Helpful hints for older job applicants
Not all employers are accepting older applicants for the jobs that need filing. This makes it harder for those seeking employment. Read on for some ideas on how you could increase your chances of employment.
Managers and professionals in their 50s who get downsized out of a job increasingly don’t opt for early retirement. Most cannot afford to stop working. Some want to continue working because they want the camaraderie and stimulation of a job.
Finding a new position presents problems for some. They must convince a prospective employer that they can learn something new and have the energy to work as hard as employees in their 20s and 30s. Job candidates in their 50s also must convince the prospective employer that they are comfortable reporting to a younger boss and in some cases willing to earn less than with prior jobs.
Some hiring managers think older candidates are going to try and take over, want this job while waiting for the ideal job, are bored, want outrageous salaries or even are overqualified without really interviewing or investigating into the applicants reasons. This limits their thinking through legitimate reasons why this person could be a fabulous addition to their work teams. Having that point of view the prospective employee has the additional burden of changing someones viewpoint.
According to a December 2005 retirement study from AARP, 68% of workers age 50-70 said they planned to work full time after the traditional retirement age. In the 1990s the median retirement age was approximately 62; 75% of respondents in the survey expected to continue working until at least 65.
Among the most popular reasons to continue working are the desire to stay mentally active, the need for income and to continue health benefits.
To help your chances of gaining employment you should reassure your younger interviewer that you want to do the job you are applying for right now, you plan to do this job for a long time and feel you can since at your age you have a lot of energy and knowledge to offer the company. Impress upon them why you fit this job.
You should not speak dismissively to a youthful-looking interviewer. Never talk about the past as good old days nor how it was done back then.
An updated wardrobe may also help in that it shows the prospective employer that you are keeping current in toady’s world.
Be willing to accept a lower salary than your management job paid. Per the U.S. Department of Labor, in 2005 the average annual earnings per worker peaked at $39,156 between the ages of 45 and 54, and then declined to $31,096 for workers 65 and older.
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