How to combat ageism in the job search?

Networking. It’s the only good way to get jobs these days. No application before the interview and thus no age listed until you’re hired.

He needs to be telling everyone he knows that he’s looking, keep a card with a QR code to his CV on him at all times, and attend industry events and mixers where he can meet new people. Also, make sure that his LinkedIn is up to date and shows him at his best. Increase connections there as much as possible and post relevant info/work examples to keep himself in people's feeds.

Good luck!

I changed jobs a year and a half ago when my company restructured. I didn't fill out an application but sent my resume and a cover letter to the new job. I graduated from college in my 40s (57 now) so I think that makes a difference when I was looking. People just assumed I was younger than I am.

I had a good first interview, but I'm the oldest person in the company and my co-workers are my son's age.

I would not put down a date of birth. I'm surprised they can ask that on an application. Maybe he should look for jobs looking for experience first rather than an age.

I know it's tough out there are I looked for a few months before I found my current position.

It's also really tough if you stayed at a recent job for a long time.
Ive been at my current job 3-1/2 years, but was at my previous job for 17 years. Cant really cut it off at 15 years

My dh is 56 and his search is not going well but he’s only been looking for a little over a month.

This is very good advice. This job market is like nothing I have ever seen. I am sorry your friend is going through this. 

Same. I am 58 and my state contract may be ending. I color my hair, take collagen and am blessed with my mother's skin - she had very few wrinkles. My sister is looking and she doesn't spruce herself up, no makeup, frumpy clothes, hair pulled back into a limp ponytail. People think she's the eldest. Unfortunately it makes a difference in the working world. And she's not getting past the first interview.

Yeahhh.. OP you need to look that up. Age is absolutely not required as are other questions like marital status, children, anything like that. Potential employers are not allowed to ask!

If he's using a resume it needs to be professional and not give any info that could be used to determine his age. That type of thing.

So maybe you could help him.

How is it going for your friend, imkat? Has he found a job yet? I hope so!

I worry that it is going to be really tough for him, because increasing numbers of people are using AI to do their graphic design instead of paying someone. Is there any possibility that he could do a career change?

I'm in the same boat. I've been working as a freelance writer, and I'm having a much harder time finding work now than I ever used to. Part of it might be ageism; I wouldn't rule that out. But I think a huge part of it is just a reduction in demand for my services because now AI can "write" articles.

I really hope he will find a suitable role ASAP!

But if he can't, there are massive opportunities out there for people who have graphic design skills. There's a lot of money to be made with digital products, and there has been an explosion in the number of places where people can sell digital downloads on the internet. An old favorite is Istockphoto, but there are lots of new ones, too -- Gumroad and Ko-Fi come to mind, but there are many, many others beyond those.

If he's already learned the Canva platform, he could design Canva templates; if he hasn't, now could be a great time (while he has down time with no employer obligations) to mess around with learning that platform. I see increasing numbers of job postings that require Canva skills, so I've been working on learning it, myself.

I keep myself busy with personal projects when I hit the inevitable dry spells with freelancing. My goal is to become my own best client. 

I write for media companies, digital marketing agencies and private individuals. I've had doctors and even a couple of celebrities as clients. I prefer to ghostwrite, but there are times I'll put my own by-line on client work -- usually if it's related to my areas of professional expertise, which are business management, manufacturing, textiles, fashion, design and DIY / crafts.

It used to be that digital marketing agencies were my best clients. Their clients were mostly in the education, tech and travel verticals, but they had clients across all niches. I think much of that work is now being done by AI.

I think there are still opportunities at the cutting edge in the tech sector, because AI can't yet "understand" new tech that doesn't yet exist or is just now being brought into existence. I believe most of this work is being done in-house and not by freelancers, so I will probably have to abandon the freelance life and take an 8-5 job. I'll gladly do that if I can find the right opportunity. But if not, I'll just keep working on my own projects with a goal of earning more at them than I ever did from client work.  

They can’t ask you birth date until after hiring. On his CV, he should avoid listing anything that would “date” him, such as years graduated, etc. I agree networking is helpful if at all possible. And he might consider being a consultant independently in his field. They often earn the same or more than they would as an employee. 

This is NOT correct info. They can definitely ask.

What they are not allowed to do is use it to discriminate. But being able to prove it is another thing


from the Equal Opportunity website

Can you ask for someone's date of birth?
While asking an applicant for his or her date of birth (DOB) is not unlawful, how the employer uses that information might