Orthopedic Shoes Optional...

An interesting topic was brought to my attention a few days ago by one of my readers...what agencies are out there recruiting for older candidates? I had to admit that I was stumped. ARE there any agencies out there for an older demographic? I wasn't sure...and I said as much. I guess the upside of not having an answer is that it got me thinking about my approach to candidates in the "older demographic."

What is my approach, you ask? Well, my approach is that I am looking for the absolute best candidate to fill my client's open position and I don't really give two figs how old you are, what brand of shoes you prefer or how you take your coffee. What I care about is:

ARE YOU A FIT FOR THE JOB?

As a recruiter it is important to consider many things during the screening process and your skill set is only one of them. When I talk to my candidates about a job I want to know many, many things and your age...well...let me repeat: I.DON'T.CARE. And any recruiter worth the paper their business card is printed on doesn't.

OK...I'll be me and you be the candidate. I'll ask some questions and you think about the answers:

--- What are you doing in your current role?
--- What do you like about it?
--- What would you change about it if you could only pick one thing to change?
--- What do you want to get out of your next job?
--- If you could go back to school and study for any profession you wanted to then what would it be?
--- If you were in charge (assuming you aren't already) what would you change about the corporate culture specifically?

I bet I know what you're thinking..."What's with all the 'touchy-feely,' 'let's sing a song by the campfire' crap? Pony up some technical questions Ms. Technical Recruiter." I do actually ask questions about the skills you bring to the table, but in my not-quite-as-humble-as-I-probably-should-be opinion, your technical skills are secondary once I get past the resume review part.

What good are your skills if you hate the work environment my client offers? No good at all I tell you. No.Good.At.All. You won't be successful if you prefer a board shorts and flip flops environment and I put you into a boardroom and suit environment. You'd probably rather hang yourself with that tie. Right?

Where does age come into all this you may possibly be wondering right about now...well, it goes hand-in-hand with the environment you prefer. If I know my client has, for whatever reason, a team that is all "down with the man" and you ARE "the man" then you may possibly be heading into a lion's den. If you are someone who has never worn a suit - much less actually knows how totie a tie - well, it is very possible your co-workers could end up hanging you with the tie.

I guess what I am saying is that age is irrelevant to me. I only care that you are going to absolutely love the culture I am hoping to put you into and that you can do the job I am hoping to put you into. My advice to any job seeker is to find a recruiter that feels the same way I do.

I encourage you to identify a recruiter that both specializes in your career field and who you build a positive rapport with. That recruiter is going to see your value and they are going to work hard for you. Ask the recruiter this: "Are you looking to fill your open position with A person or THE person."

When the recruiter talks to you about a job you need to pay attention. Do they ask you about the kind of culture you like? Do they tell you anything about the company with the job opening or just the job itself? Do they ask you what you want to be doing or just what you are doing?

Those distinctions matter...A LOT. So, in answer to my reader's question about whether or not there is an agency out there specializing in an older demographic...well, I still don't know the answer to that one. What I do know is there are a lot of really good recruiters out there specializing in making the best match between their clients and their candidates and those recruiters make age irrelevant.