Hiring 50 and Over

Despite the unemployment figures being ballyhooed in the press, an interesting phenomenon is occurring: the increased interest in, and hiring of, candidates 50 years of age and older. This seems to fly in the face of conventional wisdom that advertising, digital and marketing services is a "young person's game." Well, the game seems to be shifting a bit in favor of the gray-haired sage with maturity, experience and most importantly, the ability to self-manage.


We are, experiencing an increase in hires at this age. Several of our clients are interested in senior-management candidates "that have been there and done it." The appeal of these more seasoned veterans seems to be:


• Very little start-up time or training they hit the ground running
• They can self-manage effortlessly
• Highly disciplined
• Strong leadership skills
• "C-suite-ready" they can interact with a client's senior-management team with little coaching
• They don't panic "under fire" or in stressful circumstances/situations
• Strong client management skills


Typically the over-50 candidates we have placed are not out looking for jobs and they are not unemployed, but have been aggressively recruited for specific senior-level skills and experience. There are even a few instances of over-60-year old candidates being recruited and hired for their unique experience.

Update: Unplugging From Legacy Media

Two weeks ago we wrote about unplugging from legacy media with an emphasis on consumers cutting the cable TV cord in favor of online video streaming. In this Tuesday's (2/21) Wall Street Journal (Marketplace Section) an article appeared on this very subject: "Over-the-air TV Catches Second Wind, Aided by Web" -- a very interesting corroboration of our view point on this subject.