Older job seekers fight age barrier

Rapid changes in workplace technology may be another factor, Johnson said. Some employers fear older workers can't keep pace.

Gregg Cygan, a 60-year-old graphics consultant based near Chicago, has decades of experience with technology and was a charter member of AOL's e-mail service. Yet he said some people consider his AOL.com e-mail address out of step.

"They only think you're hip if you have a Gmail account," Cygan said, referring to Google's e-mail service.

Job counselors say they remind older workers that networking is even more crucial for them than for younger job-seekers, because their resumes are sometimes undervalued.

Patricia McNally, 58, is following that advice: She's using Web sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook. Yet one of her most effective tools is decidedly low-tech: her dog, Lola.

After being laid off from a marketing job in Washington, D.C., in December, McNally decided she could no longer afford to pay her dog-walker. Still, the dog-walker forwarded her resume to a communications start-up company. That led to an interview, and while the company isn't yet hiring, McNally thinks she's gained a foothold there.

"You never know where your networking's going to come from," she said.

For his part, Cygan refuses to make any concessions to his age.

"I am who I am," he said.

Cygan's been told many times that he's overqualified for jobs he's applied for. Now, he has a ready reply:

"If you ever replace the head of the department, then get in touch with me," he said.