by Ben Hess, Managing Director, ThirdPool Recruiting
Traditional recruiting wisdom tells us we should focus most of our hiring efforts on younger candidates.
We’re told these individuals are best suited to adapt to rapid technological changes, and they’ll be most successful at connecting with the next generation of buyers/sellers.
While these are valid points, the broader employment world (outside of real estate) is starting to challenge this traditional wisdom.
Harvard Business Review recently reported,
More and more Americans want to work longer — or have to, given that many aren’t saving adequately for retirement.
Soon, the workforce will include people from as many as five generations ranging in age from teenagers to 80-somethings.
The tight labor market is accelerating these changes (seniors are now working fast food jobs), but there are some underlying realities that could have some very positive long term affects:
Today’s older adults are generally healthier and more active than those of generations past, and they are changing the nature of retirement as they continue to learn, work, and contribute.
In the workplace, they provide emotional stability, complex problem-solving skills, nuanced thinking, and institutional know-how.
Their talents complement those of younger workers, and their guidance and support enhance performance and inter-generational collaboration.
In light of these changes, the average age of real estate agents may start to increase.
Would that be a bad thing?
