What are some steps I can take to avoid avoid age discrimination in my hiring process?

Thanks for asking this question. David Watson, Product Marketing Manager at Zenefits, covers the topic of age discrimination in hiring in the response below:

1. Age-related biases

Everyone knows it’s illegal to discriminate against a candidate because of their demographics, but that doesn’t mean that biases don’t still exist. A recent survey by Resume Builder found 38% of hiring managers and recruiters inadvertently take age into consideration. They were concerned about older candidates’ lack of experience with technology or resistance to change. They also had reservations about younger candidates’ lack of experience and higher likelihood of leaving a job sooner.

2. Benefits of age diversity

There’s a need for all ages in the workplace. Older and younger employees can teach each other the skills they need to continue to develop themselves professionally. Experienced employees can share mistakes, successes, and lessons they’ve learned throughout their careers. Newer employees can bring fresh perspective and share their tips for using new technology.

3. Questions to ask yourself

To make the best hiring decisions, people operations leaders and hiring managers can ask themselves these questions as they consider candidates of all ages:

1. What skills does this candidate have?
2. What can this candidate teach others?
3. What can this candidate learn from others?

For more help handling age in hiring decisions, check out the video below.