Recently, I was having a conversation with a former colleague who is currently looking for work.

This colleague had celebrated a birthday some time ago and mentioned how one of their children had posted just how many trips around the sun this birthday was. It was harmless and humorous at the same time.

My colleague was not amused.

They chided their child and told them to take the post down.

"Why did you make them do that," I asked?

"I'm looking for a job and I don't want to deal with ageism," they replied. "I've taken great care to keep my age off all of my social media for that very reason."

That struck me as both logical and sad at the same time.

I recalled my days living in Seattle, when I was sitting on the beach for seven months looking for work.

Well paying jobs were aplenty during my time living in the Puget Sound Tech hub. I figured that I would have little trouble latching onto one.

Of the dozens of jobs that I applied for, I never got one call back.

It struck me as odd until I did some research on the tech sector's well documented perception as being ageist. 

Studies have shown that when you turn thirty-five, you're pretty much considered over the hill in that racket.

Yikes.

Is radio falling down that same slippery slope? The anecdotal evidence continues to pile up.

I had another conversation with another former colleague recently who is thinking about applying for a management position in radio. They are, in my estimation, MORE than qualified for the job, but they were hesitant to apply.

When I asked why, the topic of their age was brought up as being a potential negative.

Weather its justified or not, there is a mounting perception by veteran talent that the industry just doesn't want them anymore. 

That is unfair and potentially damaging.

However, there is a flip side to this issue.

I get asked for names by people that are directly or indirectly involved in hiring talent on all sides of the content spectrum. When I have brought up veteran names for these positions, I often get the same feedback.

"Inflexible."

"Bull-headed."

"Not willing to change."

Yikes.

Perhaps in an effort to bring these two sides together, I'll do what I often do these situations and bring up a movie reference.

I recall a scene from one of my favorite James Bond films, Skyfall, where 007 (played by Daniel Craig) meets his new quartermaster, Q. Instead of the familiar face of an older technician, he's greeted by a much younger man played by actor Ben Whishaw.

The two immediately have contempt for each other. 

There is a great exchange between the two that has always stuck with me:

Q: "Age is no guarantee of efficiency."

007- "And youth is no guarantee of innovation."

Both are true. At the end of the exchange, both Q and Bond turn contempt into mutual respect and understanding. It's a common ground that both radio and its older job candidates need to find.

Radio is always looking for "the next best thing."  However, that shouldn't be defined by being constantly obsessed with everything that's germane to the ages of 18-35. Younger people can have great ideas but often don't have the best acumen for execution. They can have the intelligence to do things quickly and efficiently but lack the experience to manage people properly. 

On the flip side, veteran talent can become so set in their ways that they are unwilling to even consider new ideas and ideals. 

I'll admit that I have fallen into this trap on more than one occasion in my career.

I remember my brief stint working for a podcast startup. My supervisors and colleagues were all significantly younger and less experienced that I was in the content world. Instead of listening as much as I should have to their ideas and processes, I felt like I needed to act like "the adult in the room" by showing them what I thought were "the right way to do things."  That mentality didn't go over well, and I knew that I likely wasn't going to be long for the job. Less than a year later, I was proven right.

Radio, like any industry, is a much better place when experienced professionals are in positions of leadership. But climbing this hill is not a one-sided affair. Veteran job seekers need to show that their willing to listen and, when appropriate, embrace change and innovation. People hiring for jobs need to better respect experience and expertise. They need to not be so obsessed with the latest shiny new toys and trends. Instead, they need to and understand that, at the end of the day, radio is still an industry based on developing good content and the principles of doing so are timeless.

Here's hoping that both sides can find the mutual respect that Q and Bond found for each other.