Flipping the Script on Ageism: How Experienced Marketers Can Stand Out in a Tough Job Market

“Overqualified.” A Euphemism for Too Old or Too Expensive?

Ageism in the job market is real—and it’s rarely called out by name.

Even in a tight labor market, older professionals face longer job searches, fewer callbacks, and coded rejections like “overqualified” or “not quite the right fit.” AARP reports that 78% of older workers have either witnessed or experienced age discrimination in the workplace, yet few talk about it openly.

Recent reporting by Noah Sheidlo, reporter at Business Insider, reveals that older job seekers are struggling. “Some (older Americans) told me that they were just one job away from reaching retirement – but that final position has been a struggle to get.”

And while companies preach the value of experience in their market, that experience can become a liability when phrases like “overqualified” are used as coded language to quietly screen out older candidates. According to research from the Urban Institute, once unemployed, workers 50+ take nearly twice as long to land a new job compared to younger applicants.

So how do you counteract the bias, without compromising your worth or watering down your expertise? This post explores the subtle ways ageism shows up in the hiring process—and how to flip the script and reposition your experience as a strategic advantage.

Why Ageism Still Persists in 2025

We all carry biases, and the workplace is no exception. Four of the most common assumptions about older workers boil down to these core stereotypes:

  1. Outdated with technology
  2. Low energy or disengaged
  3. Inflexible or stuck in old ways
  4. Just coasting until retirement

These assumptions may not reflect reality, but they influence decision-making in hiring and promotion. As John Gates, a salary coach and career strategist, notes in his recent LinkedIn video on age bias, “You can’t ignore these biases. You have to meet them head-on.”

Meanwhile, demographic trends tell a different story: the percentage of workers aged 55+ continues to grow. According to recent LinkedIn data and workforce projections, this group is becoming increasingly essential in the labor market. Think: low birth rates. That’s why flipping the script on ageism is so critical—not only to land your next job, but to influence how organizations view experienced talent.

How Age Bias Creeps In—And How You Might Be Reinforcing It

Ageism in the job search isn’t always overt. It shows up in subtle cues, quick judgments, and even in how candidates present themselves—often without realizing it. Here’s how it plays out:

How hiring teams may signal age bias:

  • Asking about your phone model or graduation year
  • Overemphasizing “digital native” traits
  • Prioritizing trendy platforms over substance
  • Using vague terms like “culture fit” to sidestep bias

How candidates may (inadvertently) reinforce the bias:

  • Referencing dated tools or decade-old wins
  • Using an old (or missing) LinkedIn photo
  • Expressing discomfort with newer technologies
  • Lacking recent certifications, learning, or upskilling
  • Leading with burnout, not enthusiasm

Many of these pitfalls are avoidable with awareness and intention. Which brings us to the opportunity: flipping the narrative.

What Experienced Marketers Bring to the Table

Here’s what hiring managers and/or recruiters often forget: judgement, nuance, and strategic thinking are irreplaceable.

No AI tool can fully replicate the cross-functional judgment, strategic foresight, and emotional intelligence that seasoned professionals bring to the table. You’ve made mistakes. You’ve solved high-stakes problems. You’ve navigated shifting markets, evolving teams, and ambiguous challenges—often with limited data and high expectations.

What sets experienced marketers apart isn’t just their track record—it’s their ability to weigh trade-offs, spot strategic opportunities, and bring nuance to decisions that can’t be made by an algorithm alone. In the age of AI, these human capabilities become even more valuable—especially when paired with tools that amplify impact, not replace it.

Consider the depth of value you bring:

  • Strategic depth and operational range: You see how the pieces connect—from high-level initiatives to tactical execution—and you know where to focus to drive results.
  • Resilience and adaptability: You’ve weathered market downturns, leadership changes, and digital transformation. You don’t sweat the small stuff, and you pivot with intention.
  • Credibility and mentorship: Your presence raises the bar for younger teams, adds stability to client relationships, and inspires confidence up and down the org chart.
  • Execution under uncertainty: You’re not just an idea person. You make things happen—balancing urgency with clarity and leading with a high emotional IQ.

These aren’t soft skills—they’re strategic assets. But you have to frame them that way.

How to Flip the Script and Stand Out

As John Gates outlines in his recent video, ageism isn’t fair, but it is beatable. Here are practical ways to confront and neutralize those assumptions:

  1. Combat the “tech-phobic” stereotype:

  • Make sure your tech examples/applications are from the past few years
  • Include modern tools and platforms in your resume (e.g., Notion, HubSpot, Figma, Zapier, Miro, Canva)
  • Mention relevant certifications or coursework, and importantly, how you are applying them in your work and across teams to improve collaboration, efficiency, and ROI.
    • PRO TIP: If you have been avoiding AI for whatever reason, check out this AMA-Boston blog with a full resource list to get ramped-up quickly; all the homework was done for you!

  1. Bring the energy:

  • Be visibly enthusiastic about the company and opportunity
  • Use statements like: “I’m excited by this role because <insert your prepared reason here.>”
  • Show passion, not just polish

  1. Prove your flexibility:

  • Share real examples of how you changed course, supported new initiatives, or coached others through change
  • Reframe your experience as adaptable, not entrenched

  1. Highlight your recent impact:

  • Don’t lean on that big win from 2008; if you don’t have anything fresh and compelling, go create an opportunity for yourself and then shine a light on it
  • Keep your resume and portfolio full of relevant examples illustrating impact (i.e. metrics) from the last 3-5 years

  1. Address the “coasting” concern:

  • Talk about goals, learning, and your desire to make an impact and support the goals of the organization.
  • Avoid phrases or any notion that suggest you’re winding down or place a high value on stability

  1. Position yourself as a multiplier:

  • Emphasize how you bring out the best in others and unify marketing, product, and sales around shared goals

These tactics aren’t about hiding your age they’re about reframing your value.

A Note for Hiring Managers and Recruiters

If your company talks about DEI but fails to consider age diversity, you’re missing a huge opportunity.

Seasoned marketers can:

  • Shorten ramp-up time
  • Improve collaboration across generations
  • Offer better risk-reward analysis in decision-making
  • Raise the floor for quality, consistency, and judgement

In an age where strategic missteps can tank a company’s momentum, the presence of a deeply experienced operator can be a major competitive advantage.

Experience + Relevancy Is the Differentiator

The job market may not feel friendly to older professionals, but that doesn’t mean you’re powerless. If you know the biases at play, you can counter them directly—and showcase the kind of leadership, resilience, judgement, and insight that sets you apart.

Experience alone isn’t enough. But experience, well-framed, with energy, curiosity, and relevance? That’s a winning formula.

 

Special thanks to John Gates, whose video about combating ageism in the workplace, both inspired and framed-up this topic, perfectly.

Sources:

Author

  • Michelle Massa

    Michelle has more than 20 years of experience in marketing, sales, market research, and storytelling, including seven years of collaboration with edtech company, Emeritus, on marketing and content initiatives. As a strategic partner, she helped drive organizational growth by crafting marketing assets for more than 75 online certificate programs across every topic and university partner, including MIT, Wharton, Columbia, Stanford, and London Business School. She is passionate about lifelong learning, authentic brand-building, and data-driven results, particularly for higher education, healthcare, and B corps. Michelle holds a Master of Science in global marketing from a top-ranked European university and a Bachelor of Arts in economics from Stonehill College.

    View all posts Flexible Marketing Resource & Consultant at Vital Assets Marketing, LLC