By Lucy Standing, Chartered Psychologist and Co-Founder of Brave Starts
If you’re over 45 and struggling to get a job, you’re not imagining things. Despite your experience, it can feel like you’re invisible: ghosted, dismissed, or told you’re “overqualified.” It’s not a reflection of your capability: ageism is well documented. The older you get, the more likely hiring managers are to view you as less desirable to hire.
Why it’s so hard
We know humans are ageist – so heavily automated systems which have learned from human intelligence are likely to have age bias baked into the automation. Up to 75% of applications are rejected by applicant tracking systems (ATS). These systems aren’t built for age fairness they’re built to fill roles quickly and cheaply. They spot keywords and patterns, not potential. Gaps in your CV, age-related clues, or even having “too much” experience can lead to rejection.
A recent class-action lawsuit in the US brought this into the spotlight. HR tech company Workday stands accused of age discrimination via its AI tools, which allegedly rejected over a billion applications many from older applicants.
So, how do you compete in a system that’s stacked against you?
- Stop playing the game
Most jobs are filled through networks, not job boards. When we follow up with our Brave Starts members who’ve successfully moved roles, 9 out of 10 landed them through people, not applications.
Practical takeaway: Stop hitting “easy apply.” Instead, talk to people. Reach out to old colleagues, friends, or professionals in fields you’re curious about. Relationships get the results a CV can’t deliver.
- Go niche, not broad
Desperate candidates often flood their CVs with skills and titles, hoping to match as many keywords as possible. But this backfires because you give the recruiter the job of trying to see how you’d fit.
Practical takeaway: Focus on one role or sector. Create “proof projects” to demonstrate your interest and capability whether through volunteering, shadowing, or unpaid experience. Showing is always better than telling
- Don’t price yourself out of the market
Jobs have salary limits. Your worth isn’t in question, but if you’re expecting a salary based on your length of experience, you might simply be unaffordable. When ads ask for “3–5 years’ experience,” they often mean “we can’t afford someone who has higher salary expectations than this experience bracket provides”
Practical takeaway: Tackle the age elephant head-on. Address it in your messaging: for instance, “my salary expectations are xxx (in line with the role) – I am sensitive to the need to stay in line with the market rate.
- Give yourself permission to do an ‘OK’ job
Not every job move needs to be perfect. For many of our members, exploring other options takes 12–24 months and even then, nearly half stay in the roles and sectors they are in (often moves prove might be too risky or won’t make financial sense. If you need to work while figuring things out, that’s completely valid.
Practical takeaway: Find a role that’s good enough for now. It keeps your finances steady and gives you space to plan. One of our members is doing supermarket shifts to fund her PhD: it’s practical, dignified, and supports her bigger goals.
- Explore Alternative Work Models
Full-time jobs can be the least flexible and most age-biased. More over-50s are self-employed than ever, not because it’s easy, but because it gives them control.
Practical takeaway: Think beyond traditional employment. Start a business. Try consulting, fractional roles, volunteering, or online teaching. Even if it’s not your end goal, learning to build a website, building sales pipelines are all transferable useful skills.
Final Thought
The path forward may not look like what you envisioned at 25. That doesn’t make it less valuable. Whilst things are harder and less fair for people as they get older, we also have the experience, resilience, and adaptability to deliver success at this stage. You’ve led teams, survived downturns, and adapted to new technologies.
You’ve got loads to offer and as things evolve and change, it will be us who lead the way.
About the author
Lucy is co-founder of Brave Starts – a non profit organisation providing structured guidance and support to people wanting to learn about and explore their future career options. They support 200-300 people a year and their research and insights are picked up by academics, policy makers and think tanks. Lucy is a chartered psychologist.
