While people over 50 have decades of experience, that’s not always enough to land a job and many of them send out resumes, go through interviews & still don’t hear back. But it’s not merely age discrimination or a lack of tech skills—there are some specific reasons companies skip over these applicants. Here are thirteen reasons why over-50s lose out on job opportunities and how those things stop them from getting hired. Hopefully, we can change things so that everything’s fairer for everyone, regardless of their age.
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Overly-Long Job History
Staying at one company for 10 or 20 years looked great in the past but now, some hiring teams think that kind of history means the person might not adjust well to change. They wonder if someone who worked one way for decades will be okay using new tools or switching teams often. They also believe that older people will expect things to run the way they did in their old company, which doesn’t always match with how things are done now.
Outdated LinkedIn Profiles
Many people over 50 didn’t start using LinkedIn when it first became popular and it shows, as their profiles sometimes miss profile banners or proper job titles—they also lack the keywords that recruiters search for. They may not engage with posts and this makes their profile seem inactive, which is important because hiring managers tend to check people’s LinkedIn. These managers might feel like the person isn’t active or up-to-date, so they move on to someone else, regardless of how impressive the older candidate’s experience is.
Certifications From the ‘90s
Some over-50s proudly list certifications they earned in the ‘90s or early 2000s and while those may have been useful at the time, they’re not always as relevant now. Most companies use automated software that looks for recent training and will filter out any person with old certifications before a human ever sees them. You might still use these skills but the dates matter during the first screening.
Cover Letters Often Feel Too Long or Too Formal
People in this age group were usually taught that a cover letter should be formal and full of complete paragraphs, although hiring teams today often want something short & to the point. A cover letter with four long paragraphs and no bullet points—or any key terms related to the job description—is likely to be ignored by the hiring team. They want a modern cover letter that’s easy to scan because they don’t want to deal with extra reading.
Personal Websites or Portfolios Are Usually Missing
Having a basic website isn’t required, but it sure does help—people in their 50s often rely only on their resume or LinkedIn, which worked fine in the past. Yet most modern hiring teams expect to see extra information online, like a sample of work, testimonials, or even a short video. Without that, applicants may look less prepared and such a gap doesn’t go unnoticed in digital roles.
Health Insurance Cost
Many companies have to factor in expected health costs when hiring full-time employees, and while candidates over 50 are legally protected from discrimination, the odds might still be stacked against them. Small businesses may assume older workers might need more time off or have higher healthcare expenses, which is a problem because they don’t have big budgets. As a result, they’re reluctant to hire workers who could be quite costly.
Hesitation About Remote Work
Not everyone over 50 is uncomfortable with tech, yet there are still those who talk about preferring in-person work or needing time to get used to remote systems. Some don’t have a home office set up or a quiet space for Zoom calls, which they might mention during an interview. Hearing that someone’s still adjusting to remote work might raise doubts about how well they’ll manage deadlines or communicate with the team, even if it’s a hybrid position.
Dealing With Younger Coworkers
Some hiring managers worry that bringing in someone over 50 could create tension on a younger team—it’s worse if the older hire ends up reporting to someone in their 30s or even 20s. They believe it’ll cause awkward conversations that could make younger staff feel uncomfortable giving direction. There might not actually be a problem but the age difference becomes part of the decision-making process in tight hiring situations.
Being Too Independent
People over 50 may not fit in with lower-level roles because their extensive leadership may be seen as a bad fit—hiring teams sometimes think the person might push back on directions. They worry that older people will skip team processes or act like a manager when they’re not, and that’s not great if the job is more junior or collaborative. This kind of background could make them seem mismatched, even if they’re open to the role and what it involves.
Outdated Management Styles
Similarly, older applicants with leadership backgrounds may bring up management approaches that don’t match current expectations. Talking about strict hierarchy & chains of command, or even “managing people effectively” without mentioning collaboration, may come across as old-fashioned. They often don’t mean it that way but companies might see it as a mismatch for teams that care more about flexibility, and less about rigid leadership.
Retirement Risks
Hiring managers sometimes assume that someone in their 50s might only stay for a few years before retiring, regardless of whether the candidate has plans to slow down. Such an assumption affects how long-term their hire appears, especially when the applicant doesn’t mention future goals. These candidates need to use language that shows they’re interested in growing with the company over time, or they might not be hired.
Missing Connections
While over-50s may have strong professional networks, many of their past colleagues have retired or changed industries, which makes it harder to tap into warm leads or referrals. These are a huge part of modern hiring and lacking active connections in current roles means they’ll have to rely more on cold applications. These usually have lower success rates than positions you might hear about from an ex-colleague.
Old Job Search Methods
Many older people tend to rely on job-search methods that worked in the past, like applying through job boards without tailoring resumes or relying on newspaper listings. These approaches don’t match how most jobs are filled now—these often involve recruiter outreach or internal referrals. As such, not using those channels could mean they miss out on opportunities before the hiring process even begins.
Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
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