Are You Too Old to Get a New Job? Hiring Managers Say ...

CREDIT: Older and younger worker image via Shutterstock View full size image

Mature workers are discovering that some snow on the roof can give them a leg up on Millenials in the job hunt. Hiring managers are three times as likely to hire mature workers, ages 50 and above, as they are to hire Millennials, those born between 1981 and 2000, a new survey shows.

This is especially true for female hiring managers, who are more likely (66 percent) than their male counterparts (52 percent) to hire a mature worker, according to a survey of more than 500 hiring managers conducted by Adecco, a staffing and recruiting agency.

Mature workers are valued in particular for their reliability (91 percent), professionalism (88 percent) and positive work-ethic (75 percent), the survey found.

Hiring managers responded that the greatest challenge in hiring mature workers is the relative difficulty older employees have in learning and adapting to new technologies (39 percent), but an equal number of hiring managers say they don't find any challenges when hiring older employees.

But before crowing about their edge in this intergenerational tug-of-war, mature workers should brush up on their self-promotion skills. One of the biggest mistakes that mature workers make during the interview process is failing to seal the deal by selling themselves, the survey found. This was particularly true when the hiring manager was female.

This good news for mature workers comes at the beginning of National Employ Older Workers Week, an annual celebration sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor to recognize the vital role older workers play in the workforce. By 2014, Americans 55 or older will make up more than 21 percent of the U.S. labor force.

This story was provided by BusinessNewsDaily, a sister site to LiveScience. Reach BusinessNewsDaily senior writer Ned Smith at nsmith@techmedianetwork.com. Follow him on Twitter @nedbsmith and BusinessNewsDaily @bndarticles. We're also on Facebook & Google+.