Baby Boomers: Working after Retirement

There is an old joke about the role of the chicken and the role of the pig when it comes to bacon and eggs. The chicken contributes, but the pig is committed. Many people in the baby-boomer demographic who
decide that they want to continue working after retirement lay a lot of eggs because they lack focus. Let’s face it, when you haven’t had to look for a job for a long time, you don’t know how to do it. I assume that you want to do something new and the task is how to find a job that you will find rewarding, fulfilling and worth the
effort. If you are going to keep at your old job, find a Millennial to mentor. Baby-boomers and Millennials have one thing in common: They both want to have fun when working.

What I mean about laying a lot of eggs is that most people do not conduct a serious and professional job search. They shortcut the assessment phase, update their old resume and then start contacting old
colleagues and family to see what happens. The modern job market requires that the job seeker have a strategy, a search plan and discipline. Here are some guidelines that will help make your search
productive.

1. Commit yourself to a professional search and create a plan so your search will be disciplined.
   • A part-time job search requires 15 hours per week, full time means 35-40 hours.
   • Schedule your time and build your plan
2. Get in shape. This is the best time in your life to get in shape, there’s nothing to get in the way.
   • Physically – set up a daily workout, walking is a great way to start.
   • Spiritually – if you have faith, put it to work.
   • Emotional – Don’t start until you are emotionally ready to commit.
   • Intellectual – Focus on the solution, not the problem.
   • Social – Network, Network, Network…
3. Assessment is the key to targeting the job position that you will find rewarding and worth spending your valuable time.

Assessment is a process that takes a bit of brainstorming on your part. This is the process of discovering a position that will give meaning and purpose to your life. You may find one of the following assessment tools helpful to ensure your career plans will land you in an area of work suited to your likes and needs. Although they are designed for use somewhat earlier in your career, it's never too late to know what suits you best. The Seven Stories Exercise found in “Targeting a Great Career” by Kate Wendelton. Buy it used on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&keywords=Targeting%20a%20Great%20Career&index=blended

This is an exercise in reviewing your accomplishments throughout your life. It is personal, proactive, affirming, and creates a list that you can use in resume preparation. Most people forget that they have
achieved quite a bit and people tend to take their accomplishments for granted. In reviewing the “motivated skills” that repeat in your life’s accomplishments, clues start to form as to the kind of work you should target.

One good on-line tool is “The Careers Interest Game” which is a simplified version of “The Party Exercise” from the book “What Color is Your Parachute” by Richard Bolles.
http://career.missouri.edu/students/explore/thecareerinterestsgame.php

Find out your three letter “Holland Code” a free test can be found at http://www.roguecc.edu/Counseling/HollandCodes/about.asp.
The Holland or RAISEC assessments provide information on the relationship between job personalities and
key characteristics, college majors, hobbies, abilities, and related careers, from the book “Making Vocational Choices” by John Holland.

Career Games, www.careergames.com, is a site that has a broad set of tools to help you in your career
transition process. Go to the Self Assessment section, which will assist you to define 3 parameters for your job search: the skills you love, the working conditions that make you happy, and the traits you like to see in your colleagues.

Attitude will make all the difference in the world. Decide that you are going to enjoy this journey and commit yourself to a strong effort. Older folks are often heard to say that they are busier than ever and don’t
know where the time goes. So you must be willing to look at your attitude, if you really mean it when you say that you still want to work, show it by the effort you put in.

Most people update their traditional resume and start posting it to job sites and begin talking with friends and old colleagues. The results are often less than satisfying. Do yourself and your friends a favor and take the time to develop a strategy and brainstorm what you want to do with the rest of your life. The saying goes that today is the first day of your life, so commit yourself to a professional job search.