The Surprising Benefits of Hiring Older Talent

Lewis Lustman Hireright.com

Morgan Freeman didn’t become famous until he turned 50 and got a role in “Driving Miss Daisy.” He won an Oscar at age 68.

Legendary comedian and actor Rodney Dangerfield’s career took off when he appeared on the Ed Sullivan show at age 46.

George Takei, Sulu on the original Star Trek, became an internet hero to Millennials for his advocacy of tolerance and living fearlessly decades after his show ended.

Hitting your stride later in life isn’t just relegated to show biz. There’s quite a bit of seasoned talent out there that may deliver significant benefit to employers who understand and appreciate the value of older talent.

And there’s a lot of them out there interested in working for you. According to Inc Magazine, there are more than 76,000,000 Americans reaching the age of 60 and beyond, “and it seems they either can’t or don’t want to stop working.” That can be a very good thing for savvy hiring professionals. The article quotes Peter Cappelli, professor of management at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, who says, “If you look at data on older individuals’ job performance and abilities, they get mind-blowingly better with age (emphasis ours), especially in areas increasingly key to success, like interpersonal skills and teamwork. And older workers are flexible, which employers also say they want.”

https://www.hireright.com/blog/recruiting/surprising-benefits-hiring-older-talent