On the flip side, the recruiter for the place I now work at mentioned couple of times that the company preferred "seasoned" employees and there was subtle hint

On the flip side, the recruiter for the place I now work at mentioned couple of times that the company preferred "seasoned" employees and there was subtle hint of "make sure you're OK with that." It definitely skewed older at the time I joined, although we've hired quite a few people in their 20's/early 30's since then. It's a difficult situation for a good recruiter. On one hand, you don't want to discriminate illegally, but on the other hand, you want the company you're working for (and the candidate) to be happy with your results.