- Register with temp firms in your local area as they don't care about age but are more interested in your skills and experience. Also if you get work through a temp firm it helps build your resume for future work assignments.
- Try to get an interview with an employer you are not interested in working for to practice your interviewing skills. You don't want to go to your first interview in a long time with the employer you are really interested in working for and make easily correctable mistakes.
- Consider having your resume re-written or updated by an expert as the resume you used years ago is no longer appropriate.
- Search for a job in areas that connect older workers with employers seeking to hire them. Go to http://www.retiredbrains.com/Home/Retirement+Jobs/default.aspx and enter your city location in the "where" box and then try different job headings in the "what" box. Consider putting the word temporary after some of these job headings so the system will return job postings often more appropriate for older workers as employers are more likely to hire older workers on a temporary basis than their younger counterparts.
- Look for temporary or project assignments as they are much more available than full-time jobs.
- When applying for a job tell the employer you are willing to work on a project or temporary basis; this often gives you a leg up on younger workers or are often unable to accept this kind of employment. Temporary employment can often lead to full-time work.
- Get information on employer prior to interview. For example Contact someone who is at the employer who attended the same school you went to. "Hi. You and I went to the same school but graduated at different times. I'm interviewing for a position in your firm later this week and, before I meet with HR and the Hiring Manager, I would like to test out a couple questions I have about your firm on you and see what you think the answers might be." (Later, ask if they will be your employee referral)
- Volunteer with a charity or non-profit. Although in most cases there is little or no monetary compensation it is often excellent experience and can possibly lead to employment with a firm that is seeking that particular experience or appreciates your work effort. It is also easier to find employment while you are working as you have a better mind set. Looking for a job on a full-time basis is not a very rewarding experience.
Visit the RetiredBrains Website
Monday, November 16, 2009
8 Tips for Seniors Seeking Employment
Friday, October 23, 2009
From MarketWatch a service of Retirement Weekly
The other side of the coin
By Art Koff, CEO, http://www.RetiredBrains.com
I don't mean to beat a dead horse but there are still many openings for older Americans; however they are primarily in temporary jobs or project assignment areas.
Executives, managers and professionals can often use their current skill sets and experience to work on projects where this background works for them and also for the employers that hire them on this basis. There are many employers with a hiring freeze either company-wide or on a department by department basis but project work usually comes out of a different budget. Generally speaking employers do not have to pay benefits and even more importantly an employer can terminate a project based worker with little or no warning and little or no expense.
We are continuing to find many older Americans who are unable to find employment are starting their own business. A good percentage has tried consulting unsuccessfully and then gone on to purchase a franchise or start a business out of their home. We continue to add resources on RetiredBrains to address this need. We believe that a large percentage of older Americans will stop looking for full-time work during their "retirement years" and find project assignments or start their own businesses to help make ends meet. This is a particularly difficult problem for those who are not yet Medicare eligible as after COBRA runs out the cost of health care insurance becomes a huge cost issue.
Health care costs for older Americans even after Medicare kicks in are much greater than most realize. A couple retiring, both at 65, in 2009 will spend out of pocket on health care an average of $279,000 between 2009 and the combined remainder of the lifetimes. This figure includes Medicare premiums, supplemental health care insurance premiums and costs not covered by either like prescription drugs. This does not include home health care insurance or the costs associated with these expenses at home or in nursing homes or similar facilities. Unfortunately this $279,000 cost continues to rise each year by close to double digit numbers. Next year will be the first year where Social Security checks will actually be less than the prior year because of the increase in the Medicare premium.
I have worked closely with David DeLong for many years and provided him with information and insights into the senior job market. One of the things I have found which is often not discussed is there is a substantial difference between boomers or older workers in the 50 to 60 age group and those 60+. Their skills sets are different; their attitudes are different, their expectations are different and their needs, particularly after 65 are very different. These significant differences mean that these age groups must be treated differently in any discussion, any survey and in articles addressing employment or help in finding employment.
Perhaps the three best tips to help workers in the 60+ age group find work are these:
Look for temporary or project assignments as they are much more available than fulltime jobs.
When applying for a job tell the employer you are willing to work on a project or temporary basis; this often gives you a leg up on younger workers or are often unable to accept this kind of employment. Temporary employment can often lead to full-time work.
Volunteer with a charity or non-profit. Although in most cases there is little or no monetary compensation it is often excellent experience and can possibly lead to employment with a firm that is seeking that particular experience or appreciates your work effort. It is also easier to find employment while you are working as you have a better mind set. Looking for a job on a full-time basis is not a very rewarding experience
By Art Koff, CEO, http://www.RetiredBrains.com
I don't mean to beat a dead horse but there are still many openings for older Americans; however they are primarily in temporary jobs or project assignment areas.
Executives, managers and professionals can often use their current skill sets and experience to work on projects where this background works for them and also for the employers that hire them on this basis. There are many employers with a hiring freeze either company-wide or on a department by department basis but project work usually comes out of a different budget. Generally speaking employers do not have to pay benefits and even more importantly an employer can terminate a project based worker with little or no warning and little or no expense.
We are continuing to find many older Americans who are unable to find employment are starting their own business. A good percentage has tried consulting unsuccessfully and then gone on to purchase a franchise or start a business out of their home. We continue to add resources on RetiredBrains to address this need. We believe that a large percentage of older Americans will stop looking for full-time work during their "retirement years" and find project assignments or start their own businesses to help make ends meet. This is a particularly difficult problem for those who are not yet Medicare eligible as after COBRA runs out the cost of health care insurance becomes a huge cost issue.
Health care costs for older Americans even after Medicare kicks in are much greater than most realize. A couple retiring, both at 65, in 2009 will spend out of pocket on health care an average of $279,000 between 2009 and the combined remainder of the lifetimes. This figure includes Medicare premiums, supplemental health care insurance premiums and costs not covered by either like prescription drugs. This does not include home health care insurance or the costs associated with these expenses at home or in nursing homes or similar facilities. Unfortunately this $279,000 cost continues to rise each year by close to double digit numbers. Next year will be the first year where Social Security checks will actually be less than the prior year because of the increase in the Medicare premium.
I have worked closely with David DeLong for many years and provided him with information and insights into the senior job market. One of the things I have found which is often not discussed is there is a substantial difference between boomers or older workers in the 50 to 60 age group and those 60+. Their skills sets are different; their attitudes are different, their expectations are different and their needs, particularly after 65 are very different. These significant differences mean that these age groups must be treated differently in any discussion, any survey and in articles addressing employment or help in finding employment.
Perhaps the three best tips to help workers in the 60+ age group find work are these:
Look for temporary or project assignments as they are much more available than fulltime jobs.
When applying for a job tell the employer you are willing to work on a project or temporary basis; this often gives you a leg up on younger workers or are often unable to accept this kind of employment. Temporary employment can often lead to full-time work.
Volunteer with a charity or non-profit. Although in most cases there is little or no monetary compensation it is often excellent experience and can possibly lead to employment with a firm that is seeking that particular experience or appreciates your work effort. It is also easier to find employment while you are working as you have a better mind set. Looking for a job on a full-time basis is not a very rewarding experience
By Robert Powell, MarketWatch
Monday, October 12, 2009
BOSTON -- Many people expect to retire around age 65, but research shows that plenty of people older than that rely on paid labor for a good part of their retirement income. Job-based earnings are roughly 30 percent of the average U.S. retiree's income and upward of 40 percent for those in the highest income quintile, according to Social Security Administration figures. And earnings from work account for one-fifth of income for people age 65 or older in the 30 countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Whether you work after age 65 will depend on many factors -- whether you have a defined-benefit plan or retiree health insurance, whether you are in good health, whether you can find work. But make no mistake about it: Some of you will work past age 65 and earned income will play a significant role in your finances.
In the United States, 37.8 percent of 65-and-older workers worked full-time year-round in 2008, according to the Census Bureau. That percentage ranged from 51.6 percent in the District of Columbia to 27.4 percent in Wisconsin. In the United States, 15.5 percent of people age 65 and older participated in the labor force in 2008, according to the Census Bureau. The labor force participation rate ranged from 23.2 percent in Alaska to 11.2 percent in West Virginia. Only a third of workers age 65-plus are employed full time, according to Census data as of 2008.
"That percentage will grow," said Tim Driver, president of RetirementJobs.com. "Our recent audience research supports today's new reality -- that the majority plan to retire in their 70s, not their 60s." Of course, this new reality is often a function of need, particularly with the recent downturn, Driver said. "But social norms are fast changing," he said. "Many folks simply want to continue to go to work to engage with other people. It makes them happier and gives them a greater sense of purpose."
But you can't bank on working in retirement. Just 23 percent of retirees said they planned to retire before age 64, but 54 percent actually retired before age 64, according to a recent Employee Benefit Research Institute study. Two oft-cited reasons for that: Health issues arise, or a job loss is followed by difficulty landing a new job. Still, Nicole Maestas, an economist with Rand Corp. who is also affiliated of the University of Michigan Retirement Research Center, said that many older workers will be able to keep working after age 62, especially given changes she's witnessing among employers. "There's a lot of reason for optimism," she said.
So what can you do to increase you chances of working after age 65? The first step is assessing your career in a way that gives you some indication whether you are more or less likely than average to find a retirement job, said John Nelson, co-author of "What Color is Your Parachute? For Retirement." "That helps give insight into how realistic those expectations for earned income are," he said. The second step is taking actions to increase the likelihood of employment. Nelson has crafted a "Retirement Well-Being Model" which you can use to increase your odds of becoming employed after age 65.
Self-assessment aside, Art Koff, chief executive of RetiredBrains.com, said most of the opportunities for older Americans these days are project-based jobs, especially with former employers or companies in their field of expertise. Besides talking to your current employer, Koff said those nearing retirement and interested in working in some capacity must maintain their network of contacts -- and even expand it if possible. "Many older workers have stopped attending conventions and trade shows and this is a mistake," Koff said.
For those who can't find a job, Koff recommends that you start your own business. In a number of cases these are franchises but a percentage have set up shop to work out of their homes. Not only does this provide some income, but it allows some small-business deductions that they could not take prior to owning a business.
For his part, Steve Vernon of Rest-of-Life Communications doesn't think you should plan on working in retirement -- at least not because you need the income. "I recommend that you save enough and plan your retirement date such that your financial resources will be adequate to cover your expenses," he said.
This means saving more now while you are working, and planning to work later in your current job. But if you're close to retirement or in retirement and you need the income from work, then your only choices, he said, are cutting your living expenses significantly and continuing to look for work.
RetiredBrains.com
http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2009/oct/12/new-normal-includes-work-after-retirement/
Monday, October 12, 2009
BOSTON -- Many people expect to retire around age 65, but research shows that plenty of people older than that rely on paid labor for a good part of their retirement income. Job-based earnings are roughly 30 percent of the average U.S. retiree's income and upward of 40 percent for those in the highest income quintile, according to Social Security Administration figures. And earnings from work account for one-fifth of income for people age 65 or older in the 30 countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Whether you work after age 65 will depend on many factors -- whether you have a defined-benefit plan or retiree health insurance, whether you are in good health, whether you can find work. But make no mistake about it: Some of you will work past age 65 and earned income will play a significant role in your finances.
In the United States, 37.8 percent of 65-and-older workers worked full-time year-round in 2008, according to the Census Bureau. That percentage ranged from 51.6 percent in the District of Columbia to 27.4 percent in Wisconsin. In the United States, 15.5 percent of people age 65 and older participated in the labor force in 2008, according to the Census Bureau. The labor force participation rate ranged from 23.2 percent in Alaska to 11.2 percent in West Virginia. Only a third of workers age 65-plus are employed full time, according to Census data as of 2008.
"That percentage will grow," said Tim Driver, president of RetirementJobs.com. "Our recent audience research supports today's new reality -- that the majority plan to retire in their 70s, not their 60s." Of course, this new reality is often a function of need, particularly with the recent downturn, Driver said. "But social norms are fast changing," he said. "Many folks simply want to continue to go to work to engage with other people. It makes them happier and gives them a greater sense of purpose."
But you can't bank on working in retirement. Just 23 percent of retirees said they planned to retire before age 64, but 54 percent actually retired before age 64, according to a recent Employee Benefit Research Institute study. Two oft-cited reasons for that: Health issues arise, or a job loss is followed by difficulty landing a new job. Still, Nicole Maestas, an economist with Rand Corp. who is also affiliated of the University of Michigan Retirement Research Center, said that many older workers will be able to keep working after age 62, especially given changes she's witnessing among employers. "There's a lot of reason for optimism," she said.
So what can you do to increase you chances of working after age 65? The first step is assessing your career in a way that gives you some indication whether you are more or less likely than average to find a retirement job, said John Nelson, co-author of "What Color is Your Parachute? For Retirement." "That helps give insight into how realistic those expectations for earned income are," he said. The second step is taking actions to increase the likelihood of employment. Nelson has crafted a "Retirement Well-Being Model" which you can use to increase your odds of becoming employed after age 65.
Self-assessment aside, Art Koff, chief executive of RetiredBrains.com, said most of the opportunities for older Americans these days are project-based jobs, especially with former employers or companies in their field of expertise. Besides talking to your current employer, Koff said those nearing retirement and interested in working in some capacity must maintain their network of contacts -- and even expand it if possible. "Many older workers have stopped attending conventions and trade shows and this is a mistake," Koff said.
For those who can't find a job, Koff recommends that you start your own business. In a number of cases these are franchises but a percentage have set up shop to work out of their homes. Not only does this provide some income, but it allows some small-business deductions that they could not take prior to owning a business.
For his part, Steve Vernon of Rest-of-Life Communications doesn't think you should plan on working in retirement -- at least not because you need the income. "I recommend that you save enough and plan your retirement date such that your financial resources will be adequate to cover your expenses," he said.
This means saving more now while you are working, and planning to work later in your current job. But if you're close to retirement or in retirement and you need the income from work, then your only choices, he said, are cutting your living expenses significantly and continuing to look for work.
RetiredBrains.com
http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2009/oct/12/new-normal-includes-work-after-retirement/
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