When are you too old to be considered...??

It is sad and rather tedious to observe this increasingly heated debate regarding at what age a candidate is too old to be considered for a position, and indeed why..! I would like to contribute my feelings to this very contentious and in my opinion sad part of the international recruitment scene.

At which stage is a candidate too old for consideration? Today it seems increasingly clear that candidates above 50 years old are less likely to be considered viable for most of the senior positions on offer. There are several schools of thought as to why that might be. Sadly, often the main reason revolve around salary expectations and at that age it is seemingly perceived that a candidate is no longer as strong as they used to be or indeed at their best. How wrong can people be..! It is a fact (right and fair) that a candidate of certain age and experience under normal circumstances will command a higher salary than perhaps a younger professional who has less experience and still a lot to learn and prove in the industry, but will happily accept a lessor remuneration. Experience has a price attached to it and hence it is vital to understand the correct balance between proper experience and remuneration. At Craft Hospitality Intl. We work extremely hard with our clients to promote balanced decisions.

Often our clients arrive with a mind set that only candidates below 50 are to be considered, hence the younger candidates are often over promoted and laboured with responsibilities they are not yet equipped nor experienced enough to handle. Such decisions often produce disastrous results and leave businesses all over the world in dire straits because of poor judgement regarding the all important decisions of correct balance of experience and responsibility.

I totally agree that young professionals of today need to be given their lionshare of promotion and progression, however, it is our job as the more senior and experienced partners in the hospitality sector to get across to prospective employers that a person that is perhaps 50 plus usually are equipped with tremendous amount of experience and kudos earned over decades of varied contribution to the businesses they have been entrusted to lead. It is OUR job to train, teach, support and groom the young professionals to be able to grow in their positions through the ranks rather than think it is cheaper to get young graduates to run businesses they are not nearly experienced enough to control.

In summary, let me underscore and disenfranchise this totally misplaced thesis that because we reach certain milestones in age, we are very far from "finished". We have exactly because of our age: superior skill sets, experience, control, knowledge, patience, holistic thinking, people skills far beyond the youngsters.

That's why Craft Hospitality Intl promote experienced leaders for the top positions we are contracted to fill, at the rightful age with solid experience and knowledge. And we always inform our clients that such candidates command a salary commensurate with their previous experience and success levels!

Personally, I'm 61 years old, have 40 years experience in the wider hospitality sector on 4 continents, 25 years + as an executive manager / director. I run 10km 4 times a week, I play Tennis 2 times a week.. Am I too old to be considered? I THINK NOT...!!