People Are Sharing What It's Like To Job-Hunt Over 50 — And It's Harrowing

Since she got laid off from her job in December, Donna Kopman, 57, has sent out over 300 job applications. From Sunday through Tuesday, the Lake Oswego, Oregon, resident spends eight hours a day at her computer applying for jobs. The rest of the week, she focuses on researching jobs she will submit applications for the following week.

So far, she has gotten only one job interview with a recruiter.

“It’s really frustrating,” Kopman said. “I’m not trying to shoot for the moon at this point in my career. I just would like gainful employment until I retire.”

Before her layoff, Kopman was a sales operation manager at software company Milestone Systems. She had two decades of sales experience and made $110,000 at her last job. Now she is applying for jobs that earn $60,000 and has broadened her search to include administrative or contract work, in order to get affordable health insurance.

Kopman said she regularly experiences highs and lows with her job search. First, she will get excited by a job and spend hours crafting a personalized application based on how the role aligns with her direct experience. Then, she will have those hopes dashed by an automated rejection 24 hours later.

“It’s like, did anybody even look at my résumé?” she said. That’s when Kopman questions: “Well, is it ageism?”

Kopman is right to be concerned. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act protects U.S. workers who are 40 and older from being discriminated against on the basis of age, but the odds are stacked against older job seekers.

If you’re over 50, you are more likely to lose ― or be pushed out of ― your job. Once this happens, it takes much longer for older job seekers than their younger counterparts to land a job again, let alone a job