Many recruiters discount opportunities for older employees, and also have doubts about potential employees who are younger or recent graduates, preferring middle ages.
A survey conducted by Resume Builder found that 36 percent of hiring managers said they were biased against Generation Z candidates, and 34 percent said they had concerns about hiring candidates over 60.
Ageism is nothing new, of course, although the survey results are a reminder that even in a strong job market, it can still be difficult to get a new job, with some underestimating candidates’ abilities to work, whether because of their young age or Until they get old.
Business Insider quoted Resume Builder’s chief career advisor, Stacy Haller, as saying: “You have to be aware of the pitfalls like ageism… You have to know the landscape you’re in.”
- Resume Builder surveyed 1,000 hiring managers in March.
- 42 percent said age is a factor when reviewing a resume.
- To determine a candidate’s age, hiring managers said they used methods such as counting years of experience, looking up the year a person graduated, and even checking photos, the survey found.
- Some candidates may choose not to list the year they graduated on their CV; For fear that recruiters will make those calculations.
- In the survey, six in 10 hiring managers said job seekers should “always” include their year of graduation, but about four in 10 said candidates sometimes shouldn’t include the year.
Some TikTokers who focus on career advice are encouraging people to remove their graduate years from their resumes so that younger candidates avoid being criticized for not having enough experience and older workers aren’t weeded out for having too much experience.
Haller supports this philosophy. “It matters that you got your degree,” she says. “Does it matter if you got it last year or 20 years ago? It shouldn’t be that way.”
Recruiters determined to weed out groups they don’t like can often still find a way, she added, even when job applicants strip their resumes and LinkedIn profiles of indicators like graduation dates.
Influence of age considerations
In turn, economist Sayed Khader believes that age-related considerations can affect hiring managers’ outlook during the selection process in several ways through what he described as “belief bias,” as some hiring managers have preconceived beliefs about specific age groups and future expectations. about younger people and their ability to learn, as well as the perception of older people as more stable and experienced.
He added in exclusive statements to the “Eqtisad Sky News Arabia” website that such prior beliefs may affect their decisions regarding employment. But at the same time, he also points out a factor related to what he described as “legal bias,” as some countries impose laws and legislation. To protect against age discrimination in employment, however, these laws may sometimes be overridden due to personal bias or stereotypes of some hiring managers.
He points out that identifying job-specific needs requires identifying specific skills or experiences that some managers believe accumulate with age. For example, some may consider that extensive experience in a particular field comes with age, and thus selection processes tend toward older candidates to benefit from their experience.
Regarding the impact of age considerations on employment, he confirms that they reduce opportunities in some jobs, especially with age biases or discrimination in the recruitment process. However, the basic principle must be to rely on individual competence and qualifications when making employment decisions.
It also explains that in some cases there may be legal restrictions on age discrimination in some jobs, and this varies from one country to another. There may be a minimum or maximum age allowed for some government jobs or otherwise, so in these cases those legal restrictions must be complied with, However, under an ethical and fair approach, applicants should be evaluated based on their abilities, qualifications and experience, regardless of their age.
selection criteria
He points out the importance of choosing the best for the job based on the required capabilities and performance of specific tasks, especially since relying on competence and qualifications allows for bringing diversity and multiplicity of experiences and age perspectives to the work teams, which enhances creativity, productivity and sustainability in institutions, stressing the need for the goal to be to get rid of any bias. My age and focus on competency, abilities and actual job needs when making hiring decisions.
- In the United States, there are federal laws designed to protect workers over the age of 40 from age discrimination, according to Business Insider.
- Some states also have provisions intended to protect younger members of the workforce from discriminatory hiring, according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
- But proving age bias can be difficult.
The nature of the jobs is the main test
In addition, the economic researcher, Yassin Ahmed, when speaking to the “Eqtisad Sky News Arabia” website, confirms that hiring managers’ view of age considerations during the employee selection process differs from one job to another, especially since there are jobs that require a specific age group, such as the job of “financial analyst.” ; Here, hiring managers look at selecting the most experienced group practically and not theoretically, and thus the selection will be limited to a specific age group.
He adds: There are many jobs that require a specific age group, such as the job of sales abroad, which requires many movements outside the field of the organization, so age considerations affect the choices of hiring managers according to the nature and requirements of each job.
He points out that age averages may reduce opportunities in many jobs, such as many jobs that require specific years of practical experience in the same field to enable the person to make decisions later. He explains that these age averages do not have to represent the only criterion in the selection process in some matters and jobs. In light of the requirements of many jobs for expertise and competencies capable of dealing with many different challenges and problems, regardless of age considerations, but rather relying on competence.
- The survey results show that among hiring managers who admitted to bias against Gen Z job seekers, more than three-quarters cited younger workers’ lack of experience.
- About six in 10 managers cited what they saw as a tendency among Generation Z to hop between jobs.
- A similar portion of participants questioned the work ethic and professionalism of the youngest segment of the workforce.
- The reasons given for bias against older workers were not new. Three-quarters of participants expressed concern that the older employee may retire soon.
- Nearly two-thirds were concerned that older candidates would have health problems.
- Nearly half of hiring managers said they were concerned that older workers wouldn’t have enough technology experience.
