Job Searching Over Fifty Tips

By 55-Alive! Featured Contributor - Roberta Chinsky Matuson

Forty may be the new fifty but not if you are job searching. We have laws to protect us from age discrimination in the workplace but in reality discrimination occurs daily. Don't be discouraged if you are looking for jobs for retirees. You can improve your chances of breaking through the age barrier and landing a fulfilling job by following these tips.

Give your resume a facelift
The purpose of a resume is to get you a job right? Wrong. All a well-written resume will do is get you in the door for an interview. Then it's up to you to convince the company you are the best candidate for the job.

Does your resume look weathered? Has it grown to three or four pages over time? Do you still list your first job after high school graduation? Are you displaying the date you received your college degree? Freshen your resume up by condensing your background. Limit your job history to the past 10 years and eliminate dates that reveal your age. Worried about losing important information? Consider summarizing the relevant pieces of your previous work history into a few short paragraphs. A lighter, more updated look should increase your chances of receiving interviews.

Some companies still handle resumes the old fashion way. They read them. However, many organizations are turning to resume management systems, which require a different type of resume. Action words, such as "managed" or "designed" used to be in vogue. Today it's more important to use nouns, since many employers are searching their databases using key words.

Looks matter
Understandably you want people to accept you for who you are but in our culture looks matter. There are many things you can do to update your appearance without taking drastic measures.
Start with your wardrobe. Dressing for interviews can be confusing in this day of business casual. Half the people in the office are wearing jeans while the other half are in Dockers. Neither of these clothing items are appropriate for an interview. This is your opportunity to make a good first impression. It's better to be a bit overdressed than to dress too casually.
If your suits still have shoulder pads then it's time to make a trip to the mall. If you can't afford to buy a new outfit, then consider removing the shoulder pads and purchasing a few accessories to freshen up your wardrobe.

When's the last time you had your hair professionally styled? If you can't recall the date, call for an appointment today. While there, consider throwing in a few highlights to cover some of those gray hairs. You can always go back to your original look once you've landed the job.
Be prepared

It used to be enough to walk into an interview prepared to discuss the company's latest product or marketing strategy. Today you have to be prepared to meet with someone who may be half your age.

Don't assume the person interviewing you isn't the decision-maker. In some companies, like technology-based organizations, you may very well be speaking with one of the founding partners. When responding to interview questions, watch your tone. Most organizations are looking for enthusiastic and energetic employees, regardless of age.

Network
Passive job searching didn't work when you were twenty so what makes you think it will work now? Get out of the house and start connecting. Attend conferences, association meetings and become visible. Don't just show up. Become involved. Offer to lead a committee or recruit volunteers for a nonprofit. You never know whom you might impress in the process.

Don't assume your contacts would have called you if they were interested in offering assistance. It doesn't work that way. Be proactive. Let everyone know that you are searching for a new job opportunity and ask them for the names of others who they think can assist you.

Job searching can be a daunting task or a process that encourages you to push your boundaries. Like age, it's all in your attitude, don't go into an interview feeling down on yourself. With todays ecomony, many seniors are looking for jobs for retirees.

© 2006 Human Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.
Roberta Matuson is an expert at creating intergenerational harmony at work. She's President of Human Resource Solutions, a firm that provides consulting and training to resolve intergenerational conflicts and help companies capitalize on the unique generational perspectives of their workforce. She has appeared on FOX's "The O'Reilly Factor" and has been quoted in The New York Times, Boston Globe, and many other national business publications.

6 tips to finding A job when Retired

We all know things have been a little more difficult to make ends meet with the economy in the slump it is. If you are retired or are heading towards retirement but feel you will need a part time job, here are some tips on locating a job for retirees.

1. Register with temp firms in your local area. Many temporary jobs turn out to be permanent. 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 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.

3. Consider having your resume re-written or updated by an expert as the resume you used years ago is no longer appropriate. There are even resume writing professionals that can help those with specific problems like older workers that have not had their resume updated for many years.

4, Put your resume up on those job boards that connect job seekers with employers seeking to hire them. Niche sites are particularly effective. For example if you are an older worker check out www.RetiredBrains.com If you live in the Philadelphia area try www.phillyjobs.com For a list of niche sites with links to areas such as accounting and finance, administrative, engineering, health care, human resources, etc.

5. Look for temporary or project assignments as they are much more available than full-time jobs. Often times jobs for retirees are on a part time schedule which might be better for your schedule anyways.

6. 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 workers who are often unable to accept this kind of employment. Temporary employment can often lead to full-time work.

Remember you should not be embarrased searching for retiree jobs. Many people over the age of 60 have gone back to the work force and are enjoying their part time jobs. Hopefully if you are looking jobs for retirees this article was helpful!

Some Benefits of a Home Based Career

There are many benefits to choosing a law of attraction career. Before plunging into one, take a moment to consider a few of them.

You will likely be able to set your own hours, giving you more than a little flexibility in your personal schedule. Many people who seek out such a law of attraction career have small children. Thus, you will be able to participate in your children's daily activities somewhat more than if you were to be working from an office outside of the home. If your child has an event such as a piano recital, baseball game, etc. you can probably be there. This type of arrangement will enable you to truly achieve the work-life balance that so many desire.

You will save time by avoiding a potentially lengthy commute. You will also save money on gas, maintenance costs, and insurance. Imagine not having to face rush-hour traffic twice each day. It is common for one to spend up to ten hours or more on the road in commute time each week. Think about how you would rather spend those hours.

Office politics will become a thing of the past. You will be judged based upon merit alone. If you are talented and productive, then you will be successful, financially as well as personally. There is a certain pride in craftsmanship that comes with working for your self. You will find joy in serving your customers well!

The benefits of a law of attraction career are many. Be sure to do appropriate due diligence before committing to one. You may find that your personality and lifestyle choices are highly amenable to such an arrangement.

Issues to Address in a Home-Based Career

Having a law of attraction career has many advantages. Likewise, there are some concerns with such an endeavor that should be addressed prior to beginning.

One such concern is that a law of attraction career can be somewhat isolating. This can come in the form of a perceived lack of camaraderie. With no peers close at hand, it can seem that you are going it alone. You may miss out on "water cooler" talk with coworkers. You may also feel that you have nobody with whom you can problem-solve and share ideas. Rest assured, this is not the case. There are many networks of people whom work from home to foster the sharing of contacts, creative ideas, strategies, tactics, and lessons-learned. Such networks provide a sense of community and work-life balance.

Another issue that must be dealt with is child-care. Many individuals with young children go into a home-based career with the idea that they will avoid child-care costs since they will be working in the home. It is important to draw a line between family time and work time. It is not feasible to look after small children, while concurrently working productively. Arrange for preschool, daycare, playgroups, or a babysitter during the hours in which you intend to be working. In this way, your children will get the attention they need, and likewise so will your work.

These are but two areas of concern that any law of attraction career worker must address. Try to view these issues as opportunities rather than hurdles or roadblocks.

What Are the Best Jobs For Seniors and Boomers?

If you are looking for work relax. Yes you can actually make money month after month on the internet and there are thousands of business that will pay you to do it. You can start as small time as you want and build you business or you can do all the work yourself. Best of all you can work the hours you want and live the live you want. There are many jobs for retirees out there, you just need to know where to look!

Here is what you do:

1) Figure what you like to do. What are your interests, what hobbies do you have. If you are a professional it is easy you can market your own services. If you are not and just want to make money there are thousands of companies that will pay you to market for them.

2) Find a Hungry Market - Do some research - Got to Freewords Wordtracker dot com and see which of your niches actually have people looking for them.

3) Go out to one of the online market places and find a product that you want to promote. These Electronic Market places are great for beginners as they collect the money and mail you a check. No need for you to get a merchant account and worry about charge backs and returns, fulfilling the product or customer service.

4) Once you have found a hungry market and picked a product simply Market your product through the free online services to market. YouTube.com, WebWire.com (Press Releases), Fax out press releases to local and national media, Start a Blog, Write Articles.

5) In all of your promotion give out the website of the product you are advertising.

6) Check you online accounts to see what your sales are each day.

7) Go to the mail box and collect your checks!

It really is that easy and once you find the market you want to promote you can outsource the rest of the marketing to online services. You could not turn it off if you wanted to and you will make money month after month year after year.

(Source: Donald Griffith)

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Looking for a Second Job in Retirement?

Legitimate Jobs For Seniors - How To Easily Supplement Income Upon Retiring

Millions are soon to reach retirement. A major concern is finding jobs for seniors to help cover what their social security checks do not in making ends meet. There's a big drop from a regular paycheck coming in to a social security check once a month. There can be 50% or more difference. Worries are increasing as baby boomers increase to retirement age that social security could go out of business. One large factor is that in the future there'll be more boomers drawing monthly checks than there are workers paying it in. Therefore finding jobs for those retiring leave big questions that need to be answered.

Thanks to online computer savvy, seniors can work from their home, bringing in cash to make up the difference in the size of their monthly checks. This not only removes lots of stress from a retirees mind, but lets them live a very comfortable lifestyle.

There's a problem to consider along with the wonderful opportunity of a home business. Simply that there are those who would prey on you seniors and try to take advantage of your every move. Just as the online internet is a blessing to retirees, scams are very plentiful causing you to do many hours of searching for the right ones. This can add up to days and weeks of wasted time which could be better used to bring income in instead. Without this research for the true online programs, you could lose lots of money to these scammers as well as time.

The answer to your problem? First of all, just research so you can know the difference between genuine work at home jobs and scams. Face the facts head on. A rule of thumb is: "If something is too good to be true, usually it is." Before taking a chance on losing money to scammers, do complete research into the product. Here's one of the better ways to find out about a product or service: type the product name into a Google search box that you're interested in making a purchase of, and add the word "scam".

There's a big scam going on right now dealing with processing rebate checks, so if you were interested in perhaps trying this out, you'd type "rebate processing"+"scam", and this would bring up any scams dealing with this particular job. Do any other jobs you're interested in doing or products you are thinking of buying the same way.

Locating genuine jobs for retirees is very possible if you know what to look for and where to go. There actually are unlimited possibilities for you if you'll only learn and take complete advantage of the world wide web called the "internet". That way, you will discover the true freedom of making money and living life to the fullest in that wonderful time of our lives called retirement.