This is how you beat age discrimination

In this current state of normal - and sorry, I refuse to call it the new normal because nothing lasts forever - there are some economic realities to be faced.  One of them is, seasoned workers stand a very good chance of being screwed, sometimes because of self-defeating reasons and sometimes because of misperception.

The biggest self-defeating reason is the most obvious - economics.  Less experienced people command lower salaries.  Why self-defeating?  If you run an organization, new hires are essentially learning on your watch, quite possibly learning enough so that they can shop themselves to a higher bidder.  There is nothing wrong with inexperienced people; I used to be one.  But, you can't run a place on their backs.  They need people to learn from, people whose roles they can move into at some point.  Conversely, the older worker will also learn from younger counterparts, but that is another topic. 

Areas of misperception are going to be more common and they are infinitely more maddening:

• "You are overqualified."  While that may be true, you are not applying for such a job in order to show off.  It may be that you've been in your boss' shoes and you found the view unpleasant.  Or, it could be that you want to dial down your level of responsibility.  Or, you want to focus on a specific task(s) without also having to supervise/internalize the drama of subordinates.  But your best means of overcoming that objection is this:  "I have had your position and I understand the demands and pressures you face.  I can help you with some of them and you can be certain I will not add to them." 
• "Are you sure you won't be bored?"  The plain fact is that not every job is a thrill a minute, but jobs exist for one purpose - there is work to be done.  Presumably, you will be busy.  Focus on the skills required for the job and the tasks that are entailed in it.  "The mark of a well-run organization is when the routine things are done routinely.  Every place has its things that, while maybe not exciting, are nonetheless critical to the overall function.  I like contributing to success and a big part of success is so-called little things; this is where my experience really comes to the fore.  I have seen what happens when details are addressed and when they are not." 
• "The workplace has changed."  Pardon the expression, but no shit.  If you are a Boomer, your entire existence has been about change.  You remember when research meant going to the library, using the Dewey Decimal System to track down reference material, and then typing the finished work.  Maybe even on a manual typewriter.  If you know the words "pica" and "elite", you know what I am talking about.  The tools have been changing your entire career and each time, you acclimated.  Here's the bottom line answer to that objection:  "Communicating with people is about ideas, not about the means through which ideas are transmitted.  People can learn gadgets quickly; it takes a lot longer to learn to think.  (Besides, all of these tools that your generation takes for granted?  My generation invented most of them.")  

The part in parentheses is simple:  Mark Zuckerberg came up with Facebook, but that's just an application.  It was the prior generation that invented the operating system on which the app runs.  Of course, that last part goes down a lot better if said with a smile on your face; you are applying for a job, after all, not seeking to make enemies.  There is nothing wrong being firm about the fact that every convenience that your kids take for granted was invented by the generation or two that came before it.  

Tough economic times have made for a much competitive workplace.  Graduate schools have enrolled a goodly number of older students who find that their experience alone is not enough.  And, it is difficult to blame organizations.  When hundreds of people apply for an opening, there is no way a human is going to sift through every resume.  So, screening parameters are designed to cull the resume herd; "Masters" is one of the words used to narrow the field of prospects.

You cannot change your age but you don't have to run away from it either.  Experience matters, perhaps more so today than in fatter times.  But be aware; you are going to face one or more of the bullet items if you are of a certain age and on the job hunt.  Be ready with answers.