'It's such a slap in the face': Job seekers in their 50s share the unique challenges they face

Workers in their 50s share job searching and career pivot experiences.

Chloe Ellingson/Taylor Glascock/Martina Tuaty for BI We surveyed and spoke with professionals in their 50s about job searching and career pivoting.

Over 100 people left comments and responses about their biggest challenges.

Ageism, AI, and ghosting have taken an emotional toll on many 50+ job seekers.

For our Still in the Game series, Business Insider has been interviewing and surveying people in their 50s who are navigating career changes.

As we've shared their struggles and triumphs through unemployment and career pivots, we've heard from more than 100 readers via emails and comments, many expressing the same sentiment: "Thank you for showing me that I'm not alone." While looking for work or starting over at any age comes with challenges — especially after spending decades building a career and in the current difficult job market — some of those challenges may come as a surprise.

In Still in the Game , Business Insider is chronicling the realities of job hunting in your 50s — from overcoming age bias and navigating career transitions to rebuilding confidence, updating skills, and finding new opportunities in an increasingly competitive job market.

Share your story by filling out this quick form .

One surprise this age demographic seems to share is the sudden realization that their job experience doesn't hold as much weight as they expected.

As these Gen X job seekers go through the growing pains of starting over at 50, they reflected on that reality, plus the other challenging headwinds they're experiencing.

Here's what they told us.

Fifty is, apparently, old When responding to our survey, one 55-year-old mentioned they're having trouble finding work because companies think people in their 50s are old now.

"They forget that my generation is the one that, much like cockroaches, don't seem to age and are really hard to kill," they wrote.

Almost all of the Gen X workers and job seekers we spoke with feel that age discrimination is a major challenge in their current career journey.