We frequently get questions from “older” workers; professionals over 50 who suddenly find 
themselves out of work and unable to convince someone that they are worth hiring because of their age and experience. So I was gratified to see a blog post on ERE.net about an older worker who was rejected by corporate America only to find happiness at the local supermarket.
The story is of a corporate executive with a Fortune 500 company, laid off at 54 with a fat severance package and no prospects. He tried to find another professional position, but was squeezed out. As the blogger explains:
“He went on to say that recruiters aren't high on hiring 50+ people simply because they cost too much, need too much technology training and won't be there very long with retirement age looming. He went on interview after interview. He was qualified for every one of them. But was repeatedly told that 'another candidate was chosen'. After being let down over and over, he thought long and hard about how he could utilize his people skills, negotiation skills, sales skills, presentation skills-and it quickly dawned on him. The grocery store.
The hiring process for the grocery store was easy by comparison. He was asked a few strategic questions and then hired immediately. The grocery recruiter realized that this candidate had skills and assets that were easily transferrable to their needs. When he asked why they hired him, the response was, “because of your wealth of experience working with people, and ability to sell and exceed expectations.”
Grocers understand food, which is why they know that employees, like fine wine and rare cheese, improve with age. What the grocery recruiter realized and corporate recruiter has forgotten is that experience counts for quite a lot, and even if a candidate was only to work 10 or 8 or 5 years, the value in knowledge and experience that candidate brings to the job far outweighs the cost of hiring and trying to retain a younger worker. In today’s work world, an eight-year tenure at any company would seem like a lifetime.
Bill Novelli, the CEO of the AARP, recently wrote a book entitled 50+: Give Meaning and Purpose to the Best Time of Your Life, which speaks to how you can give meaning and purpose to the best years of your life. Older workers have an opportunity to change their workplace. If you look at the body of research, the surveys consistently show that people over 50 do high quality work, they play well with others, they are loyal, level-headed in a crisis, and generally have a lot to offer as employees. And the boomer generation is the healthiest to date. So why won’t companies hire them?
So when you walk into a grocery store, or a hardware store, or any retailer, would you rather take the word of the high school kid working the cash register, or the 50-plus worker on the store floor? Experience has real value, and it’s time that the corporate world recognized that.
