Are Age-based Assumptions Undermining Your Hiring Decisions?
Are Age-based Assumptions Undermining Your Hiring Decisions?
To overcome the challenges of talent shortages and demographic shifts, we need to look to all untapped resources in our labour market. Based on the numerous dialogues we have with company owners and senior executives, it becomes clear that the success and growth we wish to see in our organisations and economies demand both longevity and a significant portion of adaptability. Employers have a responsibility to revisit not only who they hire, but also how they make hiring decisions. Because it's not job seekers who decide who gets hired, it’s employers.
While this article focuses specifically on the exclusion of older professionals from the labour market, we fully acknowledge that age-based discrimination affects all generations — and that younger jobseekers also face significant barriers to inclusion.
It may be that one of the most significant untapped resources in the labour market today is hiding in plain sight: experienced professionals aged 50 and above. Despite often holding decades of valuable knowledge, many are systematically excluded from recruitment processes. For employers aiming to build resilient and innovative organisations, this is not just a missed opportunity — it's a strategic blind spot.
The paradox of skills shortages vs. untapped experience
While public debates around unemployment often focus on individual shortcomings — such as lack of motivation or inadequate education — the reality is more nuanced. Increasingly, research around our labour market shows that job applicants’ chances of receiving a response drop significantly after the age of 50, even earlier for women. Older job seekers tend to remain unemployed longer on average, despite possessing both education and extensive experience.
The paradox? Many employers report critical skills shortages — yet routinely exclude candidates who possess both qualifications and experience. Reasons often cited include being “overqualified,” “not a team fit,” or “too expensive.” In truth, these are usually proxies for age-based assumptions.
This paradox highlights not only a gap in perception but also a lack of understanding of what to look for. Hiring managers must be trained and equipped to assess the actual value experienced candidates bring — particularly when it comes to potential. An experienced candidate with strong assessment indicators of future performance (psychometrically or otherwise) often represents a refined diamond. The key is not to make assumptions based solely on age or CV, but to evaluate the whole person: their experience, their ability to grow, and the qualities that drive performance.
Executive Research Consultant, Alumni Global
“Naturally age is just one dimension we address here. When looking to build teams that innovate and thrive, we must focus on what really matters: the unique capabilities and perspectives each individual brings.”
Why inclusive age strategies matter
Today’s 50-year-olds could easily have 15–20 years left in their working lives. Given that most pension systems now require longer careers, excluding mid-career professionals makes little economic or ethical sense.
It also makes little sense to exclude specific age categories if the aim is to achieve improved performance and results. Smart employers understand that diverse teams bring broader perspectives, deeper institutional knowledge, and more balanced decision-making. They also understand that the qualities driving performance are curiosity, resilience, collaboration, and problem-solving. These qualities are not exclusive to any age and are human attributes best identified through structured assessments and potential-based hiring practices.
Ensuring inclusive hiring strategies that capture these qualities in future candidates will result in multigenerational teams that outperform other organisations with homogenous age profiles.
Three common pitfalls to avoid
Assuming older equals outdated
Avoid equating age with inflexibility or lack of digital skills. Many experienced professionals have not only adapted to multiple waves of change, but they have also led them.
Failing to clarify salary expectations
Transparency about salary ranges in job adverts — as encouraged by the upcoming EU Pay Transparency Directive — reduces misconceptions and improves fairness.
Recruiting for “culture fit” over “culture contribution”
Too often, this vague criterion excludes candidates who don’t mirror the current team. Instead, ask: How might this person expand or enrich our culture? Not: How well do they blend in?
What forward-looking employers are doing right
Revising job descriptions to focus on essential skills and potential rather than outdated criteria.
Using blind recruitment tools that reduce the impact of unconscious bias in early screening.
Offering flexible working arrangements that appeal across generations, not just younger ones.
Providing intergenerational mentorship programmes where knowledge flows both ways.
The real risk? Wasting competence
In a labour market that increasingly demands longevity and adaptability, employers must revisit not only who they hire, but also how they hire. Age should not be a barrier to opportunity — it should be a source of strength.
We should broaden our evaluation frameworks to include not just what candidates have done, but what they are capable of doing. In that case, we unlock a deeper level of diversity — what some refer to as “deep-level diversity.” The aim should be to go beyond surface-level diversity and instead seek to understand and leverage individual traits, values, and motivators that are invisible on a CV. In doing so, we don’t just create fairer hiring systems — we find better talent and build stronger, more adaptive organisations.
Unlocking the full potential of the workforce means acknowledging that competence comes in all ages. And building future-fit organisations begins with giving everyone, regardless of birth year, a fair chance to contribute.
If you would like to explore how inclusive recruitment can strengthen your organisation, access our broad network of diverse leaders, or learn more about our awareness and development programmes, we would be delighted to start that conversation with you.
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