April 2012- Mom's Old Piano Back in the 1950's my mother purchased an upright piano for ten dollars. She had given lessons at our home and taught my sister and me to play, as well. The piano had a special place in our family, having provided the music accompaniment for our family sing-a-longs. Corny by today's standards, but this was the 60's, and family game nights and related events were customary in our household. When my parents downsized, I became the beneficiary of this monstrous piece of furniture, ultimately moving it into 3 different homes. The last time I had it tuned I asked the technician what he thought it might be worth, and he stated he had seen similar instruments sold for as much as $2500. "It still plays well and looks good," he said, "and should make a nice addition to someone's home." The time has come for me to part with Mom's piano, so I began to contact several music stores in the area to get some sense of its worth and how best to sell it. The first store I contacted was the one that had serviced the piano a few years back. The owner asked me to describe the age and condition of the piano, and as soon as I said it was manufactured in 1900 I was told it wasn't worth anything. That was ironic, I told him, since his technician was the same one who estimated its worth. "No one wants something that old" he said. "It's just too hard to keep it tuned up." The next store I contacted told me they only bought and sold Steinway baby grand pianos and that since ours was not a Steinway they weren't interested in even taking the time to see or hear it. So here I have something that looks good and performs well, but because of its age and perceived substandard brand it's considered worthless and undesirable. If you're a baby boomer like my friend Jim and have been looking for a new job, you may see something familiar here. Jim spent many years as the head of operations for a manufacturing company and, over time, the work his company once produced was sent off-shore. Jim's position was ultimately eliminated, and he struggled for over two years to find a suitable position. He made it to the final stages of several interviews only to be told that another candidate had been selected. Jim's research showed that most of the candidates selected were younger and less experienced, but his diligence paid off when he secured a new role with a startup company that produced the same product as his previous company. On his first day the company president took Jim aside and told him that after a long search they were thrilled to find someone with his extensive background to lead the manufacturing for their young company. I advise my clients that age bias in hiring is unlawful, but I'm not naïve enough to think it isn't common or even prevalent in some companies. In most companies a recruiter or staffing specialist is the first point of contact for most applicants. Most of these individuals are in the early stages of their career and are likely in their 20's or 30' s and, let's be honest, people hire in their own image. Therefore, a younger interviewer is less likely to hire an older job applicant than a hiring manager closer to the applicant's own age. Similarly, companies are often enamored with candidates from a specific company who they believe possess the pedigree they are seeking. Internal candidates or those from companies other than the chosen brand are perceived to be "too difficult to get up and running." In many cases the thinking is, "We want a young, Steinway for our position." Now, I admit a young Steinway is sometimes the best choice, depending on the nature of the work and the culture of the organization. Experienced executives who spent a large portion of their career at the same company sometimes have difficulty adapting to a new role, but it's important to avoid stereotyping the older worker into a candidate pool of automatic rejection. Like Jim and Mom's old piano, many of these folks still have a lot of music left and just need someone to give them a sound test to see their true value. If we can help you evaluate your hiring practices and assist in the selection of either a young Steinway or a more seasoned instrument, give us a call at 610-287-1162 or email me at phil@hrsolutionsonline.com for a no obligation consultation. Enjoy the spring season.