Baby Boomer Crisis: 14 Reasons Boomers Are Struggling in Job Interviews
As the traditional 9-5 in-office workday fades into a hybrid or flexible work-from-home schedule, Boomers showcase hardship in finding and obtaining jobs in this newfound normal. The job market’s constant shift causes Boomers to struggle with the excessive changes, longing for the old days of demanding in-person 9-5 schedules. Along with fluctuating schedules, Boomers also deal with many misfortunes relating to getting a job. Many issues Boomers face in hiring processes deal with age bias and stereotypical thinking.
1. Younger Workers Cost Less
Imagine a Boomer who worked as an engineer for $200,000 a year. Say that the company closed down, so while she searches for new work, she communicates her expected salary to the employer. Since the Boomers have worked in the field for X years and earned fair salaries, she hopes to find a job that matches her needs. Now, say two new graduates approach the same company, desperate for a job. They don’t know what to price their starting salary because of their lack of experience, so they jump at the first offer of $100,000 a year. Which would the company hire instead? The cheaper option.
2. Experience
This point applies to social media-esque jobs and professions that utilize updated technology. Many stereotypes suggest Boomers do not know how to use newer technology, making them a weak link in the workplace. This harmful thought prevents Boomers from demonstrating their skills and leads to age bias.
3. Age Bias
HR personnel faced with interviewing Boomers might exercise judgment based on their age. The interviewer might fall into the group of people who believe the older you get, the more useless you become in the workplace. That thought snowballs into harsh generalizations about older people and causes an unpleasant work environment for those who work with that company.
4. Lack of Networking
How many social media platforms do you use? I have TikTok, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat, all of which require different operating skills. While today’s youth grew up versed in these apps, the older generation had to learn the apps later in life, which could create difficulty in a job with heavy networking needs. The idea here is less about who can learn networking skills and more about who already has an established networking website. Companies are not patient about networking skills. It’s become a pre-hire necessity in many job markets.
5. Poor Resumes
Resume stylizations change with the job market. Job markets were once an in-person meet-and-greet where a resume was additional material for hiring managers to browse. Today, machines sift through resumes, deciding which ones belong to potential employees and which ones belong in the shredder. A resume professional suggests that most Boomers fail resume inspection for poor formatting, leaving schooling years off the document and omitting keywords that catch a machine’s attention.
6. Too Qualified
Did you ever think the reason a manager refused to hire you dealt with your overqualification? Hiring managers always reject Boomer applicants because of impressive, overqualified resumes. Why? One primary reason lies in the fear of them quickly. The company hires the Boomer, who works a few shifts. After completing these shifts, he decides he is too good for the job and quits. This behavior wastes company training time and money, causing the hiring manager to seek out a new employee.
Another reason hiring managers avoid overqualified Boomers entails their salary demands. Studies say Boomers may accept a job for a lower salary than expected, work a few shifts, and then push for a raise. Instead of working with Boomers’ requests, employers would rather hire a younger, less-knowledgeable Millennial.
7. High Competition
Greta Gerwig’s film Lady Bird exemplifies the heightened competition between older and younger workers in 2002. In this scene, a father and his son realize they interviewed for the same role, although the son’s age gives him a bonus over his father. The company finds the best (youngest) fit when the job market thins out. Twenty-two years later, we face the same issue.
8. Not Adapting
Another damaging preconceived notion about Boomers finds people thinking they favor old-fashioned working. Rather than taking notes on a computer, they stick to paper. Rather than texting, they prefer calling. According to this line of thinking, Boomers express discontent toward any form of work that does not resemble a 9-5 in-person job. Remote work, hybrid work, and flexible schedules all irritate them.
9. Stereotypes
We’ve touched on stereotypes harming Boomers’ chances of snagging jobs with their dream companies. But how can stereotypes prevent a Boomer from impressing an interviewer? Visualize a Boomer sitting down with a Millennial hiring manager. Despite the Boomer’s fear and trepidation about Millennials, the hiring manager impresses them, allowing them the same fair chance during the interview as younger candidates.
The Boomer slips into his stereotypes about the situation, commenting on the hiring manager’s age and making self-deprecating stereotypical remarks about age. This results in the hiring manager becoming annoyed and ending the interview early. Listening to stereotypes about either age group can disturb the interview process.
10. Health
All forms of discrimination are illegal in the workplace. Sadly, people act on discriminatory beliefs before they give someone a chance to work for them. For example, if a hiring manager has two upcoming interviews, a 25-year-old, and a 65-year-old, they may already know who gets the job before completing the interviews. The manager overviews a mental note, following stereotypical thinking, that a younger person lives a healthier lifestyle than an older person. Therefore, the younger person requires less time off work for medical visits. While this sentiment borders on wildly untrue, hiring managers follow this thought process in today’s workforce. Who’s to say an active 65-year-old will book more medical appointments than a chronically ill or immunocompromised 25-year-old?
11. Company Dynamic
Companies can transform into cliques. Rachel and Shelly oversee Michael and Jared, though Andre and Melissa never approach Rachel and Shelly because they know their positions and places. If a potential hire upsets that dynamic, the workplace might fall apart and suffer, at least in the eyes of the cult, I mean clique, members. Anyone who threatens a pre-established company dynamic stirs up panic for the employer.
12. Long Time Employment
I remember trying to get a job between my first- and second-year student college years. Every fast-food place I applied to recoiled when I told them I’d leave after three months. They wanted a dedicated, life-long, committed worker. The same applies to the market today. Employers scour for long-term workers who show commitment and promise to the company. Age bias and stereotypical thinking come through, again, about an older person working fewer years than a younger person on account of retirement or health concerns.
13. Relatability
Conceptualize applying to a social media company without knowing what a brat summer means, being very mindful and demure, or what going to Ellie and Mason’s house refers to. Applicants need to highlight their relatability concerning the type of job in question, though sometimes hiring managers take this to an extreme. Why hire someone who doesn’t relate to the rest of the coworkers? Maybe to boost community, bonding, and company morale.
14. Retirement Concerns
A question circulating in an employer’s mind during the interview process is, “How long will X work for us?” The employer almost always picks the person with the most extended commitment promise. How can someone approaching retirement age qualify for a position at a start-up? Some people work after they retire or enjoy work so much that they spend most of their life earning wages.
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