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Never underestimate the value of older, experienced workers

Posted in Candidates, Employers on Oct 09, 2014 by Richard Hayden

While the recruitment industry's buzz is often focused on graduates, we must never underestimate how much value an older and more experienced worker could bring to your organisation. Here's why:


Better People


Experience is Golden


A giant ship engine had failed. The ship’s owners tried one expert after another, but none of them could figure but how to fix the engine.

Then they brought in an old man who had been fixing ships since he was a young. He carried a large bag of tools with him, and when he arrived, he immediately went to work. He inspected the engine very carefully, top to bottom.

Two of the ship’s owners were there, nervously watching this man, hoping he would know what to do. After looking things over, the old man reached into his bag and pulled out a small hammer. He gently tapped something. Instantly, the engine lurched into life. He carefully put his hammer away. The engine was fixed!

A week later, the owners received a bill from the old man for ten thousand dollars. “What?!” the owners exclaimed. “He hardly did anything!” So they wrote the old man a note saying, “Please send us an itemized bill.”

The man sent a bill that read:
Tapping with a hammer…… …… ……… $ 2.00
Knowing where to tap……… …… ……… $ 9,998.00

MORAL: Effort is important, but knowing where to make an effort makes all the difference!”

The moral of this must not be underestimated by recruiters, after all,  how do employee's gain this expertise? The simple answer is through trial and error, learning from mistakes and learning what works. Experience makes a great deal of difference in getting projects done well, under budget, and on time.

Older, experienced workers provide significant value because they may have worked in a number of similar businesses and can share processes and ideas that worked in their previous companies, as well as warn against other processes or ideas that didn’t work and why, so you can avoid a similar outcome. They have a valuable work ethic, including punctuality, being detail-oriented, and focused. They come with organizational skills, maturity, and confidence. They take pride in a job well done, setting an example for younger workers. They typically have deep personal integrity and are appreciative for the work. They understand a job is not a right, but a partnership between the company and themselves. They understand how to justify their salary. It comes with being in the workforce 15, 20, 25+ years. Older workers are also typically “empty nesters” so they have more flexibility to work late or come in early, and won’t need time off for family-related issues.

At key Appointments, we work closely with you and your organisation and we take the time to understand the needs of your business and type of candidate that would fit into your organisation. These expertise have developed over time, and we've spent many years matching candidates to employer !

The next time you are looking to recruit, call Key Appointments on 0844 5044666

 

See more - http://www.iplaceconnect.com/the-value-of-older-experienced-candidates/

 

 

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