Search in your 50s and beyond

By Justina Lydia · Reviewed 30 Oct 2026 · 4-minute read

Some of the people I coach are in their 50s or 60s, and the same question comes up: "Is it my age?" Sometimes it may be. The worry is reasonable, and there's a lot within your control.

What AARP's surveys found

In AARP's surveys of US adults 50 and over who were working or looking for work, about 64% said they'd seen or experienced age discrimination in the workplace, in both 2024 and 2025. AARP also found that the most common experiences were subtle ones in the job search itself⁠^[1]. That doesn't mean every rejection is about age. It does mean it's sensible to plan for it.

Shape your resume around recent work

This is my approach from coaching, not a rule:

1. Give full detail, with impact bullets, for the last 10 to 15 years.
2. Summarise earlier roles in one "Earlier career" line, such as "Earlier roles in logistics planning at two national carriers."
3. You can leave graduation years off. Your degree still counts without them.
4. Lead with the results that match the role you want now, not with the length of your experience. "Twenty-five years of experience" says less than one result from last year.

The resume bullets page covers the format.

Show that you're current

Readers who might worry about age often worry about whether your skills are up to date. Answer that before they ask:

1. Name the tools you use now in your skills list and bullets.
2. Add a recent course or certification if it's relevant to the role.
3. Use a recent, clear photo on LinkedIn, taken in the last year or two.
4. Mention one thing you've learned recently in your interviews, such as a new tool you set up for your team.

Answer "overqualified" directly

When someone says you're overqualified, they're often worried you'll be bored, expensive or gone in six months. Answer the worry, briefly:

I'm choosing this level on purpose. I like doing the work itself more than managing a large team, and I'd like to stay somewhere for the next five years and get good at your product.

Only say what's true for you. If you'd take the role as a bridge, see the bridge job section in choosing a direction.

Lean on warm routes

A referral or an introduction gets you to a person before an application filter or a quick screen does. If you've been working for 30 years, you know more people than you think. Start with former colleagues and clients, using the reconnecting note on the message scripts page.

AI screening and age

Automated screening is being tested in court. In May 2025, a US federal court allowed Mobley v. Workday to go forward as a nationwide collective action for applicants aged 40 and over, who allege that Workday's AI tools for scoring and screening applicants unfairly penalised older candidates⁠^[2]. In June 2026 the court ruled on a motion to dismiss, letting some claims continue and dismissing another, and the case was still going on⁠^[3]. The court hasn't decided whether the claims are true. I mention the case so you know the question is being taken seriously, not to suggest what any court will decide.

If you think you've been discriminated against

This is information, not legal advice.

In the US, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act protects people aged 40 and older, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) handles charges. There are deadlines, generally 180 days from what happened, longer in some states, so don't wait if you're considering it⁠^[4].

In the UK, age is one of nine protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010, and the law covers job applicants as well as employees. Acas gives advice on age discrimination, including through its helpline⁠^[5].

For anything specific, talk to an employment lawyer or a local advice service. And whatever happened, it isn't your fault. The page on keeping your confidence is there for the harder days.