8 Strategies to Combat Age Discrimination During a Job Search
At BossmakeHer, we know that navigating the job market can be daunting, especially when age discrimination rears its ugly head. As the founder, my mission is to help women stay relevant and land the roles they truly deserveāno more compromises.
That’s why we are thrilled to have compiled advice from incredible leaders to help you cut through the noise. Discover how to turn your experience into your biggest flex and walk into every opportunity with confidence. No need to second guess your potentialāyou got this!
- Embrace Your Valuable Skills
- Adopt a Continuous Learning Mindset
- Frame Experience Effectively on RƩsumƩ
- Stay Visibly Relevant in Industry
- Position Experience as an Asset
- Own Experience with Assurance
- Go on the Offensive
- Work for Companies That Value Experience
Embrace Your Valuable Skills
Embrace the truth. Women in this position have developed valuable skills that only the school of hard knocks can provide.
Talk about your “failure log”āand how you keep snowballing the learning, whether solving problems faster or leading more effectively. This demonstrates your resilience, self-awareness, and commitment to personal growth.
Dee DeRidder
Founder and Executive Coach
Adopt a Continuous Learning Mindset
In my journey as a CEO in the med spa industry, I’ve faced challenges related to age bias. My approach has been to adopt a continuous learning mindset.
This has kept me at the forefront of advancements, showcasing to potential employers and clients that my skills are current and relevant, regardless of age. I advocate sharing this ongoing education through blogs or talks, emphasizing your adaptability and knowledge in evolving fields.
Networking has proven invaluable. Attending industry events and forging connections has not only expanded my professional circle but also fostered a reputation for reliability and expertise, which helps counteract age-related stereotypes. For instance, I often partner with other experts to host seminars, which has bolstered my credibility and visibility.
Storytelling is another powerful tool. Highlighting specific achievements and how they relate to a potential employer’s needs can demonstrate your value.
I make it a point to turn my successes into stories, detailing not just what I achieved, but how those successes impacted my clients and business in meaningful ways, which can resonate well during interviews.
Rachel Stone
CEO
Frame Experience Effectively on RƩsumƩ
Framing your experience effectively on your rƩsumƩ can help prevent age discrimination from limiting career opportunities.
Rather than emphasizing the length of your career, focus on your accomplishments. Highlight results-driven metrics that demonstrate your impact in past roles and your potential value for future teams.
Take this same approach not only with your rƩsumƩ but also with your online presence.
A well-crafted and up-to-date LinkedIn profile that includes your professional philosophy, skills, and successes can demonstrate that you’re current with job market trends.
You can show the same recency in your industry and career by obtaining certifications, presenting at conferences, taking on innovative projects, or participating in leadership programs.
Share these accomplishments on your social media or website to show that you’re not only active in your field but also pursuing continuous education. This proactive approach can help address common objections based on age before they even arise.
David Case
President
Stay Visibly Relevant in Industry
One of the most effective strategies is to stay visibly relevant in your industry.
This means keeping your LinkedIn profile and resume modernized, using current terminology, and showcasing recent professional development in technology, leadership, and industry trends.
Demonstrating adaptabilityāwhether through digital transformation initiatives, AI integration, or cross-functional leadershipāsignals that you’re not just experienced, but forward-thinking and results-driven.
Additionally, leveraging thought leadership opportunities, such as speaking engagements, panels, and high-impact LinkedIn content, reinforces your authority and ensures your expertise remains top of mind for decision-makers.
Networking also plays a critical role in overcoming potential bias. Senior roles are rarely filled through traditional applications; they come through referrals, executive search firms, and board-level connections.
Prioritizing direct outreach to key stakeholders, maintaining a strong executive presence, and engaging with industry leaders can help bypass age-related filters embedded in automated hiring systems. Targeting organizations that actively value diverse leadership and seek experience-driven decision-makers can also make a significant difference in aligning with the right opportunities.
Mohammad Haqqani
Founder
Position Experience as an Asset
One piece of advice I’d give to executive women concerned about age discrimination is to position experience as an asset, not a liability.
Age bias often stems from misconceptions about adaptability, tech skills, and leadership energyāso owning your expertise while showcasing innovation and adaptability is key.
As a Director of Marketing, I’ve faced industries where younger professionals are often assumed to be more in tune with digital trends. To address this concern, I focused on demonstrating value through results-driven storytelling and strategic positioning.
Strategies I Used to Overcome Age Bias:
- Lead with Data-Backed Results – Instead of focusing on years of experience, I highlighted measurable outcomes (e.g., revenue growth, SEO performance, lead generation).
- Showcase Digital & Tech Proficiency – I emphasized my Google Ads, SEO, and analytics expertise, proving that I stay ahead of digital trends.
- Build a Strong Online Presence – Maintaining an active LinkedIn presence, publishing thought leadership content, and networking with industry leaders reinforced my relevance.
- Reframe Experience as Innovation – Rather than focusing on longevity, I positioned my expertise as a strategic advantage in problem-solving, mentoring, and leading cross-generational teams.
By controlling the narrative and positioning myself as a forward-thinking, high-impact leader, I’ve successfully navigated industries where age bias can be a challenge. Confidence, strategic branding, and demonstrating continued growth are the keys to turning experience into an undeniable advantage.
Samantha McCoy
Marketing Director
Own Experience with Assurance
For many women, age bias is a significant obstacle; the secret is to own your experience with assurance and present it as an advantage rather than a drawback.
Knowing that experienceāin business as well as in knowledge of what women really wantāwas my strongest suit when I developed my business. I inspire other women to follow in my footsteps as I never let age define my possibilities.
Staying visible and relevant is one approach that works well. Never stop learning, welcome new technologies, and prove your flexibility.
Whether through LinkedIn activity, industry conferences, or mentoring, present yourself as someone with both experience and fresh ideas.
When looking for employment, change the discussion to center on impact, outcomes, and leadership rather than just years of experience. Age bias thrives on outdated ideas, so challenge them by demonstrating your forward-looking, vibrant, solution-oriented approach.
Lastly, gather around you those who appreciate you. Through networking, personal branding, or entrepreneurship, create opportunities where you are valued for your experience, not discounted because of your age. A corporation is not the fit for you if they cannot perceive your value.
You offer something special; claim it, and the proper opportunity will present itself.
Stacy Tapping
Founder
Go on the Offensive
My advice is: don’t play defenseāgo on the offensive.
Instead of trying to minimize or downplay your experience, own it, frame it as a competitive advantage, and position yourself as the leader they didn’t realize they needed.
The reality is that age bias exists. But the way you present yourself, communicate your value, and navigate the conversation can shift the narrative from ātoo oldā to āindispensable asset.ā
- Position yourself as the future, not the past: Age bias often comes from the perception that seasoned professionals are set in their ways. Counter this by emphasizing your adaptability, strategic foresight, and ability to lead through change. You need to proactively highlight examples where you’ve successfully navigated disruption or embraced innovation.
- Modernize your personal brand: Your resume and digital presence should reflect the leader you are today, not just who you were years ago. Ensure that your brand aligns with where you’re headedānot just where you’ve been.
- Flip the script in interviews: If you sense age bias, try to own the room, own the conversation. Confidence is contagious. If you show up worried about how others perceive your age, it shows. If you show up as a powerhouse who brings unmatched expertise, vision, and leadershipāit shows too, and shifts the dynamic.
- Don’t let the pressure to appear younger compromise your authenticity: The urge to āfit inā with younger candidates can for some lead to extreme measuresāoverly trendy wardrobe choices, even extreme plastic surgeries, forced casualness in communication, or downplaying your experience to seem more relatable. But trying to be someone you’re not will only undermine your credibility, confidence, and executive presence. Instead, focus on showcasing vitality over youth, relevance over trendiness, and leadership over likability.
For some, the challenge becomes even bigger when you inadvertently present yourself as older than you actually are. It’s often in the small, unintentional cuesāusing outdated industry jargon, referencing past achievements without tying them to today’s challenges, disengaging from modern digital platforms, removing yourself from the pulse of the industry, or communicating in a way that feels rigid rather than forward-thinking.
The real threat in an age-biased job market isn’t your ageāit’s irrelevance. Because it’s not about how long you’ve been in the gameāit’s about whether you’re still playing it to win.
Sylvie Di Giusto
Keynote Speaker & Author
Work for Companies That Value Experience
As an executive, you want to work for a company that values the experience that comes with age.
If a company discriminates against you based on your age, you truly dodged a bullet, because that culture is destined to fail.
Apply and interview as you normally would, and have confidence that the right company will recognize and value your skills and knowledge base that you’ve honed over the years.
Colin McIntosh
Founder
Itās time to reframe the narrative around age bias. The experience that comes with age gives you a competitive edge. Donāt let age hold you back or make you second guess your potential. Instead, highlight experience as your power.
As the founder of BossmakeHer, I invite you to visit www.bossmakeher.com for more tips, success stories, and resources to boost your journey.
Letās shatter absurd biases and show āem what we got to offer.
Tracy Saunders,
Founder, CEO
BossmakeHer Inc.
