The edge is in the flexibility factor A key element in turning the hiring trend from young to older is the fact that senior workers are likely to be much more flexible. A recent DBM study indicates that while the majority of Gen Xers and baby boomers are searching for full-time gigs, workers over the age of 55 generally seek more flexible arrangements, such as part-time positions, self-employment, and consulting work. That's a compelling hiring factor for today's enterprises, says Fink. "It gives [senior staff] an edge, potentially, over a worker who is fixed in their need for a full-time permanent position with a full load of benefits," he explains. "They might consider flexible hours; they might consider a contractor type of relationship. I think that's attractive to many CFOs and senior management teams right now because they are under pressure not to staff up their permanent headcount." Wiedenbeck, who handles hiring and career development at SEI, echoes Fink's comments and says managers want employees who can work various schedules and are willing to travel. "I've seen more and more companies asking their executives, particularly their IT executives, to travel to other sites to integrate the strategies of the company," she says. Besides flexibility, Fink says corporate IT units are tired of investing time and money in less experienced workers and dealing with an inherent learning curve. The hiring impetus is not about finding experts in coding or programming anymore, Fink says, explaining that firms want polished pros with the ability to build business processes and implement strategies. "I think employers are looking for IT professionals who can walk in the door and produce," he says. "People are looking for some seasoned professionals who can work the softer side of IT as well as managing a staff of developers, who may be contractors themselves." Honed networking skills will bring new opportunities For experienced managers and staffers, the new hiring approach provides an opportunity to put sharpened networking skills to work. Workers over 50 have likely built a number of contacts that could pay dividends in the next few years, Fink points out. Since the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, Fink says employers are looking "closer to home" for employees and resources--and considering a bigger candidate population. "They're looking for people who are either inside the organisation already or have some relationship, past or present, with the organization," he says. "They want to know that someone can truly vouch for this person, as opposed to picking them up from a third-party recruiter." Advice for CIOs, and wanna-bes But just because hiring managers are opening more doors to senior staff doesn't mean CIOs should sit on their laurels. If you're a seasoned tech pro considering a career move, here's some advice from Shekhawat:
- Take courses to keep skills current or be willing to accept a less-than-perfect job if it helps you acquire desirable skills. Wiedenbeck points out that SEI is seeing many projects that require "deep industry knowledge," along with an understanding of the latest technologies, such as Web Services and .NET.
- Stress your maturity. In times of uncertainty, companies will value the well-grounded employee who can hold a team together. Don't be apologetic if you learned to program on punch cards--that experience is actually a strength if presented in combination with more recent skills.
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