Are Online Job Sites Blocking Older Workers?

Nancy Anderson
Posted by in Career Advice •


In a perfect world, computer software should create an impartial way to rank employees who apply for work through online job sites. Older workers may not fare as well as younger workers applying through these websites, and the issue isn't a lack of technological skill.

According to CNBC, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan opened an investigation into whether online job sites discriminate against older workers with parameters build right into the software. This move follows research published by the San Francisco Federal Reserve that found older candidates were 30 percent less likely to get a call or email back from potential employers. Older women were 47 percent less likely to get a response after applying for a job.

The Federal Reserve sent resumes from three different age groups for 13,000 positions across 12 cities in 11 states. Call backs for older men averaged 21 percent for everyone, but only 15 percent for older men in certain job categories. Age discrimination happens, but it's not very obvious because it happens in the functionality of job search websites.

How Websites Discriminate Against Older Workers

Madigan pointed out that several websites discriminate against older workers simply through drop-down menus. Some places have choices that don't go back far enough when inputting years for attending college. For example, one website only went back to 1956 under the menu choice listed as Years Attended College. Another website only went back to 1980 in terms of spending time in college. Other websites ranged from 1950 to 1970 for college years.

Many of these college dates make it impossible for people in their 70s and 80s to complete the online application, provided they attended college during traditional years in their early 20s. The website that stopped time in college at 1980 prevented anyone 52 or older from filling out the application, assuming workers attended college shortly after high school.

Remedying the Situation

Madigan's office sent official letters to a few of these websites, including CareerBuilder, Indeed, Ladders, Monster Jobs and Vault. Representatives from CareerBuilder called Madigan's letter a mistake, while other websites didn't comment or said they hadn't received the letter. Indeed has a specific section for older workers that lists 158,000 openings under its Part Time Jobs, Senior Citizen Jobs section. Monster.com has a separate page that says Jobs 50+ for people interested in those positions.

Older candidates can fight age discrimination in several ways. On resumes, experts recommend leaving off the years of graduation when it comes to college. Older people can keep their skills up-to-date by taking classes and online training courses, and maintaining current social media accounts. Just like with any job opportunities, older candidates can leverage their networks to find the best job openings within companies.

Older workers don't deserve getting shortchanged when it comes to finding a job. Plenty of people maintain fantastic skills well into their 80s thanks to better health and good physical shape, and keeping up with employment trends. Unfortunately, the current anti-discrimination system relies on after-the-fact litigation rather than before-hiring prevention.


Photo courtesy of stockimages at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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  • Nancy Anderson
    Nancy Anderson •

    @Dennis B thanks for your comment. Funny how that works isn't it? I have been on both sides of the coin. How about you? Do you find yourself discriminating against older applicants?

  • Dennis B.
    Dennis B. •

    Age discrimination does exist and while it is "wrong" when you are the applicant it is "understandable" when you are the hiring manager.

  • Nancy Anderson
    Nancy Anderson •

    @Verona C thanks for your comment. It can be tough to change careers - especially after such a long time in one career. Are you planning to stay in the same industry or change industries, too. I, too, changed careers awhile back. What I did was find an entry level type position - part time at that - just to get my foot in the door and start learning about the industry. I told them, upfront, that I was in the process of changing careers and that I was more than willing to start at the bottom. I listed skills that would be transferable to the new position and made sure that I was up to date on all of them. Nothing worse than listing an outdated skill. Be willing to do the grunt work in the beginning until you can start moving up. Remember how it was when you first started in the mortgage industry? That's pretty much what you can expect. Of course, as you know, you could encounter ageism in this process and you will be competing with others who are much younger. So, before you quit the mortgage industry, are you sure there is not a way to stay in an industry where you have so much experience? Maybe a lateral move or a move up - or even a different type of mortgage company? Just a thought. All the best.

  • Verona C.
    Verona C. •

    Hi, In completing more than 80 online applications in the last 2 months, I can tell you that if you try to bypass the education section or the year you graduated, usually you're unable to submit the application due to errors. I stay very up-to-date on social media and I'm actually a part of a group where I learn about utilizing social media for many different things a lot of people aren't aware of. I will take your advice and list only the last 10 years of employment history and only 4-5 of my top skills. Do you have any suggestions about changing fields after 35 years of mortgage? My resume shows only mortgage experience but with that came a lot of experience in other areas. Thank you

  • Weneeke M.
    Weneeke M. •

    i hate to say this but someone who went to college in the 70's-- that person is very close to retirement. it's a catch 22: -- who would you hire a fresh-minded 20 year old or or a 65 year old?

  • Cathy S.
    Cathy S. •

    This was an interesting article and based on the suggestions, I removed more than half of my earlier work experience from my LinkedIn profile. That hurt, for sure. Let's see if it makes a difference. I am making the bet that it does. Thanks for the suggestions.

  • Nancy Anderson
    Nancy Anderson •

    @Linda G thanks for your comment. It is frustrating that's for sure. Have you tried to only include the past 10 years of relevant work experience instead of including everything? Might be worth trying and see if you can get your foot in the door for an interview.

  • Linda G.
    Linda G. •

    It isn't the school years that are the problem. It's the fact that companies can legally ask for the dates of your employment that gives them an approximation of your age. And in this current political climate, we have no recourse to legal remedies any more as those agencies are being decimated.

  • Julie Williams
    Julie Williams •

    A friend of mine was being interviewed two weeks ago in which the interviewer asked her what year she graduated high school. The interviewer was young and somewhat inexperienced with interviewing, so probably didn't know any better(we hope), but my friend informed her it is illegal to ask by law and considered age discrimination. Hopefully the interviewer learned from this.

  • Clayton M.
    Clayton M. •

    Nick H; I Agree 1000%. Some feedback would be very appreciated.

  • Susan Carroll
    Susan Carroll •

    Thanks for the insights. I like what J.B. said. Perhaps you can niche yourself as a consultant with expertise in your field, but that requires really defining who you are and what sets you apart. An entrepreneurial mind-set is key.

  • J. B.
    J. B. •

    I graduated from college in 2006, but I was a non-traditional student. Thus, one way to get around the 'drop down brick-wall' is to take even an Associate Degree, and put that in your resume. I graduated with a 3.7 GPA and went on to take a Master's Degree with a 4.0 GPA and as Valedictorian of my class. How can employers argue with being Valedictorian????

  • Nancy Anderson
    Nancy Anderson •

    @Linda S thanks for your comment. The unfortunate part is that most companies require you to fill out their forms and one of the questions is "what year did you graduate high school?". No getting around that one. And what makes this even worse is that some companies will use a dropdown where you get to choose your graduation date but they stop at 1980. So, if you graduated in 1979, you can't even apply!

  • linda s.
    linda s. •

    As you may know, it is illegal to ask for a candidates age. Leaving off graduation date on your resume is one way to avoid age issues.

  • Nancy Anderson
    Nancy Anderson •

    Thanks for the comments. It certainly can be frustrating when you apply and apply and never hear back. @Nick H. the days of getting an email stating that your resume has been received are pretty much over. Some companies will still do that, but, for the most part, you never hear anything unless you get called for an interview. That's because, back in the day, your resume was reviewed by a human whereas today, it's read by a machine. @Gloria DeVault I hear your pain. You should just say - I want the job for the same reason that you want your job! @Patricia G - do you think that it's because employers feel that your skills are not up to par since you have been working the same jobs for so long? Make sure that you are keeping your skills up for the position you want -not for the position you have.

  • stuart s.
    stuart s. •

    I have found discrimination to be very real for boomers+. All I can say is what goes around comes aroud

  • Gloria DeVault
    Gloria DeVault •

    There is absolute age discrimination. You get overlooked, and if you do get a call at all, why do you want this job??? Well, I still have to work, and the old adage "Over-qualified" is the standby excuse.

  • PATRICIA G.
    PATRICIA G. •

    i believe my longevity on my last two jobs is hindering me because of age discrimination.

  • NICK H.
    NICK H. •

    poor company management if you ask me it would at least be nice to know that the resume was received for review at a minimum and a thank you for applying position filled or not what we where looking for.

  • Nancy Anderson
    Nancy Anderson •

    @Sandra Leverette thanks for your comment. It doesn't mean that you are doing anything wrong. But if you aren't getting any response at all, maybe you should go back to square one and revisit your resume. Is the resume relevant to the position? Are you pulling keywords from the job posting and including them in your resume? The first thing is to have someone else review your resume and see if that might be the issue. You have to get through the applicant tracking software that the majority of companies use today. Are the jobs asking for a cover letter? Are you submitting it - crafting a cover letter to show how the company can benefit from hiring you? Are you doing any follow-ups - at least where you can? Are you networking? Maybe you should take your customer service and financial counseling experience to a different industry - something outside of the emergency room? Your skills could be used just about anywhere. So just take a step back and start with the resume. Did you go to college - even community college? Most colleges have career services where they can help you with your resume. They can help you with interviewing skills, too. Have you considered finding a recruiter to present you to companies? They also would be able to help you out with your resume. Are you treating your job search as a job? It's tough being without a job - whether it's for a week or a year. When I was out of work, I would get up, get dressed and start my work day. I kept a record of every resume I submitted, including as much information as I had - contact name, number, etc. I would print out a copy of the job posting so that I had it readily accessible should I get a call. So hang in. Try some of these suggestions and hopefully they will work. All the best.

  • Sandra Leverette
    Sandra Leverette •

    I have been looking for a job for the last 4 months. I have 15 years experience in Customer Service, Financial Counselor in the Emergenct Room. All the jobs I applied for I never hear anything. Please tell me what I'm doing wrong.

  • Nancy Anderson
    Nancy Anderson •

    @Jeannie E. thanks for your comment. I totally agree with you. It's very frustrating. It's even worse when you try to apply for a job and, when you get to your HS graduation date, they give you a drop down that begins at 1980! So if you graduated before 1980, you can't even attempt to apply! To me - that is total discrimination! I truly don't know how they get away with it. I guess no one has taken these companies to task for age discrimination!

  • Jeannie E.
    Jeannie E. •

    What really bothers me is the fact that most companies won't ask your age, HOWEVER, they almost always ask for your graduation date. Companies can certainly determine a probable age within a couple of years. Why else would your graduation date really help someone to hire you? Shouldn't they only be allowed to ask "Did you graduate"?

  • Nancy Anderson
    Nancy Anderson •

    Thanks for the comments. @Pegi Campbell that's really strange that a company would ask for a photo. That's an EEOC issue for sure. Way too much discrimination that way - not just for older job seekers but for everyone. And birthdate is a definite NO NO! That is truly an illegal question. Search around - check out companies in your area and see if you can't find one that has workers from all age groups as well as different ethnic groups. @Jera P did someone mention to you that you have gaps in your resume? Check the "from" and "to" dates on your employment to be sure that they flow without any gaps. All the best on your job search.

  • Pegi Campbell
    Pegi Campbell •

    My birth date doesn't seem to be too much of a problem. However, I have found that a picture has been requested more often. I'm not sure that I like that, but in this day & age what do I do. If they can't tell how old I am from my resume they will certainly be able to when they see my picture.

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