Job search after age 50: Paid or volunteer work?
My last post explored reasons people want to stay working after age 50. If you’ve decided that you do, but are not sure whether it will be for pay or simply to do something that you love on a volunteer basis, here’s some food for thought.
Job search after age 50: Researching paid work
If you think you would like to work for pay and it’s been some time since you looked for a job, it would be useful to gather information concerning your career search. This may help you:
- Figure out if the field you are interested in is on the rise or has seen better days.
- Find out what new opportunities are available in the thriving industries.
- Leverage your experience and skills differently. Perhaps you could train or mentor others in your area of expertise. Maybe you can contribute transferrable expertise to a new industry.
Job search after age 50: A paid-work reinvention story
My client, Gary had been a health administrator for 30 years. At age 50, he returned to law school. Today, at age 56, he’s combined his prior background with his law degree, specializing in litigation between health care providers and third-party payors. He plans to live many years, and is ecstatic about starting a new career with his old one as the foundation. This may not be what you have in mind for a retirement career. I simply show it to illustrate that the possibilities are many!
AARP provides current information on the “Best Employers for Workers Over 50” as well as other helpful job-search tips for workers over age 50.
Frequently reviewing online employment resources will help you stay educated about the changing job market. Look at both company and other websites. The Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) http://www.doleta.gov/seniors/ and Wetfeet http://www.wetfeet.com/ are two good sites. Of course, there are many others.
Job search over age 50: A tip for those under age 65
If you are under 65, check out earning restrictions before you accept employment. To make an informed decision, you can contact the Social Security Administration at www.socialsecurity.gov or call 1-800-772-1213. They can help you calculate the numbers based on your personal factors. You will want to decide whether to delay receiving Social Security benefits until you are eligible to collect your full benefits at age 70. Waiting until you are 70 to collect can be a gamble because depending upon your age, it may take quite a few years to break even and make up for the amount of social security money you will have lost by waiting until 70.
Job search over age 50: Is your work goal volunteering?
If you decide that your retirement career will be volunteer work, two excellent sites for volunteer information and opportunities are Volunteer Match http://www.volunteermatch.org/ and Idealist http://www.idealist.org/info/Volunteer. Another great site on retirement jobs (both paid and volunteer) is Enjoy Retirement Jobs http://www.enjoy-retirement-jobs.com/.
What do you want your work life to be like when you’re over 50? Whatever you choose, give yourself time to plan and work the plan. We’ll explore that in my next post.
