At a recent career fair that was labeled and advertised as being for executives, I was appalled to discover that about 75 percent of the company recruiters who were conducting the interviews were young enough to be my children, if not my grandchildren.

How could they possibly have the experience to interview for executive positions?  I have designed strategy for two major corporations, negotiated multi-million dollar contracts, and run my own business.

What would they know about this and how could they possibly assess my ability to fill senior level positions?

Deb's Answer: 

People tend to gravitate toward those who look, act and talk like themselves. Similar backgrounds and experiences may make for a more comfortable situation initially but can be limiting in the long run. Your knee-jerk reaction is understandable, yet detrimental. With up to five generations sharing the workplace, there’s no room for age bias that creates conflict and blocks potential.

Barriers that place limitations on a person because of age can be equally damaging to a young person in the early career stages as to an older person seeking fair opportunities toward the latter part of a career. You’re better off to focus on the benefits of mutual respect.

You may recall when Jack Welch was Chairman and CEO of General Electric Co., he had his senior managers reach down into the organization for “reverse mentoring,” tapping the high-tech expertise of their younger counterparts.There’s incredible opportunity for learning across the ages.

In the book, Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground (John Wiley & Sons Inc. 2007), Jennifer J. Deal maintains that most intergenerational conflict originates not so much from age as from clout: who has it and who wants it. Deal says, “Most conflicts have everything to do with the natural desire of older people to want to maintain their clout (power and resources) and the desire of younger people to increase their clout.”

The older workers, cited in the study that formed the basis for the book, put a premium on experience, as you do. They thought that experience should weigh heavily, while younger respondents thought experience should not count for more than talent and initiative.  Deal suggests that ultimately everyone is looking for respect, but respect is defined differently across generations.

Beyond your concerns about the generational divide, let’s consider the hiring process overall.  Even if you warm up to the career fair scene, don’t rely on it as the main source of opportunities.

At your level, networking is the approach most likely to yield results.  In defining a comprehensive strategy for yourself, it may be helpful to understand the role of a company recruiter.

At a career fair, the recruiter’s role is to provide information about the company and to conduct an initial screening.  Granted, these folks are not likely to have experienced first hand your position, nor would they have held the multitude of other positions they’re screening for.

Certainly you’re right to expect them to be informed about the position and the requirements, and they should be prepared with targeted questions that will lead to an informed decision about which candidates to recommend.

When you choose to attend a career fair, it behooves you to play along and screen yourself in.  Although a more roundabout route than you’d like, if you wow the recruiters, your materials may be passed along to eventually reach the executive of your choice for a closer examination of your qualifications.

Every candidate hopes for the perfect interview, with a thoroughly knowledgeable interviewer who asks all the right questions and allows you to shine.  For a variety of reasons, more often than not, the perfect questions and chemistry don’t magically materialize.  It is then up to you, the interviewee, to build the bridge and make the connection.