Technology-driven job search strategies have left many older workers behind

There has been a great transformation over the last decade or so in the way people seek employment opportunities. Printed resumes and cover letters, newspaper ads and personal interviews have gradually given way to LinkedIn and Facebook profiles and personal websites, electronically transmitted professional materials, job boards and web searches, and Skype interviews.

While technological advancements have certainly expanded the scope of opportunities that people can take advantage of to find great jobs, the benefits have not been equal among all job seekers. Research in recent years has shown that, in general, older workers have not kept pace with their younger counterparts in using technology to design and execute job search strategies.

This is concerning, as there is much evidence that older workers face greater challenges in finding worthwhile employment. Data from the 2014 Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Dislocated Workers Survey show that people aged 50 and over took 5.8 weeks longer to find employment than those aged 30-49 and 10 weeks longer than those aged 30-49. from 20 to 29 years old.

Data from the 2015 BLS Current Population Survey found similar results; 44.6% of employed workers aged 55 and over were unemployed after 27 weeks, compared with 22.2% of persons under 25 and 36% of persons aged 25 to 54.

Can older workers learn to use technology-driven job search tools?

Older workers are often stereotyped in ways that negatively affect their ability to find worthwhile employment. These stereotypes include:

• Lack of motivation,

• Less willing to participate in training and use of technology,

• More resistant to change,

• Less trust in superiors and co-workers,

• Less healthy and

• More vulnerable to work-family imbalances.

Many of these stereotypes do not necessarily result from a closer examination of the behavior patterns of older workers in relation to employment. With regard to technology, there is evidence that older workers are willing to seek out and use technology tools, but that many face limitations and issues that need to be addressed. Some of these include:

• Poor eyesight and hearing that hamper training efforts,

• Memory, memory and motor skills problems.

• Lack of perspective on technology use, unlike younger workers who grew up with technology in their lives, and

• Accepts less “learning by learning” and requires a direct link between training / technology use and job search / job success.

It is clear that technology is a critical component to any successful job search campaign and assuming that older workers are unable or unwilling to take advantage of technology tools hurts this group of people. Training programs that take into account the learning limitations of older workers are becoming more common and should be expanded. Furthermore, training should focus on clearly identified competencies with improved employability.