Two important trends are making a big difference in today's work force.
1. More and more people are expressing a desire to continue working later in life well past the normal retirement age.
2. Boomers are starting to turn 60 this year. Many of them are taking advantage of early retirement or looking to make other shifts in their careers. As a result, some industry sectors are experiencing labor shortages. Retiring workers often take with them irreplaceable institutional knowledge and experience.
Increasingly, companies are viewing older employees as a solution to their workforce needs. Many are developing effective strategies for appealing to older workers.
This coincides with the major reasons for working in retirement (according to research by AARP):
--need the money (61%)
--desire to stay mentally active (54%)
--need the health benefits (52%)
--desire to stay physically active (49%)
--desire to remain productive or useful (47%)
Older workers offer a potentially attractive solution to both short- and long-term staffing challenges. Making use of this growing pool of talent, of the collective experience and knowledge of veteran workers, is sound business--a plus for employers and employees alike.
So, what should you do if you're at the point where you're entertaining retirement employment? Here are three important preliminary steps:
1. Take the time to explore all your options. This is the time in your life to think outside the box.
2. Identify a variety of desirable employment opportunities. Don't think only in terms of your resume.
3. Get introduced to decision-makers in those opportunities to discover firsthand what's going on. Those non-interview, informal discussions can lead to job offers.
The final good news is that there is a proven system that can walk you through the job search process step-by-step and have you entertaining your next job in a matter of days. Turn your job search into the career adventure of a lifetime!
