Even in a Candidate’s Market, Ageism Exists in the Hiring Process

From big tech to small biz, many employers are struggling to fill critical roles right now. The Great Resignation has created new talent shortages and exacerbated existing ones. And this has left many companies competing fiercely for the same limited pools of candidates. Despite this, some highly qualified job seekers are finding it more difficult than others to get hired because of one simple factor: their age. 

According to a global study conducted by the career training nonprofit Generation between March and May 2021, 63% of unemployed people aged 45 or older have been out of work for longer than a year. That’s compared with 52% of job seekers ages 35 to 44 and just 36% of those who are 18 to 34. And this is not a new trend: Generation found that, since 2015, individuals 45 and older have consistently made up 40% to 70% of the long-term unemployed.

Age-based bias, whether conscious or unconscious, has no place in the hiring process. During a talent shortage, it may be especially detrimental, making it unnecessarily hard for companies to find new hires with the right experience and skills. 

To better equip your team to spot and address it, let’s take a deeper dive into Generation’s findings.

Hiring managers consistently regard older job seekers less favorably, despite their on-the-job performance being strong

Many 45+ professionals see that their age as a serious obstacle in any job hunt. Among successful career switchers, 53% believe age is one of the biggest barriers to finding a new job. For those who are still unemployed, that number rises to 71%.

This belief is justified. Generation found that hiring managers are significantly less likely to rate professionals aged 45+, compared with candidates 35 to 44, as being application ready, having the best experience, or being the best fit for the culture. In fact, in all these categories, candidates in the youngest age group (18 to 34) were better regarded than their 45+ peers. Including for experience.

In terms of why hiring managers feel this way about older candidates, the top concern cited was that professionals aged 45+ would be reluctant to try new technologies (38%). Many hiring managers were also concerned that these professionals would be unable to learn new skills (27%) and that they would have difficulty working with other generations (21%). 

When hiring managers do take a chance on candidates aged 45+, however, good things happen — they rate 87% of those hires as performing as well or better than younger employees and say that 90% have the potential to stay with the company long term. 

This gap between perception and reality puts older professionals in a thorny position. When they are hired, they can excel — but convincing people to give them a chance is an uphill struggle. 

As a result, many are forced to make compromises. Two-thirds (66%) of professionals aged 45+ lowered their expectations in some way, and around one in three accepted a position in a different industry than they wanted (30%) or a role that came with a lower salary (29%). Some (24%) even took a step back in their career, agreeing to a lower starting position.

More age-representative interview panels may help reduce age bias in hiring

To combat this mismatch between the perception of older professionals and reality, companies first need to figure out what’s causing it. Generation posits that it may be the result of two key factors. The first is like-me bias, the tendency to favor people similar to oneself. Of the hiring managers surveyed, the vast majority (72%) were under 45, which may help to explain why they viewed people in the 18-to-44 age range as more suitable and competent candidates. 

This finding suggests a need to build more age-diverse interview panels and teams of decision makers. If people from various generations are represented and providing feedback on each candidate, companies may be able to gain a more balanced perspective before making hiring decisions. This approach might also help older candidates feel like they could belong at your company, since a panel made up exclusively of people far younger than them could signal that your workforce skews young, even if this isn’t the case. 

The other factor Generation points to is belief perseverance, which is the ability for biases to survive despite clear counterexamples. The report stresses the fact that the contradictory beliefs about older professionals — that they are both less-suitable, less-competent candidates and, simultaneously, high-performing, high-potential employees — did not come from competing data sets. They came from the same survey respondents, despite seeming to cancel one another out.

Knowing this, talent professionals may need to be more proactive about confronting conflicting beliefs. 

If a hiring manager suggests that an older candidate may not be a good culture fit, for example, the recruiter could point to an older employee who is a top performer and ask what makes them a good fit but not the candidate under consideration. Or if the hiring manager says the candidate lacks the right experience, the recruiter could gently push back by comparing their profile to that of an existing employee with a similar background.

Talking about bias can be a touchy subject, so delicacy and empathy are essential. But by getting hiring managers to talk through their reasoning, you may be able to help them identify where they have biases, without needing to call them out or make them uncomfortable. 

Final thoughts: Confronting bias is just the beginning

Older candidates have a wealth of experience and skills to offer your company — when they get the chance. If you’re currently finding it difficult to hire, this is the perfect opportunity to tap a talent pool that’s too often overlooked, while making a real difference in the lives of people who may struggle to find work that matches their level of ability. 

The steps outlined above can help you shine a light on and address hidden biases around age. But to build a workplace where employees of all ages can share their talent, consider also adopting intentional strategies to welcome and support older workers.

HubSpot has a Returners Programs that make it easier for professionals who have been out of the workforce for some time to transition back, while CVS Health has a Talent Is Ageless initiative designed to help older employees land new opportunities and access any training they need. 

Programs like these let candidates know that you’re not only open to hiring more mature workers, but that you’re actively engaged in helping them make meaningful career moves.

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