How Older Applicants Navigate Job Hunt

“The Wall Street Journal recently wrote about Lynn Lee, 65 years old, and her long search for employment after a layoff. Her story touched a nerve with readers, many of whom are also hunting for work in a tough job market, while feeling as though their age counts against them.

 

"Keep hearing that I am overqualified, when in reality it probably is because I am 65," one reader wrote. "I feel like a ghost at job fairs," another said.

 

Here are stories of those who found ways back into the workforce:

 

Crashing a cocktail party

 

Scott Wallace, 68, who lives in Houston, was laid off from his sales job at a chemical company in 2023, after a decadeslong career in the oil-and-gas industry. He applied for jobs in his field without luck, then took a chance on something completely different, leaning into his love of wine and his sales experience. He walked into a local wine shop to ask about work, and was hired for a seasonal job.

 

In 2024, a friend from his oil-industry days tipped him off about a party for entrepreneurs in fields related to oil and gas, and he decided to show up as if he had been invited. At the bar, he chatted up the chief executive of a software company, drawing on his knowledge of the oil-and-gas industry, and got an interview. That led to a six-month contract as a business-development representative.

 

Last year, he landed a four-month contract-sales job with a French software company. Then he decided to start a completely new kind of work: He became certified as a substitute teacher. Wallace lives alone and said he can get by on savings and Social Security, but he wants extra income to pay for things like trips, presents for grandchildren and the occasional date. Plus, he said working keeps him mentally fresh.

 

Moving to part-time work

 

After being laid off in May from a regulatory-affairs job for a medical-device manufacturer, Scott Thiel, 60, aimed for temporary gigs and consulting work. He got an operations-director job with a manufacturer in August, working 20 hours a week.

 

"I am still looking a bit for full-time work, but the market is really tough," said Thiel, who lives in Indianapolis. "Do I just stop looking for a full-time job and continue on with contract work? Or do I continue to do this bifurcated approach?"

 

He is dealing with another conundrum: whether showing his full resume telegraphs his age. A placement company advised him to share just 15 years of work experience to sidestep ageism. But Thiel said that in interviews companies asked why he didn't share his full background, as it showed expertise. He has learned to tailor his resume, depending on the company and the role.

 

An email to the manager

 

Jean Davidson, 75, retired from the insurance industry in 2014, but said being at home proved to be boring. She has picked up a couple of temporary jobs since then to keep busy, and did so again last year.

 

Spotting an insurers' office in her neighborhood near Orlando, Fla., she decided to email the manager. That led to an invitation to the office, and soon she was making $16 an hour greeting customers and answering the phone.

 

"I just like having a job," she said.

 

She is currently taking a break to take care of her husband, but wants to get back into the workforce.

 

Driving for Uber

 

Jeff Falls, 64, has been driving for Uber since losing his job as a financial adviser at a major asset-management firm two years ago. The money supplements his Social Security payments. He feels financially squeezed by the rising cost of living, and his Uber income is down, which he attributes to rising competition from self-driving Waymos. He worries that driving for Uber will no longer be a decent source of income in a few years, and he is still looking for work in finance.

 

Falls, who lives with his 10-year-old daughter in Scottsdale, Ariz., is pessimistic about finding a new finance job. His long search has proved fruitless, and he feels trapped between having experience that made him overqualified and passed over for entry-level jobs, but being too old to land a senior position.

 

Going deep -- not wide

 

Some job seekers cast a wide net. Michele Helfgott-Waters, 60, focused on her niche experience after being laid off in July from a program-manager role. It was the second time in about two years that the Huntsville, Ala., resident lost a job.

 

This time she focused on her professional experience with veterans. She attended virtual career fairs for military spouses and researched companies in advance. If an employer of interest didn't have a position that she qualified for, she asked whom else she should meet.

 

On Dec. 30, her search paid off with an offer for a project-manager role that came up through a connection -- a remote role helping military veterans find jobs. She said she expects to be making more than in her past role. "In this market, especially being over 45, it is totally about your network," Helfgott-Waters said.” [1]

 

1. How Older Applicants Navigate Job Hunt. Putzier, Konrad; Ellis, Lindsay.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 14 Jan 2026: A9.