Why Ignoring Gen X Is Costing Your Organization

In this episode of the EVOLVE Talent and HR Show, Rhona Pierce sits down with executive recruiter Kyle Samuels live from EVOLVE 2026 in Atlanta to discuss an overlooked workforce advantage: Gen X leaders. While organizations focus heavily on attracting Gen Z and Millennials, Kyle argues that companies are missing a powerful opportunity by overlooking the generation currently running teams, bridging cultures, and delivering stability inside organizations. From hiring bias to candidate experience and leadership maturity, this conversation explores why Gen X professionals bring a unique combination of work ethic, technological fluency, and organizational loyalty that many companies underestimate. If you're a recruiter, HR leader, or hiring manager, this episode challenges you to rethink how generational dynamics shape your talent strategy. In this episode, you’ll learn: - Why Gen X may be the most undervalued leadership generation - How hiring processes unintentionally filter out experienced candidates - Why Gen X leaders offer stability and loyalty organizations often overlook - The role generational bias plays in recruiting decisions - What Gen X can teach younger generations about leadership and execution - What Gen Z can teach Gen X about boundaries and work-life balance - How recruiters and HR leaders can make hiring processes more inclusive across generations - A simple way to audit your hiring process for generational bias Key Moments / Timestamps 00:00 – Welcome to the EVOLVE Talent & HR Show 02:17 – Kyle Samuels’ journey into executive search 03:20 – Why Gen X is the workforce’s secret weapon 05:13 – How Gen X candidates experience modern hiring processes 07:42 – Hidden signals in job descriptions that discourage experienced candidates 08:48 – Why companies overlook Gen X talent 09:51 – The loyalty advantage Gen X brings to organizations 11:04 – What Gen X can learn from Gen Z about work-life boundaries 12:58 – How HR leaders can reduce generational bias in hiring 13:41 – Where to connect with Kyle Samuels Kyle Samuels is the founder of Creative Talent Endeavors, an executive search and career advisory firm specializing in leadership placements and outplacement services. With experience placing senior leaders across industries, Kyle helps organizations identify top executive talent while also guiding professionals through career transitions. He is a frequent speaker on leadership hiring trends, generational workforce dynamics, and candidate experience. | Follow Us | Follow Kyle Samuels Website | https://www.hirecte.com LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/kylesamuels Follow Rhona Pierce Website | https://www.rhonapierce.com/ LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhonapierce Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/rhonabpierce/ Follow Anna Morgan Website | https://yourcareerbff.com/ LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/evolve-conference-careerbff/posts/?feedView=all Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/annamorgancareerbff/ Facebook | https://web.facebook.com/anna.morgan.351104 Join the EVOLVE Shine 2027 waitlist: https://yourcareerbff.com/evolve-2027 Interested in collaborating or sponsoring EVOLVE experiences? Book an EVOLVE partnership call: https://calendly.com/annamorgan/evolve-partnership If this episode resonated, subscribe, share it with a fellow HR or Talent leader, and leave a review to help more people-first leaders discover the show.