Ep 715: Addressing Ageism In Hiring

Recruiting Future with Matt Alder - What's Next For Talent Acquisition, HR & Hiring?

Recruiting Future is a podcast that helps Talent Acquisition teams drive measurable impact by developing their strategic capability in Foresight, Influence, Talent, and Technology.

This episode is about Talent.

While we're seeing a growing awareness of ageism, the reality is that it is regularly ignored as an inclusion factor. The impact of this is staggering. AARP estimates that ageism costs the US economy $850 billion in lost GDP annually, and research shows that intergenerational teams consistently outperform age-segregated ones in terms of productivity and innovation. Yet, unlike other forms of discrimination, age bias is openly accepted in hiring via things like age-coded job descriptions and ATS systems that filter by graduation dates.

So what will it take for organizations to recognize that age discrimination isn't just morally wrong - it's actively destroying their competitive advantage?

My guest this week is Maureen Wiley Clough, host of the 'It Gets Late Early' podcast and advocate against ageism on a mission to expose this universal form of discrimination. In our conversation, she reveals practical strategies for both employers and job seekers to combat age bias while building truly inclusive workplaces that work for everyone.

In the interview, we discuss:

• Is ageism getting worse?

• The $850 billion impact on GDP

• How ageism is baked into some recruiting processes

• Why proving age discrimination in the US is so difficult.

• What should TA do to combat ageism?

• The power of intergenerational teams and mentorship

• AI's impact on entry-level jobs and Gen Z's involuntary disconnection from the workplace

• Strategies for older job seekers

• What should the future look like?

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