This is Why You Should Hire Older Workers

John Krautzel
Posted by in Career Advice •


In this day and age, many employers are hesitant to hire older workers. Experienced employees cost more to retain, creating budget concerns for hiring managers. There are also some concerns about having to train older workers to use new technology. If you are hesitant to hire experienced workers for these reasons, fear not. Hiring people who are close to retirement age can actually be a good thing for your company. Here are five reasons why.

1. People Skills

Older workers have a lot of experience handling tense situations and resolving tough problems. An older employee is also less likely to be working for the money and more interested in having opportunities to interact with other people. If you need help handling customer service issues, an older employee may be the perfect person for the job.

2. Work Experience

Older workers have spent decades in the workforce, so they usually know how to behave in a professional manner. When you hire older employees, it's rare that you have to tell them to dress appropriately or show up at work on time. Older workers understand professional norms, making them easier to manage. Because older workers have a lot of experience, they are also less likely to make costly mistakes. It may cost a little more to hire an older employee, but the cost is well worth it if that employee helps your company avoid major errors.

3. Industry Knowledge

Experienced employees have a lot of industry knowledge, which comes in handy when you have a tough problem to solve. The right combination of knowledge and experience tends to make older workers more innovative and better able to handle problems as they arise.

4. Mentoring Opportunities

Pairing older employees with younger workers creates valuable mentoring opportunities within your company. Young workers can learn a lot from their experienced counterparts, and there are also a few things older workers can learn from working with young people. A strong mentoring program fosters positive relationships between the two groups, reducing workplace conflict and making your company a better place to work.

5. Loyalty

Millennials make great employees, but they tend to move around a lot. It's not unusual for a young employee to work for three companies in a five-year span. Older workers, however, grew up with the idea that you're supposed to be loyal to your employer. If you hire older workers, they are likely to stay with your company for several years, reducing turnover and making it less expensive to hire replacements.

If you are worried about hiring older workers due to the perceived cost of retaining them, you may want to rethink your position. Older workers may want higher salaries, but they bring a lot to the table in terms of industry knowledge, technical skills and loyalty.


Photo courtesy of stockimages at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 
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  • RONALD ELLIOTT
    RONALD ELLIOTT •

    I could not agree more...I just wish recruiters and hiring managers were aware of this. I might wish to add, that older people know the value of performing on their job and do not have you owe mindset...

  • Nancy Anderson
    Nancy Anderson •

    @Sandi a reputable company is not going to ask for any pertinent information like your social security number unless you are on the short list to be hired and they want to do a background check on you. However, I would still never give it out without an offer - a valid offer, not one that you get in an email from an unknown person or company. I know I get tons of those - we would like to offer you this position; all you have to do is send us your social security number and your banking information, blah, blah. My response - DELETE.

  • Sandi H.
    Sandi H. •

    However it has shut me out of a lot of jobs. Not giving out my social. Anyone else have this issue???

  • Sandi H.
    Sandi H. •

    There are so many company's asking for my social over the web. These are well founded trusted company's . I would never give that out without an offer on the table.

  • Nancy Anderson
    Nancy Anderson •

    Thanks for the comments. Sad but true - many applications ask for high school graduation. Not sure how they get around the laws with this, either but they do. @Melissa if you are filling in your birthdate on anything we can only hope that it's AFTER you have a valid job offer. Never give that out until/unless you are sure that it's a legitimate job and you have already been interviewed. And on a background check, the same thing - only AFTER you know that it's a valid job and you have an offer. Too many unscrupulous people out there who just want to steal your identity. @Carol, unfortunately, if the job application asks for your graduation date, there's not much that you can do but give it to them or not apply. So sorry that you are in such a position at your current position. Stop cleaning up after them and make them take responsibility. As long as you continue to clean up, they will continue to slack.

  • Melissa Holland
    Melissa Holland •

    Yes, there are laws that prohibit prospective employers to verbally ask your age. However, the way an employer gets around these laws is when you fill out the mandatory I-9 which specifically ask your birth date (month, day and YEAR). Same goes for the Background Check form which also specifically ask your birth date (month, day and YEAR). So much for the laws prohibiting prospective employers from verbally asking your age.

  • CAROL McGrew
    CAROL McGrew •

    In an age where we have laws that prohibit a company from asking you your age, why has it become acceptable for a company to ask what year you graduated high school or the age range that you are? (ie: are you over 40?) This is unacceptable and employers need to give everyone the opportunity to present themselves for employment. I think that they would find that an older employee would be a huge asset for whatever amount of time they are employed with them, but they have to give us a chance! How do we get around this obstacle and get our foot in the door? I would love to work for a company who has faith in older, experienced employees. I work for a company now that keeps hiring young, inexperienced employees with absolutely little or no work ethic. It makes it hard for people like me to work with these younger people because as adults, we are supposed to be working together to get a job done; not the older working behind the younger and cleaning up after them to make a situation right.

  • Nancy Anderson
    Nancy Anderson •

    @Eliot thank you for that. The rule of thumb for me has always been to dress for the job I want, not the job I have. I, too, have interviewed candidates who were dressed like they were heading to the park when the interview was over. Needless to say, the interview was over much quicker than they expected and I was ushering them out the door in just a few minutes. But let me tell you - the look on their face was priceless. They thought that they were the perfect candidate and I have to admit, on paper, they were. Maybe it's because I am older that I expect candidates to dress for an interview the right way and not come in looking like a bun. You have to ask yourself, if they are dressing this way, what is their work ethic going to be?!

  • Eliot S.
    Eliot S. •

    @Julia Moore: Dressing for an interview is a lot different than working at the company. If they are asking you to dress professionally, they have a reason for doing so. Once you are on the job and working, wearing jeans may be a non-issue. But, when they don't know you and you don't know them, how you present yourself can be much more important. I once owned a skateboard shop. Not exactly a white collar place. But, if someone came in looking for a job, wearing a torn, faded tee shirt, I would not be inclined to hire him/her. Why? It says he/she is not taking the job or themselves seriously. Then why should I?

  • Denice B.
    Denice B. •

    I'm in that category. In my 60's and went back and got my B.A. and now applying for a Masters. In process of getting a credential. There are three professions where age and maturity is a plus: psychology, medicine and education.

  • george s.
    george s. •

    Well stated

  • Jeff F.
    Jeff F. •

    Great points of the "5"! And they're so true, as I did stable jobs, and had loyalty, etc.!

  • Felecia J.
    Felecia J. •

    Great advice i needed that hit home. Thank-you. I have all those qualities.

  • Nancy Anderson
    Nancy Anderson •

    @Michele thanks for your comment. First off it's great that you went back to school and got a degree. This shows initiative on your part. I have to ask, are you treating the job search as a job? Are you getting up in the morning and getting ready and then spending a full day on your job search? Or realistically at least 1/2 of the day. Are you contacting recruiters? Are you contacting temp agencies and getting set up through them? Even as old fashioned as this may sound - are you checking your local newspaper; especially on Sundays? Are you keeping track of the companies you applied to and then following up? Are you sending out cover letters with your resumes? Are you using keywords from the job postings in your resume? So many things to consider and so many reasons why you are still looking. If you live in a smaller town, you may not have as many opportunities so you may have to get creative. In other words, if you are seeking say an admin position - try spreading your wings and apply to other positions where your skills could be utilized such as an office manager. Are you using LinkedIn? What about Facebook and Twitter? Yes you can find many job postings there as well. Hope this helps.

  • Michele N.
    Michele N. •

    I am one of these older workers and have been looking for work for over three years now with no success. I even went back to school and got my Associate's Degree to make myself more marketable, with still no luck.

  • Nancy Anderson
    Nancy Anderson •

    @Diana T thanks so much for that comment. Couldn't have said it better myself. That's one thing I love about @Beyond in that there is a complete mix of generations represented and all work very well together - for the good of the company.

  • Diana T.
    Diana T. •

    We all learn from each other and it is very important to have both young and older employees working together. We all have something to offer as a team player there is no way that a younger employee will have the wisdom, knowledge, and experience to offer a company when decision-making is to be done. Remember that it is all about saving the company and making profit. Summing it also up we need variety in the workplace from top to bottom. You are not going to find all the things you are looking for in one employee it will have to be approach as a team/group within an organization that helps the organization to be successful.

  • Nancy Anderson
    Nancy Anderson •

    @Tucker thanks for your comment. Not all companies try to break the mold and hire a person outside of their field. And not all companies discard resumes unless the applicant has exactly what they want. When a company puts together a job posting, they will lay out every possible skill and qualification that they can think of - or ever dreamed of - for the position. That doesn't mean that only a perfect candidate will get the position. I think that they do it because they want a candidate that has half or more of the qualifications but they don't want a candidate who only has one or two of the requirements listed on the posting. As for hiring an outsider as a president - sometimes that pays off because he/she will come in with new ideas and concepts - fresh new eyes- and can sometimes breathe life back into a company. So, don't let the fact that you may not have every possible skill/requirement that is listed on the job posting. If you feel that you are qualified for a position, go for it.

  • Tucker D.
    Tucker D. •

    I find it so curious that people are willing to "break the mold" and have a president who is "an outsider" - even one that is completely delusional - yet when these same people come to hiring, they look at the resume and say, "wait a sec ... you don't have experience doing this, in this way, for this long, in this trajectory, for exactly what we have defined in our minds as the position. Can you show us your samples, explain how you do things, and why we should consider you?" Or, if you have no experience, why should you even be considered? "No, so sorry, you aren't hired." Funny how this "Break the mold, I want an outsider thing" works in considering the leader of the free world. In the real world, Not so much.

  • Sara M.
    Sara M. •

    Thank you so much for your acknowledgement of those attributes of older workers. Having been laid off and looking for a job again, it becomes pretty clear that age discrimination is frequently applied.

  • Jeff L.
    Jeff L. •

    Yeah, what he said!

  • ILEANA M.
    ILEANA M. •

    Interesting article.

  • Terry A.
    Terry A. •

    Sound advice and very well appreciated from someone coming into that bracket....my thanks to the author

  • Nancy Anderson
    Nancy Anderson •

    @John R thanks for your comment and the reminder. We always think that if we have more education or more experience that we will be hired. Not always true. So important to get along with all of those who work around us, for us or over us. We can also offer to be mentors to the younger coworkers who are trying to find their way.

  • John R.
    John R. •

    One has to keep in mind the following statement; "Wish I was young again because when I was young I use to know everything?" As it was said, it is a sad fact that we as older workers will be replaced by young workers no matter what our skill sets are? What older workers need to do is to learn to become more flexible and to be more engaging with our work surroundings(To get along one has to go along).May I add to this is that in most if not all instances, technical knowledge does not always mean a good job? Getting along with our bosses and co-workers has proven to go a long way for older more experienced workers in keeping their jobs.

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