In the UK, retirement is currently 67, moving to 68 from 2044, with people expected to live on average 15+ years post-retirement. However, if you’re over 50 and finding it more challenging to secure work, that leaves a significant gap of 17 years before you can draw your state pension. Most people will need to find work of some kind before they can afford to retire. So how do you bridge the retirement gap?
In this post, I’ve included some of the resources available to older job seekers/career changers. This is currently a hot topic, with many LinkedIn members contributing to the debate and several books recently published on the topic.
Employers complain they cannot find the skilled workers they need to fill their vacancies, yet often appear reluctant to consider the many benefits more mature and experienced workers can offer.
The Government’s decision to increase NI payments to employers, increased energy costs due to global conflicts, a hike in the national minimum wage for younger workers and changes in probationary periods for new staff have made it challenging, expensive and risky for employers to recruit staff.
The issue needs to be addressed with legislative and attitudinal changes. However, while we all wait for hell to freeze over, what can you do if you’re 50+ and finding it challenging to find work?
1. Know what you want and why
Understanding what you want and what’s important will help you focus on those opportunities that genuinely motivate and interest you. If you’re able to articulate your values, strengths, skills and motivations, you’ll find you’re more energised to apply for opportunities. Otherwise, jobhunting becomes a numbers game; dispiriting and likely to lead to disappointment.
Here’s a link to one of my blog posts if you’d like to establish what matters most to you and to identify what you have to offer.
Explore your career: 10 FREE questionnaires
2. Use your existing connections- and build new ones
There’s been a great deal of dispiriting Press coverage of candidates unsuccessfully applying for 500+ jobs. The lesson to take from this is that many jobs may not be advertised. Or if they are, successful applicants will have done a good deal of homework to identify exactly what the recruiter is looking for before applying. Fewer, high-quality applications are more likely to lead to interviews than a ‘spray and pray’ approach.
Who could you chat to about a role you’re interested in? If you don’t know anyone, who do you know who may be connected to someone in that organisation who would be willing to speak with you so you can find out more?
At 50+, you’re more likely to find roles through networking and contacts than through online job platforms, so it’s important to stay connected to existing contacts and develop new ones.
If you’re looking to change career, you may need to reach out to people beyond your immediate connections. Use LinkedIn to reach out to see what contacts working in the area that interests you can share. You’re not asking for a job- you’re simply undertaking research. The more informed you are, the better placed you’ll be when opportunities do arise.
How to reinvent your career: 7 practical steps – The Career Catalyst
3. Ensure you’re visible
Do people know who you are, or what you’re looking for? Your LinkedIn headline and profile should signal your career intention. Focus on the problems you solve and the solutions you provide, rather than your work history. Make it easy for employers to recognise your value. Prioritise the skills that matter for your target role.
7 Tips on how to make the most of LinkedIn – The Career Catalyst
4. Be open to different ways of working
It can be less easy to secure promotional roles beyond 50. You may decide to explore different ways of working or be willing to consider sideways moves.
How to change career In 3 different directions – The Career Catalyst
There are currently some great resources available for older job seekers. Here is a selection.
Book recommendations:
The 100 Year Life: Living and Working in an Age of Longevity by Lynda Gratton and Andrew J. Scott. An optimistic take on living longer and how to curate a future that works for you.
Living the 100-Year Life: How to build a career that lasts and a life you love Lynda Gratton. Focuses on creating a fulfilling career and life.
Rethinking Retirement for Positive Ageing: Denise Taylor. An opportunity to take stock of where you are and what you want from life- both work and life.
Expiry Date Never: Age is the new superpower by Victoria Tomlinson, with Louise Ballard. Highlights the challenges of job seeking at 50+ with practical suggestions to overcome them.
Online resources
The Careershifters Podcast: Hear stories of career changers who have made successful shifts, and learn from the insights and experience of seasoned career change experts.
Career Change Advice- Careershifters advice from experienced career change coaches.
Success Stories of Career Changers- Careershifters Examples of people who have changed career.
See also my previous posts on changing careers at 50+.
Too old to work, too young to retire – and the benefits of hiring older workers.