Company culture is key to employee recruitment.

Before applying for a position, prospective employees familiarize themselves with your organization via news stories, employees, advertising, social media and personal experiences with your product or service.

On the surface, these are the soft-sell reasons why someone would want to work for your organization. That impression will only take your company so far when attracting potential employees.

To recruit and retain good employees, companies need to take an objective look at company culture to see how employees of all ages are included, treated and also portrayed in advertising and internal and external communications.

Whether it is formal or informal, every organization has a corporate culture —a company compass that guides employee interactions with each other, clients and customers.

This company compass also provides a context for potential employees and helps determine if there is a fit on both sides of the hiring equation.

Communication Demonstrates Commitment
Age-friendly training and development programs should be communicated and available to all employees and potential employees. Some mature employees fear they will be the first eliminated during company rightsizing or corporate takeovers. Be clear about your organization’s policy on potential layoffs; they are based on job performance, not age.

Demonstrate your commitment to an age-inclusive workplace by promoting the most qualified and most capable candidates regardless of age. Employees want to see that the best and brightest, not just the youngest, are being hired and rewarded.

Provide leadership development training and inclusivity training for younger employees who will be managing staff who are closer to their parents’ ages.

Job Posting vs. Job Description
Don’t confuse the job description with the job posting. Are the expectations of the position realistic and achievable? A candidate, regardless of age, may not have all of the requirements you are looking for but they likely have transferable skills, passion, determination, drive and a willingness to learn.

Take time to determine the job’s function and objectives before defining what skills and requirements are required. Would you rather have someone with all the skills on the job description or someone who can achieve the required results? Which skills are teachable? Which skills are more closely aligned with your organization’s values?

Consider the channels you are using for your job postings. If the position focuses more on physical skills than computer skills, consider including a phone number rather than a URL in the job posting.

Pay attention to the wording used on job postings. Words like ‘energetic’ and ‘fresh’ can sometimes be interpreted as too youth-focused. The majority of ‘third quarter’ candidates are computer and technology savvy. They are active on LinkedIn and Twitter and the vast majority use a mobile device. Review your company’s website and job portal. Is it easy to find and navigate?

The application process should be user friendly for applicants of any age.

ThirdQuarter is a Canadian non-profit organization that specializes in recruitment services for job seekers aged 45 and older. This article was extracted from their recently published comprehensive handbook, A Guide for Human Resource Professionals: The Business Case to Hire Experience.