Retiring from Retirement - Getting Another Job
So, you've had enough of the retirement life? Well, you're no longer an oddity - thousands of retirees seek out some sort of work each year. In an economy that's adding millions of jobs each year, it's one of the best times in American history to head back to the job force as an older worker. This is especially true if you want to try something new or on a flexible schedule - companies are in such need of good workers that many are willing to train new employees (to a point) and offer the work schedules employees may demand.
You could also be encouraged by a potential change in government policy. Though Social Security benefits are currently reduced for those who work between ages 65 and 69, this practice is likely to stop thanks to a measure that recently passed the US Senate. (For more, go to the Social Security site at http://www.ssa.gov/legislation/legis_bul... Social Security benefits aren't reduced at all for those who work over age 70.
What you need now is to build some skills that will get you the job you want and update some of the skills you need to be comfortable in today's job-hunting and employment worlds.
Your Last Job May Help
If possible, begin your job search with the last full-time job you held - that is, call former supervisors and co-workers to tell them what you're up to, and to ask if they can connect you with helpful people or resources in your search. Even if they cannot help you right now, you may want to ask if you can use these people as references for future jobs, and wise workers realize that they may someday need you as a contact.
And you never know; your former company may be able to use you on a temporary basis. Even if this isn't the work you're seeking, it can ease you back into a "working schedule," and start some paychecks flowing again. Meanwhile, you never know if workers newly employed since you left full-time may have information leading to another job somewhere else.
Tuning Up Your Job Search
Use any and all sources of information on new jobs. Don't ignore your newspaper's help-wanted ads, but don't limit your search to this source. Most potential jobs are never advertised, so tapping into the "hidden" job market is important. Tell everyone you know - your kids, extended family, former co-workers and bosses, and friends - that you're job searching.
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