A Recruiter's Honest Take on Ageism in Today's Job Market
After a LinkedIn post from Krista Candela went viral last week about the advice she received at a mandatory unemployment workshop, I thought it might be helpful to hear a Recruiter’s perspective on ageism in the hiring process for more experienced professionals. There’s, of course, ageism that early career professionals face, but this blog focuses on ageism for older and more experienced professionals.
I was initially going to make this a LinkedIn post, but this topic is sensitive and nuanced which means it deserves more words than the 3,000 character limit LinkedIn allows for a post.
What does the data tell us about the job search for an aging workforce?
Recent BLS data reveals job seekers between the ages of 45 and 54 spend an average of 32 weeks unemployed. Ages 55 to 64 years spend ~26 weeks unemployed and 65+ years spend ~34 weeks unemployed. The most of any other demographic.
There are many reasons for a longer job search outside of potential age discrimination including:
Older professionals are less likely to relocate
They may be lacking new skills required for emerging jobs and sectors
They’re looking for a specific or unique scope of work at their appropriate level
They typically have higher salary expectations
Older professionals may not be up to speed on the best job search practices
I have first-hand experience with that last one. Many of my coaching clients haven’t job searched in 7+ years and job search tactics have changed significantly since the pandemic, advancements in AI tools can be overwhelming, and sophisticated scammers are now taking advantage of vulnerable job seekers.
What does the data tell us about ageism in the hiring process?
The truth is, there isn’t a ton of large-scale data out there because employers don’t consistently track candidate ages in the hiring process unless the job has a minimum age requirement. Some job applications will ask for a birth date, but many employers don’t ask for this information at the application stage to avoid potential discriminatory practices.
We can look at the rise in age discrimination lawsuits filed with the EEOC, but that number is still small.
· 2022 saw six age discrimination cases filed
· 2023 saw 13 age discrimination cases filed
· 2024 saw seven age discrimination cases filed
We also have job seeker data, but this explores job seekers’ perceived discrimination based on age and doesn’t provide evidence of that discrimination.
A survey conducted in Aug 2024 by CWI Labs of more than 1,600 U.S. adults aged 50+ found 59% of those workers feel their age created obstacles in their job search.
A 2023 meta-analysis reviewed studies conducted between 2010 and 2019 on age discrimination in hiring practices (mostly with European employers and a few U.S. employers) and found “a sizable effect of age discrimination against older applicants in the selection process. The results further suggest that this effect is most likely present already when the applicant’s age is between 40 and 49, and rises gradually with increasing age.”
While there isn’t much large-scale data, there’s enough to confirm age discrimination for older applicants is very real.
My personal experiences with age discrimination in the recruitment process
I’m slightly biased here because my recruitment career has mostly focused on headhunting senior talent (professionals with 15+ years of experience) as a Corporate Recruiter with for-profit and non-profit employers. I have an appreciation for professional wisdom because the roles I typically recruit for take 10-15 years to gain the appropriate leadership experience to do the job. Most of the candidates I interview are 40+.
I’ve had enough stereotype-busting encounters with candidates to value experience over a demographic label. I’ve interviewed candidates who were 40 years-old and jaded as hell and I’ve interviewed candidates in their 70s that were as energized and motivated as a 27-year-old first-time manager.
In my interviews, I assess for skills, experience, and motivation. I was so busy trying to find unicorns with a unique set of skills, I didn’t have time for age discrimination.
Fortunately, I’ve never had direct experience with a hiring manager forcing me to consider younger candidates. There were one or two occasions where a hiring manager made a comment about preferring a younger candidate with fresher perspectives and experiences, but I was able to quickly remind them that’s not only against company policy, it’s also illegal. They received that feedback loud and clear and never mentioned it again. I also made sure the candidate debrief meetings stuck to discussing candidates’ qualifications and feedback from reference checks.
Overqualified as feedback
I have read countless LinkedIn posts where candidates went through 5 or 6 rounds of interviews only to be told they were overqualified for the job. To be clear, this is unacceptable feedback that far along in a recruitment process.
A hiring team should discuss the appropriate level of qualifications needed for a position prior to advertising a job.
What I have seen happen is sometimes the employer will post a job at, let’s say, a Director level and then budget cuts come along or the team redefined the scope of work and needs to re-scope the position to one or two levels below a Director. They will then re-advertise the position to identify the appropriate level candidate.
While this scenario is extremely frustrating to candidates, it sometimes happens because teams are figuring their shit out during the hiring process, or corporate priorities shift and force them to change their talent strategy. Again, not ideal, and not a scenario any hiring team is proud of, but it does happen.
A recruiter should assess a candidate’s basic qualifications in an initial screening and determine if they have the necessary qualifications. If the candidate is overqualified or there isn’t alignment with the desired skills, this should be discussed either during the initial screening or shortly after the recruiter debriefs with the hiring manager on screened candidates before advancing candidates to the second round.
Why are so many ‘overqualified’ job seekers on the market?
We have an excess of exceptionally qualified talent on the market in 2025.
There are 3.5% less corporate jobs in 2025 than there were in 2021.
Fewer people are quitting among fears of an impending recession and layoffs are on the rise including employers cutting middle management positions.
DOGE cuts are attributed to 283,172 layoffs this year alone.
Simply put, sometimes you have to apply to a lower-level position because there aren’t enough jobs at your current, more senior level.
Some states require you submit a minimum number of applications for unemployment benefit eligibility. Even when you know you’re overqualified for a job and have no business applying to that job, you gotta do it anyway.
Or you may be embarking on an involuntary career change like so many former federal workers have been forced to do this year, and need to consider roles a step lower than your current one to get your foot in the door with a new sector.
Overqualified vs appropriately (or competitively) qualified
Let’s say you see a Manager job posted that asks for 7-9 years of experience. You’ve been a Director for the past 5 years and have a total of 15+ years of experience. You meet most, if not all, of the other job requirements. The salary range is between $110k and $140k/year. You were earning $170k as a Director in your last position. You state you are fine with the listed salary range in your job application and cover letter.
You know you’re overqualified but are stumped as to why you didn’t get at least a screening.
Hiring teams have a preference to hire professionals appropriately qualified for a role for numerous reasons:
Senior professionals often push for higher salaries
Senior professionals are known to push for higher salaries above a stated salary range. I’ve personally experienced this in positions I’ve recruited for in the past several years. I previously worked for an employer that posted the salary ranges in the job description. It wasn’t uncommon for senior professionals to try and negotiate beyond the range listed in the job post even after agreeing to the range during the screening phase. For every senior candidate that states they’re ok with the range, I would estimate there’s at least 3 who will use the listed salary range as a starting point for negotiations. And nothing irks us Recruiters more than candidates who eagerly participate in the recruitment process and agree to the range, only to pull a bait and switch during negotiations.
Employers want to give professional development opportunities to rising professionals
Employers want to give opportunities to internal and external candidates who are ready to take on leadership roles. There should be an appropriate mix of experience levels across a team, department, and company since professional diversity creates a better team dynamic and leads to better performance. If we consistently give middle management opportunities to overqualified candidates, we'll have a disproportionate team when it comes to experience and a lack of leadership development for rising professionals. Bonnie Dilber from Zapier recently posted about this exact scenario.
Missing or misaligned skills
Sometimes senior candidates have experience overseeing a team that manages certain administrative functions, for example, rather than having direct experience performing those administrative tasks themselves. They may not be as versed in the tech or software used to perform those tasks and additional training would be required beyond what the employer is able to invest in the candidate. There’s a skills misalignment and the employer doesn’t want to invest in training when they can find another candidate that has the relevant experience now.
Overqualified talent can mean higher turnover
It is widely known bored or underpaid staff are more likely to leave a job. While you may desperately need a job now and are willing to take the cut in pay and title, employers are worried you’ll be bored or disgruntled after a short time, and then leave as soon as a better opportunity comes along because all the research out there says you will.
Now, I understand there’s no guarantee a younger or more appropriately qualified candidate will stay for a certain amount of time, but the research suggests staff that are getting more learning opportunities will stay longer.
When is it discrimination?
In the U.S., the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) of 1967 protects certain applicants and employees 40 years of age and older from discrimination on the basis of age in hiring, promotion, discharge, compensation, or terms, conditions or privileges of employment.
I’m not a labor lawyer so this is not legal advice, but in recent age discrimination during the hiring process lawsuits, most of the cases involve a hiring manager explicitly rejecting candidates based on age or a recruiter providing the candidate with direct feedback related to a preference for younger candidates.
Here are a few recent EEOC settlements:
Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Pays $115,000 to Settle EEOC Age Discrimination Suit - MDHHS violated federal law by declining to hire an applicant because of her age. The then 56-year-old applicant applied to be a clinical social worker and was the unanimous choice of a three-person hiring panel. The panel was overruled by the 31-year-old clinical services director, who selected a much younger and less experienced candidate, citing a preference for younger candidates.
Hatzel & Buehler to Pay $500,000 to Settle EEOC Age Discrimination Suit - Since at least November 2020, the Vice President of Hatzel & Buehler’s New Jersey branch engaged in age discriminatory recruiting and hiring practices when he requested that recruiting companies seek out younger project manager and estimator candidates for job opportunities and then refused to hire older workers because they did not fall within his desired age range. The EEOC’s lawsuit also alleged that the same vice president failed to retain job applicant and hiring-related records in violation of federal law.
Exact Sciences to Pay $90,000 to Settle EEOC Age Discrimination Lawsuit – A third-party recruiter for Exact Sciences rejected a 49-year-old applicant for a sales position. The recruiter told the applicant that he was “overqualified,” and that the company was “looking for someone more junior that can … stay with the company for years to come.”
How Age Discrimination Lawsuits Can Benefit The Workplace, Forbes, February 2024
What can you do to increase your chances of being considered for a job when you’re ‘overqualified’?
1. Remove any age-identifying information on your resume/CV and LinkedIn profile such as your birthdate and graduation dates. You don’t need anyone speculating your age. Most employers will confirm your education during the background check.
2. Only include relevant experience on your resume. This might mean cutting out the older experience on your resume. Typically, recruiters are most interested in your experience from the past 7-10 years anyway, so while we consider older experience, we prioritize your more recent experience.
Krista Candela mentioned in her LI post she received feedback in an unemployment workshop to dumb down her resume and tone down her qualifications in interviews.
Let me be clear on this. Don’t. Do. This. Ever.
List all your exceptional and relevant (keyword here is ‘relevant’) qualifications in your resume. Bring your whole self to the interview process but be clear on why you want this job in the interview even if you’re overqualified. See advice #5 below for more context.
3. Apply to jobs you’re appropriately and competitively qualified for. I think it’s totally acceptable to apply to a job that’s one level below your current level, but I wouldn’t go below that. Look at the LinkedIn profiles of the people at the company with the same job title you’re considering. Do they have similar experience to you? If so, that’s a good indication they will consider someone at your level.
4. If applying to a job you’re overqualified for where you are fine with the salary range outlined in the job description (if one is included), then state that in your cover letter and job application (if asked for salary expectations). Many senior professionals ask me what they should include in the application if asked for salary expectations and the field requires an actual number. I advise putting your target range and it’s ok if it’s on the higher end of the range. As long as we know you’re ok with the range, we’re happy to consider your candidacy.
5. For your applications, include a few lines acknowledging your exceptional qualifications in your cover letter and/or the summary paragraph at the top of your resume and in that same sentence, outline why you want this role. What will you gain? Do you get to work with a new set of clients? Do you get to work on especially innovative projects? State that! Recruiters are more likely to consider an overqualified candidate if they know there is something about the role that excites and or challenges you. OR did you previously serve in a supervisory role but are eager to step back into a senior individual contributor role that allows you to be more hands-on with a certain topic or program? This will indicate you’re more likely to stay in that role and aren’t taking it just for the paycheck. Here’s an example:
“I’m aware I exceed the requirements listed in the job description, but I’m excited this role offers me the opportunity to get back to working directly with community members in X county where I lived most of my life and started my public health career. I’m ok with the salary range listed in the job description. Again, it’s about the impact I’ll be able to deliver through this role and project.”
Moving Forward with Confidence
While ageism in hiring is a real challenge, remember that your experience, wisdom, and proven track record are valuable assets that many employers genuinely seek. Focus on what you can control: crafting a strategic application that highlights your relevant skills, clearly communicating your enthusiasm for the role, and approaching your job search with the same professionalism that has carried you through decades of career success. The right opportunity is out there. One that values not just your qualifications, but the depth of perspective and reliability that comes with experience. Stay persistent, stay positive, and trust that your next chapter will be just as rewarding as the ones that came before.