Finding a job after the age of fifty

davidstillwagon by davidstillwagon
Last updated: 01/28/2012

Finding a job after 50

The economy is bad right now and finding a job is nearly impossible for anyone, and if you are over fifty it is especially tough. If you are over fifty and have recently lost your job you know what I mean. But you can't give up, but you will definitely have to work hard and open your mind to new possibilities in a changing world. Consider it a Midlife career change.

Do a self-evaluation

If you are over the age of fifty you should have accumulated quite a lot of skills and knowledge if you have worked steady. Many people believe that since they have doing the same thing year after year they haven't learned anything new. But you have learned things, such as communications skills, which is supremely valuable in these days and times. You have developed good work habits and you have definitely shown that you are reliable and dependable. Skills like theses can't be ignored. You have worked hard and you have seen how to do a job correctly and you probably have seen quite often how not to do a job. These are productive skills that are marketable.

Reinvent yourself

Starting over at Fifty

How do you reinvent yourself? Change the way you think about yourself and your future. Be conscious of your health and think about ways to improve it. Start exercising for one thing and start to eat the right foods. Exercising will not only make you feel better physically but it will lift your spirit as well. Positive thinking and good health are a great way to reinvent you.

Age discrimination

Age discrimination unfortunately is still alive and well. One reason could be that companies are afraid that you are too old to do the work. Or maybe they think you can't keep up with a younger employee or maybe they want to get rid of you because you make too much money and it would be cheaper to hire someone to replace you. No matter what the reason age discrimination is against the law and if you think you are a victim contact the Federal labor board or the local unemployment office.

The Older Workers Benefits Protection Act of 1990

Know your rights!

Don't become a victim of age discrimination.
The Older Workers Benefits Protection Act of 1990

Over 50 job search

It used to be that you just looked at the want ads and then applied for a job. Or you would send out a copy of your resume to many companies and then hope someone will call you. It takes more than that now to find a new career.
The internet is a wonderful place to start a job search. Not only will there be listings of job openings but there is also a lot of information about how to look for a job.

Job news from google

Retirement not in the cards for many older workers
It included more than 800 US workers age 60 and older and more than 3000 hiring managers and human resources professionals between November 9 and December 5, 2011. When asked how soon they think they can retire from their current job, one-in-ten (11 ...
Job search tougher for older workers from EMD
?I have no prospects,? said Ian Jones, a 55-year-old painter who worked at EMD for 16 years. His co-worker, Brad Boufford, has begun his job search but said he's worried about competition from young workers. The 53-year-old recently interviewed for a ...
Sen. Patty Murray: The future veteran workforce
The US Chamber of Commerce alone has held nearly 100 job fairs for veterans and their families in the past year, and the Small Business Administration has backed more than 3400 loans for veterans. A quick search reveals at least half a dozen Web ...

What is stopping you from your ideal job?

I'm sure that everyone at one time or the other has dreamed about their ideal job. I know I have. The definition of an ideal job is certainly different from one person to the other. Some folks like to interact with other people all day, or maybe you want to be contributing to society and those less fortunate, while others might want to be their own boss. What is stopping you and me?

There are always excuses that stop us from doing what we want to do.
  • I am too old to start anything new. While it is true that it might be a little more difficult to follow your dreams when you are older, it still shouldn't stop you. Late bloomers make the news all the time for doing things that are usually considered reserved for older folks. You could be one of those late bloomers.
  • There are too many things at risk to make a leap into something completely different. Well, you don't have to quit your job today and start looking for your dream job tomorrow. That would be risky. Take your time, do your research and then see if you do your dream job part time. There is no risk in that.
  • I have to pay the bills. This is one of the risks that you don't want to take.
  • What if I don't like my dream job? That certainly is a possibility but you have to be willing to take that chance. You don't want to go through your whole life wondering if you should have tried to do something different.
  • Will I have my family's support? You need to discuss it with them and tell them how important it is to you. I bet they wouldn't have any objections.

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Can age be an asset when looking for a job?

If you are unemployed and over fifty, or even unemployed and over any age that people consider old, you may think that your age is a downside to your employment search. With age discrimination alive and well and continued myths of older workers still thriving, it is hard to believe that you can make your age an asset.
  • Experience comes with age, not only in knowing the details of a job but older workers also have life experience, or things that you learn as you grow older. The accumulation of knowledge of a lifetime can be a benefit to any job.
  • Stability can be an important attribute of any employee of any age. Stability is often associated with older workers
  • One common myth about older workers is the unwillingness to learn new things. Point out the fact that over the years you have continually learned new skills without objection.
  • Maturity in handling problems and handling difficult people can definitely be an asset.

Find help looking for work at Government Websites

The federal government has quite a few websites that deals with unemployment training, skills and finding jobs.
Check out my lens.
Government Programs for the Unemployed

Career One-stop Website

The Career One-stop website provides lots of great information on finding a job. It is a government site that is for anyone looking for a job, whether you just graduated or have recently been downsized.
Career One-stop

Home jobs

You are probably like most people and are having a very tough time finding a real job that allows you to work from home and will pay you. During this very tough economic time, many companies have started looking for other ways to have employees without all of the typical expense. This is how the concept of a home job was born. For more information Click Here!

Where is the best place to find a job in 2011?

According to CareerCast.com Washington D.C. is the best place to find a job right now. That makes a lot of sense since the government is hiring more than anybody right now.

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Offline job search

Whenever you need information on just about any subject you usually don't have to look any further than the internet. It is really difficult to find a subject or even a question (even the craziest question) that stumps the World Wide Web. Now it might not be the correct answer all the time but you will find information that is most of the time helpful. That's why most folks seeking job finding advice spend so much time the internet. But the problem is that most people spend all their time searching the internet for jobs ads and career advice but you can't forget about doing offline job searching.

Networking is still one of the most effective ways to find a job. The more folks in your network the better.

Other employment lens

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Is going back to school the right option?

Retraining at fifty

You would think that going back to school is always the thing to do and most of time it is. Problems occur when folks, older folks especially, jump into going back to school without giving it any fore thought. Are you going back to get a degree in the hottest industry or maybe you are looking to see where it would take the least amount of time and money to get the skills you need. Both are bad reasons if they are the only reason that you arre going back to school. Remember that some of the hottest fields today might not be the best field in the future, and what if you don't enjoy that particular type of work. Take time to make your decisions, don't jump into anything without a lot of research.

Going back to school

501 Ways for Adult Students to Pay for College: Going Back to School Without Going Broke

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Overseas Jobs

You hear so much about how companies in the US are turning to outsourcing to lower their costs. Outsourcing certainly helps corporations but it doesn't help you much especially if you are unemployed. In these difficult times you have to consider every angle in order to find work. One such angle is finding jobs overseas.

This may seem extreme to some folks especially those who have ties in this country that they can't break. But if you have the freedom to move why not consider it?

Resume service

Land the Interview Coaching

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If you are looking for a job in West Virginia check this site out.

Reconsidering Retirement: How Losses and Layoffs Affect Older Workers

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davidstillwagon

Hi, I'm David Stillwagon. I live in Atlanta with my wife and son. I blog on health and age issues.
I am originally from Uniontown Pa. I have lived in...
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