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The challenge was clear: In 2004, expansion and turnover would force The Home Depot to hire 135,000 new workers. Where would they come from?
Executives at the Atlanta-based company recognized the need to look at nontraditional workers, such as school bus drivers who work odd hours. But they also realized there is an enormous, untapped pool of potential employees: Older workers. Already, 15 percent of The Home Depot's 300,000-person workforce is over 50 years old. And thanks to an innovative program introduced on February 6, 2004, that number will increase rapidly. So how are companies targeting older workers, and how can you benefit?
Partnership Aims to Recruit Older Workers
The Home Depot and AARP formed a partnership to recruit men and women over 50. Within days, something interesting happened. A dozen major corporations contacted The Home Depot and AARP, asking how they, too, could reach America's mature workers. Suddenly age was an asset, not a liability.
"Until recently, there's been a lot of corporate boardroom talk about hiring older workers," says Jim Seith, director of AARP Foundation's Senior Community Service Employment Program. "But at the hiring level, they never got chosen. Now, when executives see the commitment of Home Depot –- and they hear the Bureau of Labor Statistics' prediction that by 2010 the country could face a 10-million worker shortfall –- the smart companies are starting to reach out to older workers."
Older workers can apply to positions at The Home Depot and other partners through the AARP's dozens of nationwide employment centers and Web site. Older job seekers with low incomes can also benefit from AARP's Senior Community Service Employment Program, which provides training and resources to help seniors find employment.
In the case of companies like Home Depot that are actively courting older workers, job seekers might not be concerned about how they handle age-related information on their resume. But if you're applying for a position with a company that is not actively recruiting older workers, be careful. Ageism is still alive and well in some HR departments.
Never Include Your Birth Date
Donald Davis, vice president for workforce development at the National Council on Aging, encourages older workers to create a resume highlighting specific skills, attained over many years, that employers covet.
However, Davis says, "never include your birth date." While experience is important, subtle prejudice still exists -– even among older workers who make hiring decisions. "A lot of human resources representatives assume a person is either overqualified or underqualified, simply because of age."
On the other hand, employers are increasingly recognizing the assets older workers tend to bring to the table. "They want to be there," Seith says. "They've got the work ethic. They come to work on time, they don't wear piercings or tattoos, they're patient and they know how to deal with people. They can overcome any physical problems with intelligence and experience."
Demographic projections indicate that 60-year-olds have 10 to 20 more years of working life. "At that age, some people have to work, and others want to. But most of them are not ready to sit around and play shuffleboard," says Seith.
Opportunities Go Beyond Retail
Retail is not the only employment category seeking older workers. Healthcare is an exploding field, with candidates needed for a variety of jobs. Some do not require certification; for others, short training courses are necessary. Even retired nurses can retrain quickly and find immediate employment.
Banking and finance is predicted to have many openings for older workers, Davis says. So are businesses that rely on customer service, such as call centers. And despite the downturn in technology, there are ongoing needs for workers -– even those who are computer-illiterate, but willing to take a six or eight-week training program.
The only barrier to older workers may be a job's physical demands. However, today's older workers are shattering myths there too. "It's tough for older folks to drive 18-wheelers," Seith says. "But I know an 82-year-old man running a forklift in New Orleans. And we just placed a 92-year-old in the Social Security Administration in Florida. She still drives to work."
