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Thanksgiving, 2008, part II November 28, 2008

Posted by hardly Strategic Concerns Digg! this story! Digg! this story. , add a comment

So, the post that Penelope Trunk wrote that I referenced yesterday has raised a LOT of comments, particularly as it relates to age discrimination.

One of the interesting bits in her post was the Fox News article that stated that unemployment for those over 50 was hovering at 50%. And, not surprisingly, this one raised a lot of the comments. And, there were many anecdotal references supporting this statistic. One noted that this seems to be very noticeable in Boston and Silicon Valley.

Now, I don't have any statistics supporting this argument one way or the other, though I have had a number of candidates tell me they've run into age discrimination.

For argument's sake, let's say that this is all true.

As a hiring manager, why wouldn't you hire a more experienced worker with equivalent technical skill sets for the same role and the same compensation over a worker with many fewer years on this planet.

Seriously, make your list of the reasons why.

Now, validate all those reasons. Come up with the statistics or studies that say you're making a better decision hiring the younger worker.

I'd be willing to bet a lot of money you can't. You are simply operating off of 'common knowledge' or your own personal biases as to how things should look in your group.

Second, how much more do you think you'll get from someone who is REALLY appreciative of the work you're offering them?

There is no question that hiring the right people for your team is hard. But, when your prejudices get in the way of making good decisions, it's that much harder.

Question your assumptions, and if you can, use better measures than the other guy.

All About Big Angie November 28, 2008

Posted by hardly Bar, Dips, Other, Pullups, Pushups, Sit-ups Digg! this story! Digg! this story. , add a comment

Warmup:

Workout:

Workout: