About Me
I've been on
both sides of
this desk.
That's the whole point.
the inside
I fight for
The system is broken.
I can prove it.
If you've been laid off after years of strong performance — or applying to roles you're more than qualified for and hearing nothing back — I need you to know something:
It's not you. And I can prove it.I'm Angela Malagon — a corporate recruiter with over 12 years of experience hiring for companies like Cisco and Google. I've sat in the debrief rooms. I've watched resumes get buried by ATS before a human touched them. I've heard "culture fit" used to cover decisions I knew were about something else entirely.
And then I got laid off too.
What I found on the other side of that desk changed everything I thought I knew about job searching after 40. Being both the person making the hiring decisions and the person fighting to get past them — that's exactly what this channel, this brand, and this work are built on.
12+ Years on the Inside
acquisition
hired for
hiring desk
I fight for
I've built high-performing teams, navigated mass hiring events, managed senior executive searches, and partnered with hiring managers who had very strong opinions about exactly what they wanted. I know what makes a resume land. I know why a strong candidate gets screened out.
And I know the difference between a candidate who didn't get the job because of their background — and one who didn't get it because of bias they couldn't even see. I've also been on the contractor side of this industry — navigating the flexibility, the uncertainty, and the strategic decisions that come with contract recruiting work. I understand both tracks because I've worked both tracks.
Why I Built
The Jilted Recruiter
After my layoff, I spent time on the other side of the hiring process for the first time in over a decade. And what I encountered was a job market that had fundamentally changed — one that seemed almost designed to screen out the people with the most experience.
ATS systems that buried resumes before a human saw them. "Overqualified" rejections that were really about salary fear. Interview questions designed to surface age without asking about it directly. A hiring ecosystem that had quietly decided that experience over a certain level was a liability, not an asset.
I knew how all of it worked from the inside — and I realized that most people on the outside had no idea. That information gap is expensive. It costs people interviews, offers, and income they deserved.
So I built The Jilted Recruiter to close that gap.
This is where I share what I know about how hiring actually works — the ATS tricks, the interview traps, the negotiation leverage points, the ageism patterns and how to navigate them — for the business professionals over 40 who deserve to know what's happening on the other side of the process.
Done Being
Politely Ghosted.
This channel, this community, and this consulting work are built for the business professional over 40 who is:
Mastery ✓
Navigation ✓
Negotiation ✓
A Little About
the Rest of Me
The Family
I'm based in Indiana, married to my perfect match and biggest cheerleader for over 20 years — patience of steel, heart of gold. Truly my rock.
Two amazing adult children, both back home in Indiana. My daughter has finished college and is doing her thing — her spirit is still all me. My son is back in Indiana too, along with his wonderful girlfriend and their dog — my beloved grandpup, who I am thrilled to report is now local.
Miles & Molly
My two fur babies and the true loves of my life. They have absolutely no career advice to offer, but their moral support is completely unmatched.
And the grandpup is back in Indiana now too — the whole crew is together. I'm not saying that was the plan, but I'm not complaining either. 🐾
Ready to stop guessing?
Start Strategizing.
If you're a business professional over 40 navigating a job search that isn't working, I want to help. Start with the free resources — or work with someone who's been on both sides of the desk.
