another which would you hire

That would depend on all the other considerations not listed.

Age is nothing but a number.

The 22-year-old could very well have anywhere from one to three years of experience if (s)he entered a nursing program immediately after graduating from high school, while the 62-year-old could be a new grad with no experience. It happens on occasion.

The 62-year-old could have 40+ years of experience while the 22-year-old could be an inexperienced new grad.

The 22-year-old might have a free and clear license while the 62-year-old might have licensure stipulations that are difficult to work around (re: unable to pull or administer narcotics R/T participation in IPN, limited license, probation, etc.).

So, it all depends. I cannot definitely answer this question just by knowing the ages of the two candidates.

I agree with the others. Not enough information.

Okay, then, everything else is equal, education, experience, etc., which would you hire, the 22 year old or the 62 year old?

Who came across better during the interview process? Equal on paper does not necessarily translate to equal in personality, temperament, and follow-through.

Equal in every respect.

There's no such thing (in the real world).

Equal in every respect.

I agree with Elkpark. That doesn't exist in the real world.

If they are truly equal in EVERY respect, there would be no basis upon which to distinguish between the two.

However, if they were just equal in basic qualifications... I would choose the one who would be most pleasant to work with (the one with the most pleasant personality who would be most likely to get along well with her co-workers.) In fact, research shows that "personality" and "compatability with co-workers" is usually a key factor in hiring. If I had a young staff who had a history of not working well with older orientees, I would choose the young one. But if I had an older staff who had a history of working better with older colleagues, I would choose the older one.

It's not just the characteristics of the applicant that matter. The characteristics of the job and of the other staff also factor into the decision.