They’re not ghosting you. They just can’t see you.

Your résumé is out there. But the market’s swimming right past it.

“I sent 154 resumes. Got 48 rejections. Nothing from the rest.”

That stat didn’t come from a recent graduate or mid-level manager. It came from a 52-year-old executive who led a $200M business unit and posted this on Reddit after months of silence from the job market.

If you’re nodding, you’re not alone. There’s a growing wave of seasoned leaders getting ghosted, filtered out, or flat-out ignored. It’s not just frustrating. It’s identity-rattling.

Ever feel like you’re casting line after line into the job market, only to watch the fish swim right by? That’s what it’s like for too many executives today. The résumé’s out there, but it’s invisible.

And here’s the truth most career advice glosses over: It’s not your age. It’s your positioning. You’re fishing with 2015 bait in 2025 waters. And wondering why nothing’s biting.

The Executive Invisibility Problem

You’ve led through crises, grown teams, delivered results. You’ve made the hard calls, earned the trust, and probably cleaned up someone else’s mess along the way.

So why are you getting ghosted by HR coordinators half your age?

Because your value is buried under Brand Garbage (outdated, inconsistent, and irrelevant content across your digital presence). Your LinkedIn reads like a corporate obituary. Your resume is a graveyard of job descriptions. And your networking strategy peaked when BlackBerries were still a thing.

The market didn’t reject your experience. It never actually saw it.

I say this not as a consultant shouting from the sidelines—but as someone who’s lived it. After years of experience in journalism and financial services, I hit the same wall. I knew I had value, but the market couldn’t see it through the fog. That's what pushed me to reposition myself—and eventually, help others do the same.

What’s Actually Broken (It’s Not What You Think)

Let’s name the things that polite career advice won't:

• Ageism is real, but it's not absolute. I've seen executives in their 50s and 60s land competitive roles. The difference? They stopped hiding their experience and started leveraging it.

• Your competition isn't who you think. You're not up against other execs. You're up against sharp MBAs fluent in 2025 buzzwords. They may not have your wisdom, but they speak the current language of business.

• Mass applications are executive self-sabotage. The moment I hear "I sent 154 resumes," I know the strategy's broken. You're not a commodity—but you're marketing yourself like one.

A LinkedIn Makeover That Changed Everything

Last summer, I worked with a senior division head who was stuck. Brilliant guy. Terrible LinkedIn.

Old profile:

• Headline: "SVP, Collections Strategy at [Company Name]"

• About section: 45 words in third person.

• Experience: Copied and pasted his HR job descriptions.

New profile:

• Headline: "Turnaround Exec | Scaled Ops During 3 High-Growth Acquisitions | Builder of Resilient, People-First Teams"

• About: A story about how he thinks through operational chaos, not just a list of past wins.

• Experience: Focused on impact—revenue generated, teams built, crises averted.

He landed a new role in 30 days. Not because we made him younger. Because we made him visible.

The 10 Fixes That Actually Work

1. Stop hiding behind your job title.
Replace "VP of Marketing" with something that actually says what you do and for whom: "Growth Leader | Scaled 3 SaaS Companies from $10M to $100M+ ARR | Expert in Customer Acquisition."

2. Write like you're solving their problem.
Every line of your resume should answer: "So what?" Not "Managed 50 people," but "Built a team that reduced churn 23% in a high-growth phase."

3. Speak 2025, not 2005.
Ditch the jargon. If your profile still says, "synergistic solutions," you're waving a flag that you're out of touch.

4. Get surgical with your targeting.
Pick 15-20 companies where your experience solves a real problem. Read their earnings calls. Understand the CEO's agenda. Do some Deep Research on an AI platform like Perplexity or Chat GPT (but check their footnotes/accuracy). Align.

5. Network like a peer, not a job seeker.
Skip the "let me know if you hear of anything" line. Try, "Supply chain disruption is hammering mid-market ops. What are you seeing on your side?"

6. Share how you think.
Post on LinkedIn once a month. Not about job hunting. Focus on leadership, strategy, patterns you’ve seen. Let them see how you think.

7. Reframe tenure as pattern recognition.
You’ve seen cycles repeat. Say that. Position experience as foresight, not age.

8. Treat fractional roles as leverage.
They're not a fallback. They're a strategy. Position yourself as a "Strategic Partner for Growth and Transition."

9. Build recruiter relationships that matter.
Find the 3-5 who get your space. Share insights. Become a source, not a name in a pile.

10. Get outside help on your positioning.
You're too close to your own story. The more experience you have, the harder it is to explain. The execs who break through? They invest in clarity.

You’re Not the Problem. Your Positioning Is.

The executives winning in this market aren't chasing everything. They're clear on what they solve, who they help, and how to show up with credibility.

Companies don’t just need leaders. They need clarity. Confidence. Context. Especially when everything feels uncertain.

That's what you bring. You've led in chaos. Made the calls that mattered. Built teams. Fixed messes.

But if they can’t see that clearly, they won’t call.

You don't need reinvention. You need visibility.

If this hits close to home, let's talk. I help experienced executives cut through the Brand Garbage and get seen for the value they actually bring. And if you’re interested in a one-page summary of my From Brand Garbage to Communications Windex tips, just hit the Contact button above and ask.