Did you know that 46% of seniors plan to work part-time after the age of 70 and 18% plan to work full-time after age 70? Even if you are past the age of retirement, that doesn’t mean that your career is over. Older workers are staying in the workforce longer than ever before, and for good reason—some people can make a great deal of money and enjoy their work well into their golden years.
Fortunately, there are plenty of opportunities out there for older job seekers. In fact, some of the most in-demand jobs among older workers involve technology and social media, which means that if you have that kind of experience or training, your options are even better than you might have thought.
Even so, it’s not easy to find work after retiring from another field decades earlier. However, it can be done. No matter whether you want to come out of retirement, work part-time, or want to test the waters in general just for paid work here and there, there are a lot of opportunities for seniors looking to get back to work. Here are some tips on how to navigate the job search after 65.
Find the Right Niche or Reenter an Old Profession
It’s important to keep in mind what you know, what you want to learn, and what you have experience in. While you may not be likely to walk directly into a high-paying job at a tech startup with no prior tech experience, these are learnable skills. So, understand that if you want to enter the workforce again, you can venture out into other areas that you’re interested in. If you do want to go back into something you have done before, that will often be easier.
If you were a teacher, for example, that skill is still in demand, and you can probably find a job quickly. If you were an engineer or accountant, you may find that there are fewer opportunities but more if you’re willing to work remotely. The trick is to be adaptable and remain versatile so that you can enter the workforce more easily.
Network and Get to Know People in the Field
Getting out there and networking is an essential part of the job search after 65. You can also talk to people from a past role that you’ve had with questions about the current state of the company. If you’re trying to reenter an old profession, you’ll want to find people in your field of choice that may still be working or have connections with companies you’re interested in. If you’re trying to enter a new profession, the concept is the same.
You will want to find relevant associations and talk to people in those fields to open up new doors and other opportunities. You don’t have to do too much networking if you already have a set contact list of people and resources that could make the transition easier for you.
Do a Trial Run
At some point in your career, you may have taken a job just because you needed a paycheck and had bills to pay. Now, though, you may want to do a trial run at a job or two before you commit to it. If you’re trying to reenter an old profession and you’re not sure how easy it is to get back into the flow of things, you can try that job again before committing to a new one. If you’re trying to get into a new field, you can also do a trial run. For example, if you’re looking at a job as a data entry operator or as a building manager, these are all things you can test out. Oftentimes you can even negotiate contracts so you will have a set time to test the waters if you prefer.
Take Skill Tests to See What You Feel Good At Right Now
If you’re having a hard time figuring out where to go in your job search after 65 as a senior living in Florida, you can take some skill tests to see what you feel like you’re good at and what you are best at. If you used to be a teacher, for example, you can take a test to see if you’d be better off as a math teacher now or even as a music teacher. You can also use personality tests to see what type of work you may be drawn to or what skills you have that might be useful in your job search after 65.
If you’re a people person or good at public speaking, you may be able to make a new career out of that, even if it’s not in a field that you would have imagined previously. Seniors usually have more skills and experience that can be applied to different industries because of experience.
Try to Stay Current By Taking Courses or Online Classes
If you’re in an industry that’s focused on business management or the technology field, you will want to stay relevant to the current trends in your field. A good way to do this is to stay on top of industry-related news and to try taking the latest courses or online classes. If you’re in education, you’ll want to stay on top of the most relevant teaching trends and techniques. That could include taking online classes, which is also a good way to keep up your new skills if you have reentered an old profession. This could also involve re-familiarizing yourself with the most recent changes in different school districts.
It Can Be Done
As you can see, the job search after 65 as a senior in Florida isn’t going to be much different from the job search at any other age. You’ll have to network, you’ll have to try different approaches to finding jobs, you’ll need to make sure that you’re in good enough shape to do the work, and you may have to change your career path or expectations if you aren’t sure what path to follow. You may also want to think about taking an assessment test to find out what career fields you are best suited for and which jobs would suit your skillset and interests. The workforce is essentially the same with a bit more flexibility.
