Whether a senior is coming out of retirement or never fully left the workforce, they have a lot to offer. Their professional backgrounds combined with their life experience and resulting wisdom, can make seniors great job candidates.
Here are some tips to help older adults feel more confident as job search candidates:
Spruce up those skills…
A big part of a successful job search is preparation. If it’s been years since the last job or if seniors are feeling out of touch, they can practice interviewing by researching common interview questions and developing answers for them. Many local libraries even offer mock interviews where seniors can practice interviewing before the real thing. While there, seniors can use the computers to update and print their resumes.
Highlight what matters…
Though seniors should embrace the wisdom and experience their many years have given them, ageism does exist. Seniors should focus on highlighting their accomplishments and talents, rather than drawing attention to their age with specific dates of graduation or listing jobs in chronological order. It’s never necessary to be dishonest, but it’s perfectly acceptable to omit the specifics of age in favor of focusing on what matters- presenting a resume with skills and talents that make an ideal job candidate.
Look in the right places…
A simple way to make the job search process easier is by concentrating efforts in the right areas. Think of career fields or industries that either serve older populations or where older employees tend to be common, such as caregiving, senior services or retirement services. Nonprofit organizations often don’t have many open paid positions, but seniors who volunteer can use the experience from their volunteer roles to help land a paid offer at a company with similar values. Also, seniors can search for open positions by state on job board sites dedicated to baby boomers and candidates over 50 years old, such as www.workforce50.com/.
Don’t be afraid of change…
It’s never too late to start something new, and the same applies for career paths. A study, New Careers for Older Workers conducted by the American Institute for Economic Research (AIER), found that most older adults who made careers later in life were successful in their new positions. Seniors should consider making a career change to a new profession that interests them.
It’s a process…
The job search process can be taxing and discouraging for everyone, regardless of age. Seniors should approach the process with and confidence in the skills they’ve gained over the years and patience that they’ll eventually find a position that suits them. Using the free resources available to them, like job search training at libraries, seniors can access the help they may need along the way.
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