I’m in my 40s, and starting to feel like my job search is hitting a dead end because of my age. A lot of the job descriptions I'm finding only want fresh grads, and anyone with a real background is just an afterthought. How can I show I'm still current and worth the salary? I’m having a hard time proving that my experience is a better bet than someone younger and cheaper.

Big 4 lost age discrimination cases due to only recruiting on campus. So now you see all these LinkedIn In ads. Check those out.

Age discrimination is real.

The only thing I can think of is that if you’re well experienced, then apply for roles that match. Sr and above.

Too many entry-level jobs is not a common complaint. Target companies and roles outside of what you have been doing. If you feel like it is just budget concerns on their side, find well-established companies that can pay.

Age discrimination is a real thing, but it's virtually impossible to prove. The key is to make your experience a selling point. Make sure you apply for a role commensurate with your experience, and get across the idea that you can step into the role. Some companies won't mind someone a little older as there's probably less need for supervision.

What kind of jobs are you looking for? I wouldn't expect you're competing with fresh grads unless it's an entry-level role. If that's the case, see if anyone in your network can refer you.

Thank you for this post.
What I’m finding in today’s job search is plain old job security. 40 used to be a great age to move on to a better paying job. Now, it seems like the senior level, close to retirement age workers, are holding on for dear life. After all retirement age bumped up to 67. They do not want to be replaced. Chances are they may not be tech savvy. However, if senior levels bring in green workers, they can get them to do everything. At the end of the day, it seems to hurt our market economy, certainly not advancing. I suppose many are so gun ho on AI, too. And, don’t even get me started on AI. My friend started a practice and built everything with AI. Even a website. Nevertheless, the time it took to iron out the kinks, and fine tune all her AI efforts, we could have save time just bypassing AI. Best of luck. I did ask ChatGpt about this, I was thorough with my request for job search advice, and don’t you know it provided detailed and uplifting advice.

Prepare to never work again or switch fields completely. In this job market, I think there will be a lot of experienced CPA's who will never work again.