2. A study from Career Builder revealed that 60%
of workers over the age of 60 plan to look for
new jobs after retiring from their current
companies, up from 57% a year ago.
Among those 65 and older who worked in
2011, 44.3% worked full-time, year-round.
Among states and equivalents, the District of
Columbia had the highest rate, at 62.2 percent.
Source: Labor Force Participation and Work
Status of People 65 and Older

3. Retirement landscape is changing as is the
workforce. But, for those over the age of 60
who still see another 5 – 15 years of work
ahead of them, there have been a lot of
changes to adapt to.
When I started my computer training business,
my intent was to only work with the mature
market. However, my phone began to ring with
one boomer after another with the same
request. I need work. I lost my job OR I quit
my job OR I just got divorced and must get
back to work.

6. I’m not one to sit around and blame or point
finger so I made a list of what you can do to
fight age discrimination and uplevel those
skills while job hunting.
And yes, the 2.0 transparent world has
forced us to all share our omelettes and food
porn on every social media site. Well, not
really . . . but you know what I’m talking
about.
I want you to consider these 10 things as
you begin looking for work:

7. 1) Find a Community Online or Offline
*Connect with others to get a ground-level of
whats happening out there
*Use sites like Meetup or LinkedIn
*Connect and engage on LinkedIn Groups
There is nothing more reassuring than being
amongst like-minded individuals at the same
stage that you are in. This is your
support. These are the people who can
commiserate with you and the same ones that
will lift you up and at times offer a shoulder to
cry on. You need people. We all do.

11. 5) Complete your LinkedIn profile
There is nothing that shows you are half-assing your way
through LinkedIn like a non-complete profile. What do I
mean? LinkedIn has a checklist that lets you know if you have
completed your profile 100%. This means a picture, work
experience, recommendations (aka testimonials) . . . and
please, get a good picture. Please do not use the picture of
you at the Jimmy Buffet concert where you have cut out the
part of the pic that has you holding onto a margarita. I love
Jimmy. I love margaritas. But this is not okay as your LinkedIn
profile picture. LinkedIn is the “professional facebook” and I
promise you that every HR professional is going to hunt you
down online. Remember, they are human too and curious to
see as much about you before they spend their time on the
interview process with you.

12. *If you do not have a good picture, go to your local Target
store, make sure its one with a photo studio. Book an
appointment for a digital session, meaning they will take 3
poses of you and put the files onto a CD. I did this myself it
took a few days to get the CD back and it cost $69. Not a bad
price considering you can use those pictures everywhere. One
more thing, choose the white background. Choose good colors
for your skin tone and hair color. Also, do a little research on
the poses you think might be ideal by searching online and
specifically LinkedIn. Do not expect the hourly employee at
Target to know this. If they do, take it as a bonus. Be prepared
to get your money’s worth.

13. 6. )Make an appointment with a resume
writer
This is one of your first points of entry, you
gotta make it good. Invest in this. Or at the
very least, find a friend or family member who
is a good writer or has had a position in the
workforce where they had to review
resumes. You ABSOLUTELY must have a second
and third set of eyes on your resume.

14. 7) Eat LIVE food
Yep, get healthy. The better the food that goes into your
body, the better your appearance, skin, outlook on life will
be. Companies are not hiring you for giggles. They want an
enthusiastic individual who is willing to stop at nothing to
carry their mission forward and make them money. How
you eat and how you stay physically fit is important. Plus, its
a win-win. If you are not in peak physical shape, they may
worry that you might need time off for doctor’s visits or
health issues.
Is this fair for a potential employer to assume this?
I don’t know.
Life’s not fair. Get over it.

15. 8) Create a spa day to rejuvenate your
spirit and appearance
Chances are you might be a bit stressed about the situation you are
in. Think about how you feel after you get a haircut that is a few
weeks overdue or get your nails done. You feel like a million
bucks. You walk a little taller.
Put together your own day to focus on you. You might be thinking, oh
yeah, perfect, I am unemployed and now you want me to book a full
spa day at the Ritz. No, not exactly. In fact, you most likely have a
beauty school in your neighborhood such as the Paul Mitchell
school. For less than $100 you can receive a haircut, massage, facial,
make up lesson, manicure and pedicure. Just google beauty school
and your city and make an appointment for one of those treatments
or all of them.

16. Don’t overlook this step. You know I
am right. Again, if you don’t have the
cash to go to the fancy schmancy salon
go to the school. I still go to beauty
schools. Well, I alternate. My fave
salon one month, the school the
next. Make your money go farther.
I give you permission. Now go.
Your welcome.

17. 9) Get referrals
Ask for warm introductions and referrals. Have you ever heard
the saying “Its not what you know, but who you know?”
The bigger your network, the better it is for you. You are able to
decrease the degrees of separation between you and the
potential employer.
Keep networking.
Don’t know someone from a company you are really trying to get
in with? Go to lunch in the neighborhood, people usually keep
their FOBs on or badges. Chat folks up in line at the Panera. Do
whatever it takes to meet key contacts.
Do whatever it takes. Do whatever . . . .

18. 10) Focus on your experience
You have an enormous amount of wisdom and experience
to bring to an organization, meaning you can hit the
ground running with minimal supervision. Focus on how
you have led teams, how you have been able to mentor
the younger set of employees, and most importantly
provide examples of your flexibility in the workforce. You
know what the workplace demands. You know that a job
description is and typically totally inaccurate. The
younger set might think the job description is set in
stone. You have the experience to know what it takes and
how you might need to pivot to help the organization
reach its goals. Share this.

19. You have great things in store for you, now
go seize your perfect job. The world needs
Y-O-U.
“The thing the sixties did was to show us
the possibilities and the responsibility that
we all had. It wasn’t the answer. It just
gave us a glimpse of the possibility.” John
Lennon

20. P.S.
Still think you need to uplevel your
online work skills, check out the
pre-launch ofReWork 2.0
P.P.S Can’t wait for ReWork
2.0? Then I highly recommend
reading this and participating in
this invaluable source