Job Hunting for 50+

Does your age shut you out? Looking for a job? For those in the 50+ age bracket, you may have found that the economy in 2008 may have affected you too. You may have taken an early retirement or was let go. You were possibly in your 40’s or early 50’s at the time, well experienced in your field and thought that it would be fairly easy to move on in the work force. You may have found that finding steady employment has been more than a daunting task.

Then too, there’s a perception that people over 50 or 60 will be just passing through as a transition into retirement. Employers are reluctant to hire someone they think will be out the door in a year or so.

The fact is that compared to their younger colleagues, workers with a few decades of experience under their belt are typically better problem-solvers and people -managers and have honed leadership skills over time. I know that I am preaching to the choir, but you need to show that to potential employers.

Here are several strategies that can help you fight back against stereotyping and discriminating against individuals or groups on the basis of their age.

new life in retirement — Take a new direction in your best years

1. Ask for help and advice

Networking is just one letter off from not working. In this era of online resumes, it’s all about who you know that can get you in the chair for a face-to-face interview. When companies are looking for new employees, they rely on employee referrals. In 2011, employee referrals accounted for 28% of new hires, followed by job boards 20.1%, career pages on company web site.

You need to pick up the phone and call everybody that you know, ever knew, ever worked with and every employer that you ever worked. That’s the way to get an interview. You need to establish personal connection to the company.

2. Brainstorm

Call or sit down with a spouse, friends, neighbors, church friends and ask for help. Write down the names of previous employers and former colleagues, immediate and extended family. Don’t be embarrassed to call family members when you’re out of work. Get over it. Call friends, people in your place of worship, athletic club, volunteer organizations, parents of children’s friends.

If there is a particular industry you’re hoping for, join an association affiliated with it and seek out volunteer opportunities. Attend industry and professional meetings and conferences.

College and university placement offices are there to help no matter how long ago you graduated. Seek out career centers operated by your area colleges or lacal lgovernment agencies offering career counseling, workshops on resume writing, job fairs and retraining programs.

Don’t be timid. You have to take the risk of picking up the phone and having someone to say no, and maybe. No matter how good your resume might be, unless it helps you get a face-to-face interviews with hiring managers, your efforts are wasted.

3. Market your age as a plus

It’s all in marketing. Brand yourself. You are responsible for your own image. Workers 50+ tend to be self-starters, know how to get the job done, and don’t need as much handholding as those with less experience. A great benefit to being older is that you have a good deal of knowledge and leadership ability. So pitch your age as a plus. You need to be able to articulate your value.

4. Roll with the latest technology.

If you don’t have core technical skills, check out your local libraries, community colleges and other venues where training is offered.

Take the time to get savvy with the following:

Smartphones
E-mail
Computers
Social networking
Video interviews
Web navigation skills
Employer web sites and Google alerts
Learn the latest resume tricks
Fine tune your interview skills
Don’t be a know-it-all with a chip in your shoulder
Look your best and make sure that you are styled
Practice positivity

There are opportunities available for those needing extra money. Depending on work experience, here are are a few to consider. couple over 50

Librarian Assistant/Aide
Alumni Event Planning
Bookkeeper
Personal and Home-Care Aide
Handy Jack / Handy Jill (odd jobs)
Medical Assistant
Project – Based Consultant
Blogger
Personal Assistant
Athletic Coach / Umpire / Referee
Teacher’s Aide
Tour Jobs
Convention Center Jobs
Pet Groomer
Wal-Mart Greeter
Limo Driver
Shuttle Bus Driver on Campus
Tax Preparer
Tutor
Park Service Employee
Nursery Worker
Pet Sitter
Amusement Parks
Athletic Event Ticket Services
Call Center Representative
Restaurant Greeter
Hairdresser
Car Transporter
Travel Nurse
Cruise Liners has a full array of jobs and some hire couples
Realtor

Great Holiday Jobs

Santa Claus
Retail Sales Cashier
Retail Salesperson
Product Demonstrator
Holiday Decorator
Package Delivery

Landing a holiday job:

Stop by for a face-to-face
Offer future help
Be flexible
Network
Go where they know you
Don’t wait for a help-wanted sign

Great Snowbird Jobs

Resort Hospitality Worker
Resort Services Worker
Disney “Cast Member”
Second Home Property Manager/Concierge
Hairdresser
Spring Training Staff for Major League teams
Car Transporter
Travel Nurse
Cruise Liners has a full array of jobs and some hire couples

Work at Home Jobs

Translator-Interpreter
Legal Mediator
Graphic Designer
Writer/Editor
Blogger
Grant/Proposal Writer
Virtual Customer Service Representative
Virtual Assistant
Online Tutor
Crafter
Direct Sales such as Mary Kay Cosmetics, The Pampered Chef, Tupperware, Avon, Cutco, Stanley Home Products and Silpada.

Retired Teachers

Personal Trainer/Physical Conditioner
University Bookstore Retail Specialist
Adjunct Professor/Instructor/Lecturer/Visiting Professor
Retired and tutoring
Substitute Teacher
Career Center Counselor
Market and Survey Researchers

Nonprofit Jobs

Administrative Assistant
Volunteer Manager to bring awareness to the non-profit’s cause
Marketing/Communications Manager
Fundraiser

Soul-search for the issues that you care about. What skills do you have to help move into the sector. Research the nonprofit world and understand what you can do for the specific field you’re getting into. Volunteering first can give you an insider’s view and networking contacts that may lead to a job.

Consider taking a course to fill in any holes in your background. Credentials help in the nonprofit world.

Find work that keeps you happy and healthy….and pays the bills.

We find that many people in or nearly in their retirement years are using credit and credit cards to supplement their income, thus causing debt that can not be recovered from. We at reScore Solutions may be able to help. Call us today for a free credit report evaluation. If we can’t help you, we have a pipeline of professions in many industries that may be able to save your home, save your credit and assist in other avenues. 205-352-3448

Additional information regarding this blog can be found in the book: AARP Great Jobs For Everyone 50+ By Kerry Hannon

Children, Chores & Allowance

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We love our children, and of course we want them to have all that they need…and much that they really don’t need. Do you find yourself at the crossroads of another meltdown with your child at the checkout because of something that they have eyed and can’t live without? Of course you have! We all have! But there may be help in teaching them to curb these emotional attachments for things that they won’t remember five minutes after they arrive home.

Teach children money management. — Children and money.

Get creative and help your children earn money and teach good money management, which in return will help them to make wiser purchases.

Help make earning money fun. The following Here is a list of chores your young child can accomplish with minimal help:

Picking up toys
Feeding the family pet
Collecting household garbage/ recycling to be taken out by adult
Setting the dinner table
Sweeping
Cleaning toilets
Tidying their bedroom

Pitfalls when it comes to chores.

Don’t insist on perfection.
- Your child is not in the military. They are children and still learning. Challenge children to excel, but don’t scold.
Don’t delay.
- You may think that your child is too young. They may be more capable than you think.
Don’t be stingy with praise.
- Get that praise going right away! Don’t wait until the chore is done. Praise and encourage the child while the chore is in progress. You want to build positive momentum, especially with young kids.
Don’t be inconsistent.
- Be regular and don’t allow for putting off for another day.

HAVE A PAY CHART

Have a chart posted where your child can visible see it so that they see how much they earn with each job. Pay weekly and help your child to spend the money on items that they have made a list of. This will assist in keeping them focused instead of spending on impulsive items.

Tweens Teens and Credit Cards

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Is your teen ready for a credit or debit card? Financial education should begin as a very young age. Don’t wait for your child to go away to college to learn about money management, credit and budgeting. He or she should have a good concept about this before they pack their bags. By all means, don’t arm your children with credit cards and no idea on how to handle it. Understanding how credit works will help them avoid the trap of revolving credit. Credit card companies are in the business of making money and keeping you in debt.

What to teach your teen:

What is a credit score.
How does credit affect me.
How do I keep tabs on my credit.
How do I protect my credit.
How to stay out of debt.
Don’t charge for items that you don’t have the money to pay for.
Don’t buy what you don’t need. Credit means debt. Debt means money that you will have to pay someone until you pay it off.
Help your child learn to save for what they want. This is important to start at a very early age.
Teach and assist your child to set a standard for automatic saving. Like 1/3 allowance and 1/2 of all birthday gifts.

Teaching your tween and teen responsible credit and budgeting.

As our children are growing up it is imperative that we teach them to be responsible with their finances. Your teenager is more mobile and you may find that it’s important that they have access to funds in case of emergency or otherwise. There are options and a parent needs to consider if their child is responsible enough to be in control of a credit or debit card. Let’s look over some of the different options to help in making a decision.

1. Prepaid cards are a hybrid breed. Just because it is called a prepaid credit card and works like a credit card does not make it a credit card. These are cards that are reloadable and works like a debit card. You choose the amount that you want to load on the card, use it like a debit card and it deducts the amount from your balance. You can then reload and continue to use. Being that these cards are associated with major credit card networks, American Express, Visa, Mastercard, these prepaid cards can be used anywhere the major credit cards can be used, whether it’s to purchase groceries, shopping at the mall, paying bills, or online shopping. This card is ideal for tweens and teens. No worry for over-drafting checking accounts or being accessed over-the-limit fees with credit cards. Prepaid cards are an alternative to banks. There are millions of people that do not want to use banks or traditional credit. Although these cards are not connected to a checking account, it still allows you to things that require a credit card, such as rent a car or book a hotel room. With many teens with a part-time job, cards even come with a checking and routing number so that a teen could have their check directly deposited onto the card. Many prepaid cards offer features to be able to access funds at an ATM. You also have the option of loading their allowance on the card. Prepaid fees. Be prepared to be charged with fees with a prepaid card. Each prepaid card comes with it’s own fee structure. Be sure and find a card that best fits your needs. You are protected. Prepaid cards offer the same theft and loss protection that major credit cards offer. Which makes this a pretty safe bet.

Children and credit cards. How to stay out of debt.

2. Store card / major credit card. While credit cards have a credit limit and you are able to use the card until the limit is exhausted. Credit card companies may extend additional credit at a cost of an over-the-limit fee. Eve with a credit card, it is important to keep tabs on your spending. With interest rates charges it may become very difficult to get out of debt. No one wants to head off to college in credit card debt and parents should not be left to clean up their teens out of control spending. Choosing between a store card or credit card may be a challenge when trusting your tween or teen to spend sensible and not send you soaring into uneeded debt. If you feel that your teen has not shown financial responsibility with their money and allowance, then you may want to rethink handing them a card to carry on a full-time basis. You may choose to allow them to use the major credit card on a temporary basis and for particular purposes and allowing the to view the invoices and pay the payments. Also educated them to understand the reality of charging and paying with money they earn from their job or allowance. Although there are fees for reloadable prepaid cards, there are over-the-limit fees for many credit cards. Just being charged one $39 over-the-limit fee is a large amount compared to prepaid card fees.

Teens learn from their parents money management. By gradually graduating their freedom to using your credit cards you will be able to build good spending habits and trust.

So while there are differences in choosing a card, education and holding your teen responsible for their spending is the answer.

Free! Really free credit services!

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First of all Kirkpatrick & Associates offers free credit report evaluations. For us to provide this service you will need current credit reports. There are many companies that provide online credit monitoring for a fee. The cost is usually between $14.99 and $24.99 a month and provides credit reports from the three major credit reporting agencies; Experian, TransUnion and Equifax and credit scores from each. If you can’t or don’t want to pay for this monthly service I suggest that you sign up for creditkarma.com. This service is absolutely, yes absolutely free. No payment information is required to sign up or continue the service. The only difference is that Credit Karma doesn’t provide a credit report or score from Experian. But for a free service you get a great service that updates your credit reports regularly throughout each month. So if you would like to monitor your credit reports and take it easy on the budget, then Credit Karma may be what you are looking for. Check it out today. Once you have viewed your credit reports, you may have credit issues. A late pay that is incorrect. An account you paid to a zero balance last summer and it still ahows a balance, accounts that aren’t yours, addresses that you have never lived at, credit inquiries that you didn’t authorize, collections that you weren’t aware of and the list goes on. We can possibly help you and get your credit cleaned up and raise your credit scores. Here at Kirkpatrick & Associates, credit report evaluations are free….yes, another free! We want the opportunity to educate you in having a chance at better and stronger credit while educating you to keep it strong. We don’t do gimmicks, nor do we have a magic wand to poof all kinds of accurate bad stuff from your reports, but we will explain what our services cover and how we can repair negative information and how our services can benefit you, for now, and your future. Kirkpatrick & Associates specializes in assisting with all types of credit issues. Possibly avoid Bankruptcy, foreclosure and charge off accounts, dealing with collections, as well as getting you lender-ready for a mortgage. You may not have credit or collection issues and just need to build or rebuild credit. There’s help there too. I know, you want to know how much will this cost you. After all, you may be living on a budget and paying hundreds or a couple of thousand $$$ is not possible. Fear not, we have low month to month payments and you can cancel or place you account inactive at any time. We eat, sleep and obsess about credit related stuff.

There are other companies that provide credit repair, but we go beyond with excellent customer service and educating our clients which means you can spend more time relaxing and with your family, while we take care of you. Call today. 205-352-3448

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