Expert tips for finding retirement jobs
Posted on 30 January 2009
Permanent URL of this article: http://retirementrevised.com/column/expert-tips-for-finding-retirement-jobs
The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry, and so it goes with retirement in 2009. The brutal stock market decline and frozen real estate market have wrecked the retirement plans of many Americans, who now find themselves back in the job market looking for ways to supplement their income.
It’s no easy task: The national unemployment rate was 7.2 percent in December, a 15-year high. The jobless rate among workers over age 65 was somewhat lower at 5.1 percent, but that number is higher than it has been in 31 years.
Art Koff knows quite a bit about both the job market and older workers. He’s the founder of RetiredBrains.com, one of the most successful online job board sites for older workers. Koff started RetiredBrains in his 70s, following a 35-year career with ad agencies placing help-wanted classified advertising in newspapers.
Koff offers these tips for job-hunting older workers:
–Register with local temp firms. “They don’t care about age but are more interested in your skills and experience,” Koff says. “Also, if you get work through a temp firm it helps build your resume for future work assignments.” Temp projects are easier to get than full-time jobs, since the tight economy has employers looking for ways to save money on full-time salary and benefits. When applying for a job, tell the employer you are willing to work on a project or temporary basis. Temporary employment could lead to full-time work.
–Do a practice interview. You may not have had a job interview in quite a while, so do a practice interview with an employer you’re not really that interested in working for to practice. “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.”
–Re-do the resume. Consider having your resume re-written or updated by an expert, as the resume you used years ago is no longer appropriate. Don’t hide your age, but emphasize accomplishments and experience, and currency of your skills. Focus on how you can make a positive difference for a prospective employer.
RetiredBrains is a good example of the many online job boards and services that have proliferated online in recent years. The economy may be in the tank, but the Internet seems to be rolling along just fine.
These job sites are a great resource for job hunting, researching companies and posting your resume for browsing by potential employers. Some are very general, while others serve niche job markets. Along with RetiredBrains.com, you’ll find a full list of the best online resources over at my guide to employment resources.
