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Population ageing has increased the number of professionals remaining active later in their careers, yet many continue to face difficulties in accessing employment. This dissertation examines recruitment as an organisational screening and decision-making system, exploring how practices and criteria applied during the early stages of selection may influence the progression of qualified professionals aged 50 and over. Developed within the field of Service Engineering and Management, the study adopts a mixed-methods approach, combining a survey of 134 professionals with recent recruitment experience and interviews with recruiters responsible for initial candidate screening. The findings suggest that exclusion is rarely associated with explicit age-related criteria. Instead, it often emerges through the use of indirect curricular signals in contexts characterised by time pressure, high application volumes and the need for rapid decision-making. The study contributes to a better understanding of the organisational mechanisms that influence candidate progression and the participation of experienced professionals throughout the recruitment process.