Battle of the Ages.....

In today’s economy and job market, if you are out of work and looking for a job, is it better to be young and relatively inexperienced, or older and experienced? (Actually, I’ve always thought that the perfect combination would be to be 25 years old and have 20 years of experience!)

Seriously, though, it is tough today for everybody, and everybody thinks that the other guy/gal has the advantage. For one thing, people are living longer and need additional income to support their life styles, so many older workers, who at another time would have retired and thus created openings for younger workers, are continuing to work, or are out looking for work. Add to this the fact that people who want to work are being laid-off from their jobs and fewer and fewer new jobs are being created, and you have the pictures of hundreds of people waiting in line to apply for a handful of jobs.

But, when filling jobs, without overtly discriminating, do employers favor young or older workers? While each age group has strengths and weaknesses, one employment counselor observed that “many businesses do prefer older workers. They know they’re dependable and reliable. Older workers also take less sick days.” Older workers, however, are often not as technically savvy as their younger colleagues, so often find themselves edged out of higher paying technology jobs. Also, older workers are perhaps not as “glamorous” as their younger counterparts.

What about the older, experienced worker who is applying for a job a rung or two lower on the corporate ladder than he/she used to occupy? Are they looked at as “over-qualified”, or “too experienced”? And what does “over-qualified” or “too experienced” really mean in today’s world and job market?

As a one time hiring manager in a different place and economic time, sure you would look kind of suspiciously at the CPA and former VP of Corporate Audit who was applying for your bookkeeping job. What’s wrong with the guy? Does he have no ambition? Is he burned out, or worse? What’s going to happen if and when a more suitable job opens, is he just going to leave us? These were all true and valid questions during much better economic times.

Today, however, things are decidedly different. There are fewer jobs, fewer employees, and companies are trying to do more with less. As a result, it would seem that employees with that “extra” experience would be an asset. They would be able to do things quicker and more efficiently, and provide additional help and training to the rest of the staff. They might even be able to take on additional responsibilities which somebody with less experience couldn’t.

P.S. > In the interest of fairness and full disclosure, I am one of those “older, experienced workers”!