect, and fairness for all, your organization becomes more innovative, profitable, and likely to reach its full potential.

That said, we cannot sidestep the truth that older employees are typically not as tech savvy as younger ones. However, most are familiar with the basics and are highly capable of being trained on specific tools for the job at hand. Setting aside the technology excuse for not hiring mature jobseekers, consider these valuable traits and talents that are strong reasons to actively recruit them:

• Strong work ethic
• High levels of competence, which minimize errors
• Experienced leadership and people skills
• Good judgment
• Strong communication skills, especially face-to-face
• Loyalty, translating to longer tenure
• Strong networks as a source for hiring, marketing, and sales
• Workplace and business wisdom
• Valuable mentoring for younger employees, increasing engagement and lowering turnover
• Less need for training (in everything but technology)

Adapting your recruiting strategies

Many people retiring from long and satisfying careers love to work and enjoy the opportunity to share what they know and continue being a vital part of a community.

They are highly capable of taking on important roles in managing and growing your business.

The multiple generations that make up a workplace community each have specific needs. The best companies, for example, provide comfortable nursing rooms for new mothers and flexibility for mid-career employees to care for aging parents. Employers also need to adapt to the unique needs of older employees. Here’s what you can do to recruit and retain them:

• Make age diversity part of your DEI program and educate employees on implicit biases. Train recruiters and hiring managers specifically not to discriminate based on age.
• Create a formal program that targets older candidates. Extend your outreach to organizations like AARP, where older jobseekers look for opportunities. Write job ads and descriptions that are inclusive, avoiding terms like “digital native” that don’t apply to older candidates.
• Offer them titles and roles that match their expertise rather than their previous compensation level. Focus on the value of their work, not their tenure in the workplace. The best fit for older employees may be in managerial and mentoring positions where they can more easily leverage their experience and knowledge.
• Be creative in developing benefits packages that appeal to older employees, including things like comprehensive health care coverage, long-and short-term disability, wellness programs, gym memberships, and onsite childcare for grandchildren.
• Accommodate physical needs. This could include everything from more frequent breaks to accessible workstations that provide additional light, larger fonts, or listening devices.
• Add flexibility to scheduling through reduced or staggered hours, remote and hybrid working options, compressed schedules, and job sharing.
• Provide additional training and educational opportunities, especially related to technology.
• Offer phased retirement plans that allow for slower disengagement over months or years, allowing them to still share expertise while benefiting from health and other benefits.

How to turn bias to strength as an older candidate

If you’re competing with younger candidates for a job, trust that you have experience and wisdom that offer different and equally valuable skills to an employer. Focus on your expertise as well as your interest in and ability to learn new skills. Embrace your seniority and proudly articulate how it will benefit a potential employer.

Here are tips that may help build your confidence if you haven’t been down the application and interview road for a while:

• Update and optimize your resume to stand out in today’s market. Keep in mind that applicant tracking systems are your first hurdle in the process, so incorporating keywords from job descriptions helps get you through to the next step.
• Don’t assume you’re not qualified because a job description lists technologies you haven’t used before. You can be trained.
• Stay current on the technologies most used in your field, upgrade your skills, and get new certifications if appropriate. Know how to use Zoom and Teams for interviews.
• In cover letters and interviews, leverage your experience. Outline everything you have to offer (Strategic thinking? Leadership? Execution? Mentoring?) and explain how your knowledge and experience will benefit the employer and give them a competitive advantage.
• Stay current in your field and demonstrate your expertise in it by mentioning current information from books, articles, or tweets and their relevance to your potential role in the company. Show your knowledge of the organization, its products, and industry trends and news. Make it a dialogue, not a speech.
• Be prepared to answer awkward interview questions like, “Why would you apply for a job you are overqualified for and be bored?” (Because you are interested in the role or the company or the industry, want to learn something entirely new, want to share your expertise on a collaborative team …) Or, “Why would you be satisfied with a lower salary than you’re used to?” (“I’m looking for a role that inspires and challenges me; I know how it feels to be paid well but be miserable;

I’m willing to work for less in exchange for learning something new, taking on less management responsibility …”) If you suspect these issues are the elephant in the room, bring up the topics yourself by asking if the interviewer is “Wondering why someone like me would …”

Research potential employers

• Understand whether an industry or organization is age-friendly. Check Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) reports for recruiting and retention practices and look at Glassdoor comments from employees.
• Find the right culture fit for you, starting with one that welcomes and values diversity, including older employees.
• Conduct an expansive job search. Older job seekers often find that networking is a better option than answering job ads, although you should do both. Let your family, friends, and former coworkers know what sort of position you are looking for and ask them for connections or referrals. Be open to part-time or freelance jobs to get your foot in the door and demonstrate your capabilities.

Related: Closing the retirement savings gap: Employer offerings vs. workers’ needs

Numerous factors over the past few years have come together to create the talent shortage we now experience. At the same time, older Americans with years of experience and wisdom that can’t be taught are sitting idle, most of them victims of ageism. It’s up to employers to recognize the solution in front of them.

Kathleen Quinn Votaw (www.talentrust.com) is the CEO of TalenTrust, a strategic recruiting and human capital consulting firm.