Going back to work for somebody else

If your plans for reinvention include going back to work — or continuing to work — you need to make one basic decision up front: work for someone else, or go into business for yourself?

Deciding to continue working for pay is a nontrivial decision because it will be a crucial factor in determining how motivated you are. Make sure you have sufficient motivation — from inside if you are a complete self-starter, or from family and friends if you also need external encouragement and support.

Here are some questions and suggestions to help in your decision:

• Are you going back to work by choice, because you want to? Or are you going back to work out of necessity, because you have to? The answer to this question will help you determine whether you need to stick close to what you already know or have some degree of freedom to take a risk on something new.

• What kind of work to do?

• What you did in your last job before retirement? Retraining may not be needed.
• What you did at an earlier time in your career (and may still be good at)? Some retraining may be needed — a refresher course, or training in new technology, tools and techniques.
• Thinking of something entirely new (maybe an area where you have a lot of interest, but have never done this for pay)? Considerable retraining may be needed. You need a retraining plan, perhaps school, or a “learner” position somewhere (see Find a School).

• Where to do it?

• At your old company — perhaps as a part timer or consultant
• At a competitor in the same business or industry
• With a temporary help agency

Going to work at a company that makes a point of hiring senior people

Job Search Sites for Older Workers

If your idea of rebooting includes going back to work, there’s plenty of help available. The AARP website has a host of services to help you find a job that’s right for you.

For example, here’s a list of job search sites catering to older workers:

RetirementJobs.com
For job seekers 50 and over

Jobs 4.0
For job seekers 40 and over

Senior Job Bank
For job seekers 50 and over

Retired Brains
Older boomers, seniors, and retirees

Seniors4Hire
For job seekers 50 and over

YourEncore
Older scientists, engineers, and product developers

Dinosaur Exchange
Retirees interested in working in Europe

Here’s the URL to the AARP site:

http://www.aarp.org/money/careers/findingajob/readytosearch/employment_websites.html

AARP notes that all links are provided as a public service. Their inclusion does not imply an endorsement by AARP of organizations on this list or the content on their sites. Their inclusion here also does not imply an endorsement by RebootYou.com.

Last revised August 2007