Listen Up Recruiters: Late Career Hires Rock
Hiring Seasoned Professionals is Smart
Here's some news for all those recruiters shying away from hiring 'late' career people:
We are not technically illiterate. I started with prompts from ChatGPT to get this blog post started. Just saying. And, there is a course for pretty much everything I need to know in my next job unless I plan on becoming an astrophysicist.
We will be around longer than you think. I know, hiring ‘seasoned’ individuals may imply that they won't be around long past retirement age. Guess what? We can't afford to retire if we are going to live until 90 or 100. We will be around longer than your younger hires, who are in the exploration mode of life and not settled in their career.
It's OKAY that we may be overqualified for a position. Have you ever considered that we may apply for a job that we seem too senior for because we like what we do and don't need to run on all four cylinders trying to prove ourselves? And there's an upside here – you'll have more productivity out of the gate and someone who can help guide the way for newer employees.
Our desire for flexibility is not unique, but increasingly universal. Society is at a tipping point where sane workers want flexibility vs. a bone-crushing, soul-destroying job. Any company facing a talent shortage (pretty much across the board) needs to embed flexible work strategies into their hiring process.
We are just fine with having younger bosses or being reverse-mentored. Come on, this trend is well-baked. We've embraced that we may not be the king of the universe in our next job, and that's just fine. Just don't make stupid ageist comments or think we will ask for a fax machine.
And if you are considering hiring middle-to-late career women, please don't worry too much about the menopause thing. I do not need a cool room at some overly engineered-workplace. Just go back to the sub-section on flexibility. Give me a few extra flex days where I can work from home or take a break. Understand if I leave the office early or take an unscheduled break in the day. It’s all good.
