|
|
|
| |||
|
Age is just a number
By Neal Weinberg While job opportunities are in short supply for older IT workers, some companies do make a concerted effort to include them in the hiring mix. These firms value the project management skills, vertical industry knowledge and general business savvy that comes with experience. Financial services firm First Security has hired several staffers over the age of 40 in the past year to fill network support and engineering jobs in its 650-person IT organization. The company recently hired a network engineer in his mid 50s after his job at a major oil firm was outsourced. Experienced employees cost more than younger hires, but they're worth it, says Casey King, systems specialist at the fast-growing business in Salt Lake City. "They hit the ground running, know what they're doing and require less training," he says of the seasoned workers. There's not much time for training at Steven Myers & Associates (SM&A) in Newport Beach, Calif., so the company relies heavily on older professionals. SM&A manages complex contract proposals for major defense contractors and aerospace firms, hiring engineers with extensive experience in those industries. The average age of the company's core group of about 150 engineers is 52. "These people are the cream of the crop," says Ronald Hunn, senior vice president and chief financial officer. They provide a stable work force, bring a high level of professionalism and are strongly motivated, he says. Power supply manufacturer EMCO High Voltage in Sutter Creek, Calif., also relies on several engineers who are over 40. Richard Ormsby, director of operations at EMCO, says older workers are far more productive than industry newcomers, which more than offsets any salary differential. "You don't have to reinvent the wheel with them," Ormsby says. The Los Angeles Times also is willing to pay a premium for mid-career people to join its growing IT department, says Jeffery Wallace, the company's director of staffing and diversity. Such workers possess the right technical skills and "have been in the battlefield and know where the land mines are," Wallace says. Because the publication shoots for a mix of bright but unproven workers as well as solid seasoned professionals, Wallace makes sure to contract with recruiters who represent a mix of age groups. |
 |
 Contact Features Reporter Neal Weinberg
Forum: Age discrimination in IT
Diversity disconnect
Diversity Disconnect, part 2
Is "overqualified" overused?
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission National Senior Citizens Law Center
Age discrimination
Debunking the Myth of a Software Labor Shortage
Commerce Department report on the labor shortage
A Call for Collaborative Action for the New Millenium
Software
Workers for the New Millennium - Global Competitiveness Hangs in the Balance
| 
Copyright, 1995-2001 Network World, Inc. All rights reserved. |
