Older workers can fill many small business jobs

There's a whole demographic of experienced, willing-to-work workers looking for jobs that many small businesses are looking to fill. You may want to tweak your hiring process to attract them, however: These willing-to-work workers are 50 years old and more; many are beyond 60.

Andy Kindler thinks a tweaking may pay off. Older workers "can be a valuable resource," says Kindler, partner at Executive Leadership Resources LLC, a Wheaton firm that provides broad HR support to privately held companies.

In fact, adjusting your hiring process may be a near necessity. "Ageism (in hiring) is alive and well," laments 68-year old Charles Sterbis. "It's sad, because so many younger people have a fear of the older adult. They didn't want to talk to me."

Sterbis, who earned a master's degree in social work from Aurora University in May, began work earlier this month for the Salvation Army. He got the job, Sterbis says, because he found someone at the Army who would listen to his ideas.

Listening, therefore, may be a tweak to make. So may be an awareness of your customer base.

At Bernina of America, Inc., the Aurora-based U.S. arm of the sewing machine company, HR Manager Loretta Hamilton takes advantage of sewing's appeal to what is essentially an older market.

Bernina doesn't have a "deliberate program to hire older workers," Hamilton says, but it turns out that the best new employee fit often "is someone with more experience, a more seasoned individual."

Younger people are discovering sewing, thanks to HGTV and Bravo's Project Runway, but enthusiasts tend to be older and have a passion for sewing. There's logic in the fact that Bernina attracts some older employees with the same passion.

There are additional workplace issues to consider if you seek older workers:

* Adapt hours. "Why do we need people to work in the 8-5 window?" Kindler asks. "There's often no good reason." Four days a week that total 30 hours and always provide a three-day weekend is one Kindler recommendation.

* Adapt benefits. Many 50-plus workers who don't yet qualify for Medicare coverage need benefits and are willing to take less pay in return. "Offer benefits at 30 hours," Kindler suggests.

* Adapt your thinking. "Would you rather have a 50-year old or someone who's 18 driving your forklift?" Kindler asks. If a retail employee "can't stand on his (or her) feet all day, put mats behind the counter."

In practice, adjusting to the needs of older workers doesn't seem so tough. Of course, you must find those workers before you can hire them:

* Look at resumes posted on such job boards as Yahoo! HotJobs, Monster and CareerBuilder, suggests Kindler - and screen the results differently. "Don't turn away people who graduated in the '70s."

* Check in with community career centers. "Naperville and Barrington have good ones," Kindler says.

* Sterbis suggests visiting senior centers. "Look at the individuals volunteering to run programs," he says. "They have leadership skills."

E-mail questions, comments to Jim Kendall, JKendall@121MarketingResources.com.