No, you're not imagining things when you confront a rush of age bias in your job hunt. So what are the mechanics of leveling the playing field? You know that sometimes, no matter what, you just can't overcome the prejudice of ageophobes, but consider these upgrades to your search:
PRESENT A CONTEMPORARY IMAGE. You say interviewers are turned off by your gray hair. Must interviewers see your gray hair? With the array of grooming products available today, not really. And what about other aspects of your appearance -- your dress, your conversation, how energetically you walk and carry yourself? If you belong to a job club, arrange a program allowing members to be evaluated for fitting in with the times. If not, check out contemporary business-related TV programs to glimpse more youthful reflections.
LEARN TO USE YOUNGER TOOLS. Do you know how to create an online resume, tell the differences between personal and professional networking and why it matters, pick the best new Web sites to use for job searching, research companies, position yourself to get found by companies that use social media to source candidates, do video interviews, and otherwise gain an edge in this demanding job market?
I thought not. Here's immediate help: The second edition of Alison Doyle's "Internet Your Way to a New Job" (Happy About, 2009) has just been published, and it includes the latest information on using Twitter, LinkedIn, VisualCV and all the other online resources out there for today's job seeker. Your younger competitors already know how to use these tools.
REVERSE DISCRIMINATION. In case you're wondering about the other end of the spectrum, some states (Minnesota and New Jersey, for example) forbid discrimination against any age demographic, including young workers. But that's a future column.