Does Talent Acquisition Have a Dirty Little Secret?

by Randy Samsel, eSearch Talent Solutions 
 

One session from a few years ago stood out to me, though, as it helped clarify the challenges facing older workers in the job market. Bob Danna, former Managing Director of Deloitte Consulting, discussed the Future of HR with an emphasis on digital transformation. Bob covered a wide range of trends stemming from research conducted at Bersin by Deloitte, the HR Consulting arm of Deloitte.

    Though I read the Bersin by Deloitte Global Human Capital Trends report in advance, Bob made one comment that surprised me. Bob pointed out that, for the first time five generations are in the workforce. That is not what surprised me. He also said many baby boomers would work another twenty to thirty years.  READ MORE
 

A well-optimized LinkedIn profile is a necessity in today's job search. But what is acceptable to put in your LinkedIn profile and what is best left off it?

    The biggest mistake job seekers make when creating and updating their LinkedIn profile is not adding enough of the "right" information. But, there are still a few things that don't belong on your profile, which will hurt your chances of standing out to recruiters and building your professional network.
 

If you look up definitions of the word “fortitude,” you’ll find entries like “courage through adversity” or “resolute endurance.” While I think those definitions are accurate, I don’t believe they fully encapsulate what the term truly means.

    Fortitude, as I define it, is the strength of mind that enables a person to experience adversity with courage. The Latin root of the word is fortis, meaning “strong.” Etymologically, fortitude is linked to the term “fortified,” meaning “made stronger or more secure”… Like many personal traits, fortitude is a muscle you can exercise — and if you build it up enough, it can become your professional edge. 

Do interviewers ever give feedback if you don’t get the job? Since being furloughed, I have been frantically applying, interviewing, and getting to second (and sometimes third) rounds of the hiring process, and then I get rejected. With so many people out of work, I understand that the job market is tough, and I simply move on to the next one. It’s all good. But since I am getting to the initial rounds easily enough but not beyond that, it seems to me that I might be doing something wrong — though I really don’t know what.

A common excuse to not hire older applicants is that because of their ages, they may not be around very long and the employer will have to refill the position – a costly undertaking that virtually all HR departments want to avoid.

    As with most myths surrounding older applicants, nothing could be further from the truth.

    All demographic data shows that old workers are not retiring at age 65. A significant number are staying in the workforce until age 70 and beyond.

    So let’s do the math. A 55-year old applicant who works until age 70 will have a tenure of 15 years. In this day and age, there aren’t many workers who stay with the same employer beyond 15 years.

    In fact, most younger applicants routinely stay with an employer for not more than five-to-ten years. Recent college graduates are being counseled – regardless of pay, advancement, or how the employer treats its employees – to stay with an employer for only three-to-five years before moving on.

    All these workforce trends make a stronger case for the older worker. Older workers – in addition to all the other advantages they bring to the table – are the smart choice for their stability and duration. This is something all older applicants need to emphasize during the hiring process.

    When asked, “Where do you see yourself in five years?” The correct answer should be “right here.”