Overcoming ‘Overqualified’
Stigma and the Older Executive
Although the interview took place several years ago, and though I have participated in many hundreds since, my encounter with senior executive/candidate Mr. Jones (as we will refer to him euphemistically) stands out quite clearly in mind. My senior associate and I had entered the meeting room, exchanged cordial greetings with Mr. Jones, and settled into our respective chairs to begin the interview discussion. As is our wont, we began by asking Mr. Jones to share his own career journey with us, walking us through his experiences from early life to present day. Mr. Jones began enthusiastically to tell his story, sharing a few details from his formative years, his educational choices, and so on. Although loathe to interrupt, I noticed that his CV omitted the years in which he took his undergraduate and graduate degrees. Knowing we would need this information in order to prepare a report on Mr. Jones for subsequent presentation to our client, I interrupted his monologue, asking him to supply the missing dates.
Seldom have I seen a transformation so sudden or thorough. From friendly, warm and amicable, Mr. Jones became, in an instant, red-faced, frowning and visibly irritated. “Why do you need those dates?” he challenged and, before I could answer, continued, “I know you’re just trying to determine my age. Well, I have plenty of value left to bring, no matter what you may think and I am definitely not too old!” Without another word, and in a state of near apoplexy, Mr. Jones literally fled the room, leaving me and my colleague dumbfounded.
With the benefit of hindsight, I wish that I had had the presence of mind to speak to the underlying fear that I now realize animated Mr. Jones that day. A man in his late 50s, Mr. Jones - - and so many others like him - - was likely so sensitive about his age because he feared it would be used against him in the hiring process. He had likely been rejected previously on the grounds that he was “too senior” or “overqualified” for the positions he was pursuing. In that process, I suspect he had come to believe that recruiters and hiring companies alike were prejudiced against older executives and likely to write him off at precisely the moment he had the most to offer.
Although his assumptions about us were incorrect, one can easily understand how Mr. Jones became so jumpy. As Caitlin Kelly wrote in the The New York Times (“Over 50, and Under No Illusions”, January 12, 2013), “The recession [of 2009] and its aftermath have hit older executives especially hard. People 55 to 64 - - and age range when many start to dream of kicking back - - are having a particularly hard time finding new jobs. For a vast majority of this cohort, being thrown out of work means months of fruitless searching and soul-crushing rejection.” Indeed, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of unemployed executives ages 55 to 64 tripled during the recession and has been slower to recover than any other age group since.
The underlying reasons for this prejudice against older executives are well known, if seldom discussed. Employers are sometimes concerned that older executives will be more costly than their younger counterparts. Older executives are often assumed to be behind the curve on technology, social media, and the nuances of today’s marketplace. Some companies fear that “older” equals “low energy” or “lack of passion” or “slow”. Others may surmise that older executives are secretly looking to ride out the clock, securing employment but contributing little. Such executives may be perceived to have “graduated” beyond the demands of a busy job, able only to “supervise” rather than contribute directly.
It must be acknowledged, of course, that there are likely some older executives who have engendered, or at least helped to foster, these prejudicial obstacles to meaningful employment. Some have fallen behind on the latest technological advances. Others may well display less command of the market’s nuances than they once had. But putting these few exceptions aside, it is incontrovertible that the majority of older executives are actually at the height of their powers - - not just more willing than ever to contribute, but more able, more experienced, more calm, and more able to sustain a focus on the medium- and long-term strategy than ever before.
As a result - - and often following a long period of job-seeking and rejection by traditional corporate employers - - many older executives contemplate alternative approaches to employment. Unable to find an appropriate position in a mainstream corporate, older executives may elect to launch a ‘second career’ by moving from operations into management consulting; from corporates into entrepreneurial ventures; from for-pay positions to volunteerism. Jeff Williams, founder of Bizstarters.com, a website for older executives considering the entrepreneurial life, says, “Age is a hindrance in the corporate job world, but it’s a major benefit in the entrepreneurial world. They may not hire you after age 50, but they’ll sure BUY from you.”
Targeting “age-friendly” companies, professions and positions is an essential piece of advice, according to recruitment industry veteran, Michael Spiro. “Don’t waste your precious time trying to fight the system,” Spiro writes in his blog, Recruiter Musings. “No amount of complaining, letter-writing, or railing against ‘the system’ will help. You cannot change the criteria that individual companies use to evaluate potential workers, nor can you change their actual job requirements - - even if they include things that imply a bias towards younger applicants. If you are a serious job-seeker, then don’t waste your time and energy fighting against things you cannot change.” Instead, he suggests, focus on organizations that actively seek out older, more experienced workers and invest energy in pursuing a position with them.
Once such company is international management consultancy, Starting Point Global (SPG). Founded in 1991, SPG draws its consulting partners exclusively from industry, with an explicit bias for professionals in their 50s and 60s. Says President & COO, Shan Banerjee, ““At SPG, so many of us have experienced first-hand the challenge facing older executives today. We had exemplary corporate careers - - in my case holding senior positions at Kodak, Amway, Hutchison Whampoa, and the like - - then found ourselves curiously side-lined for the corporate roles we were pursuing, sometimes told by senior recruiters that potential employers saw us as ‘overqualified’. Knowing ourselves to be at the peak of our productivity and ability to contribute, we elected to begin ‘second careers’ as management consultants. In this new guise, we bring our years of operational know-how and pragmatic problem-solving to bear, often in the very corporate environments that saw us as ‘too qualified’ for employment but who see as valuable, ‘wise’ advisers when we stand on the SPG platform.”
SPG is not the only organization that understands the intrinsic benefit of employing older talent. The AARP publishes an annual list of “The 50 Best Employers for People over 50”. In the most recent rankings, the highlighted organizations are extremely diverse and span multiple sectors, including healthcare and pharmaceuticals, education and not-for-profits, technology, engineering, financial services, and of course, management consulting. One company that made the list, Barclays PLC, last year expanded its apprenticeship program, opening it candidates over 50 for the first time. Accused by some of using this move as a publicity stunt, the bank argued it values older workers who have life experience and can better relate to customers seeking a mortgage or other personal loan. Barclays plans to move older executives - - often drawn from industries outside banking - - through the apprenticeship program and then into full-time, loan officer positions.
If launching an entrepreneurial venture, moving to a non-compensated or volunteer role, or recasting one’s self as a management consultant is unappealing, older executives can still take steps to improve their chances of winning a corporate role against a field of younger competitors, particularly in the interview stage of the process. At Ascentador, we encourage older executives to adhere to the following guidelines:
Don’t Play Games
Recalling the example of Mr. Jones, we encourage all executives, including those over 50, to avoid the urge to hide their age (or even age ‘clues’) on their resumes. Trying to avoid the subject of age, even by omission, sends a powerful signal to the interviewer that age is an issue here. Instead, provide complete information and be prepared to answer straightforward questions, even those that seem suspiciously related to age, with openness and a lack of defensiveness. If the executive is comfortable with her age, the interviewer is more likely to be as well.
Competency trumps Experience
Older executives sometimes unwittingly exacerbate an interviewer’s prejudices by focusing on experience rather than competency. That an executive has been working for 30 years is less important than what core competencies he has accrued over that period and how able he is to those competencies to work for a new employer. Consider focusing the interview away from an examination of a long career history and instead use the time to demonstrate an ability to engage, to listen actively, and to problem-solve in the moment. In this way, the conversation is not about one’s years and years of service, but about the ability to make a difference here and now.
Words Matter
When we use phrases like, “at my age” or “years ago…,” or “in my day…,” we are perpetually pointing the interviewer’s attention to our age and potentially awakening a prejudice. Frequent references to “25 years of experience” or anecdotes about one’s grandchildren are also unhelpful. It is incumbent on older executives to ensure the focus stays on capabilities rather than tenure, on present-day relevance rather than reminiscence, on future, unfulfilled ambitions rather than the glories of the past.
Artful Pushback
If despite best intentions and performance, an older executive still finds herself labelled “overqualified”, she may want to consider a bit of artful pushback. For example, a possible retort might be, “Overqualified? Would that concern you in a pilot or a surgeon? In what way do you fear my experience level will undermine my performance?” Such a direct response may fall on deaf ears or even backfire, but it may also create an opportunity for continued dialogue and a reconsideration of positions. If artful pushback leads the interviewer to provide any clues as to the underlying source of concern (compensation, energy level, etc.), one can immediately seek to address such points before the meeting has even concluded.
One Step Back to Take Two Forward
Finally, if the element of being overqualified is, in fact, present - - that is, if the older executive is pursuing a positon that, on paper, represents a lateral or even backward step - - we recommend explicitly accepting that, but with a positive twist. “I agree that I have had more responsibility in the past,” the older executive might say, “But I have advanced from every position I have ever held and am confident it will be no different here.” This stated willingness to take one step back, in the confidence of being able to take two forward in future, may help to diffuse a hiring company’s concerns.
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Whatever path an older executive chooses to follow, it is essential that he pursue it with energy, commitment, and clarity. For all of us, but particularly in our later years, work represents far more than just the financial benefit it produces. Writing in Forbes (“Over 55 and Overqualified: Advice for Older Job Hunters”, July 10, 2017), Chris Farrell comments, “Simply put, a job is important because a job connects the disconnected.” He urges older executives not to give up the search for meaningful work, the opportunity to contribute, or the chance to bring value to the table. Quoting the late Studs Terkel, Farrell writes, “[Work] is about the search for daily meaning as well as daily bread, for recognition as well as cash, for astonishment rather than torpor.”
Surely each of us, at every age, wants these positives elements in our professional lives. We must not let anyone tell us, even very politely, that we are too old to achieve them.
Chris van Someren