Senior Citizens and the Job Search

Although many employers are looking for new graduates or someone younger with a bit of experience, there are still plenty of jobs that you can secure as a senior citizen. Opportunities in the work force abound for older Americans. On the surface it may seem harder to find such roles; however they are available - you just need to know where and how to approach the search.

There is a great potential among older employees. They have more experience, are (generally) easier to work with, and typically more flexible than the person fresh from college who is more likely to have an implanted ideal of what their job should be like.

In other countries such as the Netherlands and Australia, younger employees are losing jobs to the more experienced and mature adults; in North America, this is a growing trend as well.

It is illegal, of course, to have someone ask your age when applying for a job, but hiring personnel can tell from application and resume information whether you may have been in the work force for some time. That is why instead of talking strictly about your age, you need to highlight your experience.

When putting together your resume, clearly list your accomplishments over the years and all your previous jobs. In your cover letter, focus on why you would be better suited for the job than a young applicant - even if you committed decades at home to raise children - thus helping employers understand the benefits in hiring you over a recent graduate with no real life experience.

If you have been out of work for a while or entering a field in which you have not had that much experience, consider enrolling in a class that can refresh your memory about that market or a class that can update you on new policies.

Businesses are constantly changing, and part of entering the work force again means learning contemporary methods of working rather than continuing the way work was done when you were younger.

The Internet has web sites offering opportunities for senior citizens, and shows relevant vacancies in the city in which you work. There are even specific agencies that work solely with senior citizens to make sure you can find a job in which you would be welcome.

Some of the fields that value the knowledge of a senior citizen include healthcare, public speakers, and writers. You simply need to determine what you may be interested in doing and then make the move to apply for jobs in your chosen field.

It is not so difficult to land a job when you are 60; you just need to become a bit savvy at learning where to look. Once you have found some options, spend some serious time developing a quality resume - as referenced above - to help make a compelling case for a potential employer why you are the best candidate for the available position.

And where age and prior experience are demonstratably to your advantage, be sure to note this clearly in the resume. Sometimes it is the nuances that make the difference between being offered an interview or simply skipped over.