9 Tips to Help You Find a Job

By Art Koff

1. 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.
2. Try to get an interview with an employer that is not your first choice 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.
3. Consider having your resume re-written or updated by an expert as the resume you used years ago is no longer appropriate.
4. Search for a job in areas that connect older workers with employers seeking to hire them. Go to retirementjobs.retiredbrains.com/c/search_results.cfm and chose your state in the "location" area. Then enter your city location and job title in the "keyword" box as well as other modifying criteria to narrow your job search. Consider putting the word "temp" after some of these criteria 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.
5. Look for temporary, part-time or project assignments as they are much more available than full-time jobs.
6. When applying for a job tell the employer you are willing to start working as a consultant or on a project basis; this often gives you a leg up on younger workers or are often unable to accept this kind of employment. Temporary employment or working on a consultative basis can often lead to full-time work.
7. Get information on the perspective employer prior to your interview. For example contact someone who works for this employer who attended the same school you went to saying. "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 the hiring manager, I would like to test out a couple questions I have about the  firm on you and see what you think the answers might be." (Later, ask if you can use their name as an employee referral).
8. Look at companies with fewer than 500 employees as employers of this size have created 64% of the new U.S. jobs from 9/92 through 2012 even though they employ just 55% of the private sector work force according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
9. 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 ethic. 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.

Art Koff is the Founder and CEO of RetiredBrains.com