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DEI recruiting has an inherent chicken-and-egg challenge. How do you attract more diverse populations if your existing employee base isn’t diverse?
Ageism is no exception. Companies want to appear fun and vibrant, which can get conflated with ‘youth.’
From the outside, your messaging looks like every other youth-obsessed organization.
So older professionals don’t apply. If they do, they're often skeptical, which they carry through the interview process.
Here’s the rub: sometimes that perception isn’t actually the case. Some companies don’t have an ageism problem at all; their employer brand sucks. Their social presence skews towards youth. Because that’s who’s most involved in delivering it.
Intentionality is everything. Getting employee participation in content initiatives can be a total pain. And the path of least resistance sometimes leads you to a younger crowd.
But it’s worth the extra legwork to ensure older employees have a role in delivering your message.
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