At 54, I found myself out of work and I was rejected from hundreds of roles. Then, I discovered 'CV-Botoxing' and was offered a senior job with a top salary. Find my step-by-step guide to exactly how I did it in the Morning Mail newsletter

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There is nothing quite as depressing as feeling as if you have wasted the past 20 years of your life. But that’s exactly how I felt at the beginning of this year when, at the age of 54, I was trying to find a job in one of the toughest markets I’ve ever known.

I had been applying since late 2025, when my last freelance gig working as a senior strategist at a global content agency had ended after eight months, but all I had to show for it was an inbox full of automated rejections.

Honestly, this was a bit of a first for me. I had always picked up jobs pretty swiftly in the past, whether it was full-time roles or freelance work, but job hunting in my 50s was brutal.

I was desperate to find a job, partly for the salary, but also because I love to work and being at home and unemployed left me feeling depressed and useless. That’s when I read about CV Botoxing.

To read my step-by-step guide to 'CV Botoxing', sign up to Morning Mail to get the exclusive DailyMail+ article FREE of charge in Friday's newsletter.

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