CEO of Daubespeck and Associates Interview in Chicago Tribune

Kenneth Daubenspeck, founder and CEO of Daubespeck and Associates, sat down for an interview with the Chicago Tribune.

Chicago Tribune: Employers are not supposed to not hire based on age, but does this still happen?

Daubenspeck: Unfortunately, there are employers who do discriminate. However, it's not necessarily conscious or spoken discrimination on their part. If you have two equally qualified candidates, (an employer) may be inclined to hire the younger of the two. In the case of age discrimination, the root of this is based in how we view our elderly. Unfortunately, it still seems that our society tends to consider (the) elderly to be obsolete.

Chicago Tribune: Can you give an example of an older job seeker who successfully found a new position?

Daubenspeck: A number of years ago, I placed a gentleman who at the time was in his mid-60s. My client owned the company and wanted to hire an experienced executive who could help him grow his (manufacturing) company. They developed a truly remarkable partnership.

 The young entrepreneur brought that intoxicating fire and enthusiasm, and a hard-driving and risk-taking personality. The experienced, older executive brought the discipline and wisdom he'd acquired from having worked in large corporations for his entire career.

 Together, they've profoundly grown that company over the last 12 years. The experienced executive is in his 70s today and still has tremendous energy, a sharp mind and something to contribute.

 The key to this success was that (the two employees) knew and embraced each other's strengths. The young entrepreneur embraced wisdom and experience, while the experienced executive embraced energy and drive. That to me is the ideal goal we should all seek to achieve.

The full interview is published on the Chicago Tribune’s website. Read the full interview.