In my experience if a candidate is willing to accept the pay level of a younger colleague (just because they have similar number of years of experience) then em

In my experience if a candidate is willing to accept the pay level of a younger colleague (just because they have similar number of years of experience) then employers don't care much. However, if it's a strategic job opening to be filled by someone expected to build a full career, it'll be harder to sell yourself knowing that your first 15 years are already gone.