I had a good time this morning on WTIC, the CBS radio affiliate in Hartford, CT. Thanks to "Ray and Diane" for having us on during the morning commute, and helping spread the word. They have posted a link to the interview on their home page, go to www.wtic.com .
While I was waiting to go on I did some quick research on CT's governor Jodi Rell. She's an interesting story - she didn't run for office til later than most politicians and at 45 she was still a very obscure state representative. Even as Lt Governor she was little known (who is CT's Lt governor now?), but when Governor Rowland went down in disgrace, she was suddenly CT's governor.
But what do you know, as governor her approval ratings have reached record highs, and in the most recent election she received more votes than any governor in the history of CT! The point is, at 45 her resume was like many other mid-career person's. Most HR people would have tossed her resume aside, they wouldn't have given her an interview to be a store manager at JC Penney, let alone one for governor. If she worked at a large pharmaceutical company they'd probably be slashing her job along with thousands of other older workers. But look - at 45 and even at 50 her best, most productive years were still ahead of her!
For Jodi Rell it was a bit of luck, and then the people of CT, that gave her a chance to shine in her 50's and beyond. Employers everywhere need to realize what the people of CT already seem to know - people need to be judged on their skills, not the number of candles on their birthday cake.
Steven
Jobs4.0 (www.jobs4point0.com)
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1 comment:
As a skilled veteran professional of 42 years old, I understand and appreciate the mission of Jobs4.0. I am struggling to get used to the fact that I am going to be viewed at times as past my employment prime, whereas I know I am at the peak of my abilities and getting better every day.
As a Human Resource professional of over 20 years, I am concerned by the repeated implication that HR managers are the ones who discard or refuse to consider resumes of individuals over a particular age.
The reality in my experience, and that of my colleagues as we compare notes, is that the human resource group is usually quite interested in a qualified candidate of any age but the hiring manager has a notion of a particular age group, gender or other irrelevant, non-job-related characteristic he/she wants for a role. Time and again, a qualified candidate is presented, only to be told that he/she (on paper) does not match the 'profile we had in mind'.
Part of the challenge before the human resource community is (and has been) to educate and encourage hiring managers to broaden their scope and focus on meaningful attributes such as experience, skill and willingness to contribute. With the talent shortage facing this nation, businesses that want to succeed will have no choice. Adapt or perish.
Stacy Sanborn, SPHR
Principal
Gemini HR Partners
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