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Archive for the ‘Over 50s’ Category
Tuesday, July 27th, 2010
I was on Pete Price’s radio show (Radio City, Liverpool station) on Monday night talking about what advice I’d give to older people who are looking for work due to the pension crisis.
Sometimes it is about asking people questions to get them thinking, so if you are having to go back to work, or can’t retire due to poor pension outlooks you may like to think about:
· What would I like to do? You could of course do more of the same, but what you have been doing may bore you, stress you, or you are not in the right fitness level to do it well. And of course it could be that you just can’t get the job doing what you used to do anymore.
· I think as we get older we have to take account of our health, in our 60s we may no longer be able to do a physical job.
· What can you see yourself doing in 5 or 10 years time? If you are going to have to work for a considerable number of years then you may as well aim for something you will enjoy and that you can continue to do over the years.
· How much money do you need, maybe you need some to supplement your pension but I is less about the money and more about keeping your mind active and meeting people and for some it gives them a sense of purpose.
There are other factors to consider, such as the cost of getting to work, having to buy clothes specifically for the job and what you may be giving up such as less chance of taking last minute cheap holidays, and less time with grandchildren.
Posted in Approaching Retirement, JOB SEARCH, Over 50s
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Wednesday, June 16th, 2010
Each month I buy a different magazine – from science to fashion to the environment. This month I’ve bought Vogue and read a really interesting article on Grace Connington. Grace is nearly 70 and still working as the creative director with American Vogue.
Grace is doing a job she loves and I’m sure it doesn’t feel like a job. That’s how I feel about my work, I love what I do, I love helping my clients and can certainly see me continuing into my 70s, good health permitting.
For those who love their job, and those who need to work, scrapping the retirement age sounds great. The Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is seeking to reform the retirement age and Saga are also campaigning for the retirement age to be scrapped. I think this is more likely to be for part time rather than full time working, especially after 65 but this is not necessarily at low level jobs. Older people are more active in mind and body and want to continue to make a contribution, and have the additional income, but I wonder about the implications on young people. Normally people retire and people move up the organisation, thus creating a job lower down the organisation.
We also need to think of people who want to stay on but are not up to it – how do you break the news to them!
However, if you are working in a manual job, with little autonomy you are probably looking forward to your retirement and know that you are no longer as fit to continue in your job. I know postmen who are getting arthritis and were looking forward to getting their pension at 60. Alas for them, their pension age has been moved to 65 and their pension is now reduced, their new pension is no longer index linked and they may need to work for longer but physically aren’t able.
What about you. Were you planning an early retirement but now know you need to work much longer, or are you planning to work for as long as possible. Love to hear your plans, and also any questions you may have. Write them below and I’ll reply.
Posted in Over 50s
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Saturday, February 6th, 2010
Back in November I was approached by Woman & Home and asked if I would be one of their experts to work with a reader, helping them with a career decision. I was assigned to Christine who had worked in nursing for all her working life and at 65 was not ready to retire but wanted a new challenge, but what?
I had a couple of sessions with Christine where I found out more about the sort of person she is and options for her to consider. You can read more about my work with Christine on page 72 of the March 2010 edition of Woman & Home.
Many of us want to continue working after a typical retirement age but want to try something different. It’s unlikely that you will want to retrain for something new, so it’s often best to look for something that has a link to what you have done before.
If this situation resonates with you, you may like to consider the following:
- Think about why you are thinking about moving to a new company or job, be clear what you no longer want. Then consider talking to your employer to see if you can adjust the job to suit you – perhaps to work 3 days a week, work more from home or step back from a stressful job to one at a lower level.
- Decide if you could do something similar as a consultant, this is often a way of keeping the income high, and if you have suitable skills you could possibly earn as much in 2 days a week as you do in a week of working full time.
- If you really want to do something different, one approach is to look at your skills and abilities and see how you can use them in a different way. Then identify possible career paths. You may be able to do this on your own, but if not working with a career coach would help.
Don’t just think about work, what is it that you want to do in life – from holidays, to hobbies, including relationships and learning. Some people have so many things that they want to do they wonder how they will fit it in to the rest of their life. This is when it will be helpful to make a list you can then prioritise and categorise. If there are places you want to visit, and some of these are quite active, maybe you should schedule your walk up the Sand Dunes of Sossusvlei, Namibia and the trip to Everest Base Camp sooner rather than later!
Can I help at all? Please don’t hesitate to get in touch
Denise Taylor, chartered psychologist and award winning career coach. Denise is also the author of ‘How to get a job in a recession’ and the forthcoming ‘Now you’ve been shortlisted’.
Posted in Career ideas, Over 50s
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Monday, September 28th, 2009
I’ve had an article published on Prime 50 plus: You are not too old to apply for a new job.
So if you are over 50 and not feeling very moitvated, this article is for you!
Posted in Over 50s
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Sunday, August 16th, 2009
I’ve just answered a question on Linked In – “How feasible is to change career direction at the age of 53?” The person says that he has good leadership skills and plenty of experience and achievements and like many people in their 50s wants to make a greater impact on the world, but that is a bit fuzzy at the moment. It could be in any part of the world, and virtually any sort of job. He is seeking ideas guidance and advice on what to do.
My answer
As a career coach I have worked with a number of people at 50+ even 60+ and some of my clients do make radical career changes – from setting up their own business, moving into a portfolio career to radical changes such as moving from a CEO in engineering to education management.
You seem to be open to a range of different ideas, and whilst this is good to keep options open you need to spend some time narrowing down so it is much clearer on what it is that you are looking for and so other people can help you.
So what advice may help?
1 – Look back through your CV and review your skills and achievements and think about when you were happiest and what you want to continue to do
2- Think about what excites you, where your passions lie, what you want to do more of in your working life
3 – Understand yourself – from personality and values to location, hours, pressure, and more
4 – Step back what does this suggest, ask people you know, seek advice, listen to ideas, don’t rule anything out
5 – Get researching find out as much as you can about your options
6 – Narrow down and create a plan for what you want, you can then start seeking practical help from people so your network will be very helpful here.
I recently wrote an article on changing careers at 50+ and you can read it here
Changing careers can be done, and you need to draw on your inner resources as it may well be challenging, but if you are determined, and take account of any feedback you get you will make the change.
Posted in Career Advice, Over 50s
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Wednesday, August 12th, 2009
Finding another job when you are 50+
More doom and gloom for the over 50s in the paper today. The TUC have said ‘… older people are being forced into early retirement when they lose their jobs because of a lack of support in helping them find new work’
They are calling on additional government support, as 2 years later those over 50 are 10 times more likely to still be out of work then to have found a new job. But the article in today’s Daily Telegraph said that unemployment among the over 50s is at 4.3%, much lower than the 17.3% of young people aged 18 to 24 and half the national average of 7.8%.
If you are over 50, or under 20 you need to be smarter in your job search. Sometimes I feel like a broken record, but when I hear people tell me then have applied for 100 jobs and not even got an interview then there is a problem with the approach they are taking. Responding to job ads and adding your details to job sites is only one way of finding a job, and not necessarily the most effective way. Get out there and talk with people.
And review your CV and covering letter, when I talk to new clients most of them have a very poor CV and have no real structure to a covering letter, no wonder they don’t get shortlisted.
So don’t just accept the limited help from Job Centre Plus, look for people who can offer you effective help or buy a book that will help. As a career coach with Amazing People, I appreciate I can only personally help a limited number of people, but you can identify other people to help via The Institute of Careers Guidance and I and others are looking for ways to help those most in need on a very low payment basis, more details will follow soon.
Posted in JOB SEARCH, Job Hunting in a Recession, Over 50s
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