Finding Meaningful Work in Retirement

Have you heard of the never retire philosophy? These days it’s easy to find people (billionaire investor Warren Buffett among them) who think retirement is an outdated concept. Those of us who are unhappy at work may beg to differ — but maybe that’s exactly the problem. 

With members of the baby boomer generation living longer, fuller lives, today’s retirees are looking for more fulfilling ways to spend their time. For many, that means working, but working on something that is meaningful to them personally.

More than half of adults age 50 and older consider their paid work to be highly personally meaningful, according to research by the nonprofit group Encore.org, which focuses on helping people find work opportunities for the greater good. It turns out, retirement is a perfect inflection point for seeking out this type of work. People near or in retirement have more time and freedom to consider new opportunities. They are interested in connecting with others and ready to use what they’ve learned in life in a way that extends beyond themselves. 

Not incidentally, there is also the benefit of continued income, which helps get retirees through the potentially tricky post-career years, when savings are most at risk. Encore.org found that second careers typically last for a decade in duration. For workers older than 55, the right career move can help individuals delay claiming Social Security, at least until full retirement age, or until age 70 to receive the maximum monthly benefits. 

How do you find meaningful work in retirement? Here are some tips. 

Figure Out What You Want to Do With Your Time 

So much of retirement planning is about timing, investing, and financial decisions, it’s easy to neglect thinking about precisely what you want to do. Before making any decision about what to do next, start asking yourself some questions. What gets you out of bed in the morning. What changes would you like to see in your community, your city, or in the world? Who would you help if you had unlimited time and resources? What do you most enjoy doing?

These questions may sound simple, but answering them is often quite difficult. As an exercise, it’s worth doing. You never know where the answers may lead you. 

Get to Know the Nonprofit Sector

If you spent your career at a for-profit company, you might not be as familiar with the nonprofit world. But your skills are likely very valuable in that realm, and volunteering gives you an opportunity to do good with experience you have acquired over the years.

To familiarize yourself with the potential job opportunities in the nonprofit sector, you can start by looking for possible causes on sites like CharityNavigator.org, which includes information on more than 9000 national and local charities, and rates them according to effectiveness, accountability, and transparency.

You can find causes by keyword or use one of the site’s top 10 lists (charities with perfect scores, charities expanding in a hurry, celebrity-related charities, and so on). GuideStar.org, a nonprofit database, is less user-friendly but offers extensive information if you know what to look for. 

If you’re not committed to a specific cause but ready to give something a try, you can find volunteer opportunities on VolunteerMatch.org. This can give you a peek into different organizations, helping you get a sense of the exact skills these groups are looking for in a potential employee while you build a more nonprofit-friendly resume. 

Extend your Expertise

Meaningful work does not have to include charity. In fact, you may find helping others in your current line of work. Some workers are able to transition from their roles to retirement by training others in their organization or their field, or by creating manuals for best practices. 

You may also consider offering coaching or mentoring services to new members of the profession. Or look to local colleges to see if there’s interest in having you share your skills as a teacher. Even a consultant role with your former company could help change your perspective and present new opportunities you couldn’t see when you were stuck in the daily grind. 

Start a Business 

With technology providing such low barriers to entry, it’s easier than ever to start your own shop. You can take your professional services online, becoming a digital consultant or gig economy freelancer. Or find ways to market something you are particularly good at, like party planning, furniture restoration, or personal shopping. Often the greatest constraint is your imagination, so start Googling small business ideas in search of inspiration. 

Go Back to School

College for seniors has taken on a new meaning these days, as more retirees are heading back to school through programs like the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. The nonprofit program offers 124 programs at colleges and universities across the country — including Duke, Northwestern, and UCLA — allowing students age 50 or older take courses at a reduced cost. The courses are not for credit, but the education is real, and it could help you expand how you think about what’s next. 

Make Your Dream Job a Day Job

Ever dreamed of working in a history museum or artist studio? Have you always wanted to spend your days helping children or animals? Are you a frustrated poet or novelist? Whatever it is, now is the time to reconsider your career path not taken and try to make your dream job a reality. Create a list of the least realistic, most fantastic ways you can think of to make money and then figure out the steps needed to get there. 

Keep in mind: while being realistic and practical is important when you are just starting out, retirement is freedom from those restraints. With the right experience, flexibility, and attitude, you can find meaningful work that works for you. 

 The information contained in this article is not legal advice and is not a substitute for such advice. State and federal laws change frequently, and the information in this article may not reflect your own state’s laws or the most recent changes to the law. 

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Things You Shouldn’t Wear on a Job Interview

First impressions last, they say.

While it’s important to remember that first impressions don’t overpower your experience and knowledge in an interview, it does help a lot.

And a big part of that is looking great and dressing appropriately. Whatever the position you’re applying for, it’s important to look polished.

Here are the things you shouldn’t wear on a job interview:

Casual Clothing

While some companies don’t expect you to wear corporate attire on your interview, make sure your outfit still displays some professionalism.

If you have a job interview with a more informal work environment, go for a business casual outfit that looks more professional and polished than a T-shirt, jeans, or sandals.

Wearing something too casual, such as slit jeans or a tank top, is a big NO. Aside from being downright inappropriate, it also creates an impression that you haven’t made any effort for the interview.

Also, be mindful of what you wear underneath a blazer. Take note that a blazer doesn’t upgrade the rest of your outfit. It’s best to take the extra effort to wear a button-down or a V-neck sweater to look professional.

Sandals or Flip-flops

For job interviews, stick with comfortable, closed-toe shoes.

Slip-on dress shoes, such as flats and low-heel pumps in black or white color, are great options for women. Shoes made with leather or fabric work just fine.

For men, classic dress shoes are the most appropriate for job interviews. They are comfortable, minimalistic, and professional-looking. Lace-up shoes like loafers and Oxfords in brown or black are good bets.

Make sure your shoes are well-polished and don’t have scratches or dirt.

Poorly Fitting Clothes or Shoes

You might think that it doesn’t matter if you’re swimming in your clothes.

However, the hiring manager or interviewer might think otherwise. Wearing a sloppy outfit might suggest that your work is also sloppy.

That said, make sure you wear pants, a blouse/shirt, and jackets that fit properly. If you’ve lost some weight in the past months, take your garments to your local tailor and have them adjusted.

Bright, Flashy Clothes or Jewelry

When it comes to job interviews, neutral colors are more preferable.

They aren’t a place to make a statement. You have to look professional in every way. That said, unless you’re applying for a job in the fashion industry, do away from flashy outfits.

Choose simpler pieces that complement each other, such as a simple blouse or button-down shirt, a navy blue blazer, and a pair of khaki pants for women.

For men, it can be as simple as a button-down shirt and dark slacks.

Apply the same rule for accessories. Stick to one or two simpler pieces, such as a pair of stud earrings or a classic necklace like pearls.

Heavy Perfume or Cologne

It’s important to smell good during your job interview, but not to the extent that you’ll distract the interviewer or other people.

What’s more, you’ll never know if someone in the office has an allergy so use perfume sparingly or not at all for the day of your interview.

You can smell good by taking a refreshing bath and wearing fresh and clean clothes.

You should also avoid wearing too much makeup. Heavy makeup can be distracting, so it’s better for other occasions.

Funky Scarves and Ties

Scarves and ties are a great way to accentuate your look. However, you have to pick the right style and design that’s suitable for the occasion.

For more formal settings like job interviews, women should choose scarves in solid, more confident colors like blue and red.

Meanwhile, men wearing ties should stick to classic options, like solids and diagonal stripes.

Don’t Get Too Dated

While you want to keep everything simple and professional-looking, you don’t want to look too dated, either.

You don’t need to spend much on your wardrobe. It’s best to invest in a few high-quality, fashion-forward clothes for job interviews.

It’s a smart idea to buy clothes that you can use not just for interviews but also when you start to work.

Conclusion

Looking great on a job interview can be extremely helpful when trying to make a positive impression.

Whatever role you’re applying for, you should aim to look smart and professional. You don’t have to wear something too formal unless the company requires it.

In most settings, business casual attire will work just fine. However, do away from clothes that are too casual, sandals or flip-flops, poorly fitting clothes, and bright, flashy outfits and accessories.

Lastly, don’t forget to wear a smile. It makes you look more confident and helps set the tone for a successful job interview.

Best of luck!

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Tips for Women Returning to the Workforce

The pandemic shook up a lot of things for workers, especially women. Some lost their jobs, while others saw their entire career path derailed. For example: The retail sector, where many women had enjoyed long careers, was upended by the pandemic. More than 400,000 retail jobs had been lost by November 2020.

While some of those jobs will come back post-pandemic, many won’t, and many women haven’t been able to wait around for them. They’ve been forced to look for new opportunities.

Meanwhile, many working moms have been asked to choose between continuing their careers and caring for their kids, as child-care options have all but evaporated and many daycares have closed for good. That was a double whammy for women who were employed in the child-care field. The pandemic exposed just how vulnerable our child-care system has been.

If you’re a woman whose job or career was disrupted by the pandemic, you’re likely facing one (or some combination) of these three scenarios: Returning to the job/career you had before; looking for a new career; or adapting your career to a new reality. Here are ways to approach each of these scenarios:

How to Return to Your Job or Career

If you were furloughed during the pandemic, forced to work remotely, or lost your job permanently but want to stay on the same career path, here are some ideas:

• Update your resume. A resume update is a good idea even if you’re going back to the same job. (You never know when you’ll need it.) And it’s a must if you’re looking to change employers. 
  • Remove outdated information, like old internships or jobs you held more than a decade ago.
  • Add any recent training and certifications you’ve obtained.
  • Eliminate passive language.
  • Avoid big chunks of text. Make everything quick-hitting. 

• Touch base with your boss. Let your supervisors know about any changes you’ve made while you were away, such as new skills you’ve acquired or new priorities.
  • Offer to cross-train for a different department so you’ll be more valuable to the company.
  • Ask about a flexible work schedule if you need one.
  • Inquire about any changes in benefits and long-term prospects within the company.

How to Make a Fresh Start

If you find yourself in a contracting career field, such as brick-and-mortar retail, this might be the perfect time to make a fresh start and try something totally different. And remember that if you’re in this category, you’re not alone: 61% of women are planning a major career shift in the post-pandemic era, and 1 in 4 are looking to start their own business.

There are two main factors to consider if you find yourself leaning in this direction: where the opportunities are, and what you want to do.

Maybe you’ve always wanted to write a book. Do research online to find out what it takes, whether you want to be a self-published author or try to find an agent and go the traditional route. Or perhaps you want to become a teacher: Learn what your state requires for a teaching credential. If you want to become an architect, learn how to read blueprints and find out what classes you need to take. 

Second jobs or part-time work can be helpful in some situations, and independent service and consulting opportunities surged during the pandemic. That trend is likely to continue, at least to some degree. You can learn to become a grant writer or even get a side gig as a notary public — only nine states require any training. 

If you’re looking for opportunities, networking always helps. Reach out to people you know who work in the field you’re interested in. Re-establish long standing personal connections and use online networking sites like LinkedIn to forge new ones.

How to Adapt to a New Reality

Your job will likely look different than it did before, regardless of whether you’re doing the same work or trying something new. 

Some businesses have gone to remote work permanently or partially, so make sure your home office is comfortable and connected. Get ergonomic office furniture and carve out a space that’s more functional than a laptop on the bed or at the dining room table.

Many employers will be doing more online, so familiarize yourself with commonly used software like Word, Excel, Google Suite, Slack, Skype, and Dropbox that you’ll be likely to encounter. To make yourself even more marketable, learn skills like coding and SEO.

You’ll likely need to adapt to new financial realities, too, so revisit your budget. A lot has changed during the pandemic. For instance, child care costs rose 40%. Look at where you spend your money, how your income has changed, and how you need to adjust. You might even consider using a budgeting app to help you out.

Furthermore, a significant percentage of women say they have less savings and more debt than they did before the pandemic, which could lead to trouble achieving long-term financial goals. So be sure to keep an eye on your credit. (You can check it for free every year.) If you need to rebuild it, you can do so without accumulating more debt. Consider a secured credit card: You deposit a specific amount, usually a few hundred dollars, that acts as “security” on your account. Then you use it and pay it off every month to bolster your credit

A lot has changed since the pandemic hit, so you may need to change a lot, too. The key is knowing what to change and how, and what skills to reinforce as you move forward into the new economy.

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8 Common Misconceptions About Starting a Career

Networking is scary, even for the most social and outgoing students.

In my ten years of teaching, students have told me dozens of reasons why networking won’t work for them. But in each case, these students hold incorrect beliefs about what they need to achieve or feel before getting started with networking.

Here are the top 8 misconceptions about networking and starting a career and why students should disregard them.

Misconception #1: Asking for help is a sign of weakness

One of the tragedies of the individualistic culture in the United States is that people are often told that they should be able to accomplish everything all by themselves. Independence is viewed as a sign of strength and intelligence.

Many students (especially first-generation students) have told me that they were raised in families where they were trained not to ask for help. But the reality is, as the poet John Donne claimed, that “no one is an island”; we all need to rely on other people to thrive, collaborate, and find new opportunities.

Asking for help is one of the smartest things you can do for your career. You will find that many professionals who have never met you are extremely willing to be of assistance just because you are a student asking for help. People understand that the years during and immediately after college are some of the most difficult in a person’s career. Furthermore, the relationships that you build through networking can be valuable for the rest of your life.

 Misconception #2: Your internship or job needs to be related to your major

Many students believe that once they choose a major or program of study, they are locked into a narrow set of career paths. Students think that if they study accounting, they must become an accountant. If they study psychology, they must work in counseling or human resources.

However, your major or program of study does not necessarily determine your long-term career path—or even your first job out of college. Research shows that only 27% of college graduates in the US end up in a career related to their academic majors. Other studies have found that many jobs that students take when they graduate didn’t even exist when they began their college careers.

It’s quite common that students are drawn to career paths outside their chosen major. Although this may make your job search more difficult, you can tell your story (during career conversations and interviews, as well as in your resume and cover letter) to connect the dots between your interests, your studies, and your future ambitions.

Misconception #3: Applying to jobs online and through career fairs are the only ways to land internships or jobs

Many students believe that positions advertised through their college’s programs, events, or online job portal are the only jobs available to them. To be clear, if a company you are interested in working for is attending a career fair, hosting a recruiting event, or interviewing on your campus, you should take full advantage of all these opportunities.

However, these aren’t the only avenues to landing an internship or job. Remember that most internships and jobs are never advertised or posted online in the first place. By utilizing career conversations to connect with professionals at the companies where you want to work, you can put yourself in a better position to land opportunities with companies that do recruit from your school.

Misconception #4: Your first job determines your long-term career success

Too many students believe that they are a failure if they don’t get the perfect job right out of college. How would you know what a “perfect” position is in the first place, especially given you likely have a narrow range of experiences?! In fact, it’s very rare for students to get exactly the job they want right away, but this doesn’t mean that their career ambitions are doomed or unattainable.

Each job you get will make it easier to get the next one, so treat your first job more as a learning experience than a prediction about your future. I have a friend whose first job was stocking shelves at a CVS pharmacy store and now has a leadership position at Google.

Don’t put too much pressure on yourself by comparing your choices and progress with your peers. Everyone finds their vocation at their own pace.

Misconception #5: GPA is everything 

The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) has done research asking employers what attributes they look for in new graduates. The most important attribute was written communication, with 82% of employers saying they highly value it. Close behind were problem-solving, the ability to work in a team, and initiative. These traits are all valued more highly than GPA by employers. Don’t be discouraged if you have a low GPA.

Your GPA is just a number, but it is admittedly a quick way that companies can sort through hundreds or thousands of applications. Most employers understand that your GPA doesn’t fully represent who you are, but it’s up to you to prove that to them. If you have a low GPA, you can still land an internship or job at a great company—even a competitive one.

Misconception #6: You don’t have enough experience to land an internship or job

For many students, the most challenging job to land is their first. Each future job you get will build off your past jobs, but this presents a problem for students who don’t have much experience.

Even if you have never had an internship or job, you still have valuable experiences that you can discuss with potential recruiters and employers. Perhaps you volunteer at a local organization, play a leadership role in your family, perform in the arts, play sports, or have completed various school or even classroom projects. Each of these experiences will show employers your skills and character. Students often mistakenly believe that employers are looking for more experience from students than they actually are.

Additionally, don’t be discouraged if you don’t meet every qualification on a job posting. If you meet around half of the job requirements, that’s plenty for you to apply. Networking can increase your odds of landing a job even if you don’t meet all the written qualifications.

Misconception #7: You need to plan your future career before you start networking

You don’t need to have your future figured out before you begin networking. One of the major advantages of networking is to help you discern what experiences and career you want in the future.

Networking allows you to learn vicariously, that is, through other people’s experiences—both good and bad. This means that learning from others about what you don’t like is just as valuable as learning what you do like.

You should never wait until you’re certain to begin networking and applying because you’ll never be fully certain. It’s also likely that through networking and completing internships, you can surprise yourself about which career options you might enjoy.

Misconception #8: You’re not good enough or you’re not worthy

Maybe you’ve been told by family, friends, or teachers that you can’t do something. Maybe no one in your family or community works in the industry that you aspire to work in. Maybe you can’t identify any of your passions. Maybe you have a DUI on your record. Maybe you have to work two or three minimum-wage jobs just to make ends meet. Maybe you’ve applied to over 100 jobs online and never even obtained an interview.

All of these are challenging roadblocks, to be sure, but none of them make you unworthy of a career that you love and none of them mean you aren’t good enough.

Everyone faces different challenges in their career journey, but if you persevere with the right strategy, you can overcome the odds and get a job you’ll love. It may take time, courage, and persistence, but you can do it. If you have persevered through difficult circumstances in your life, you likely have unique skills and mindsets that companies will definitely value. You will need to learn how to tell your story so that future employers recognize your authentic self and character.

Guest Author Sean O’Keefe is an award-winning professor, respected researcher, and sought-after speaker on creating social capital, career readiness, internships, and jobs. He is the founder and chief impact officer of Career Launch, a social enterprise that partners with colleges and career programs to equitably scale students’ ability to create professional relationships and launch effective job or internship searches in the hidden job market. He earned his BA in communication at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and his MBA from Santa Clara University. He is the author of LAUNCH YOUR CAREER: How ANY Student Can Create Relationships with Professionals and Land the Jobs and Internships They Want (Berrett-Koehler Publishers), written in partnership with The Career Leadership Collective.

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