Workplace

Job searching for retirees

Nearly 70 percent of baby boomers plan to work beyond age 65, said Kristen Gerencher in Marketwatch.com, and some employers see the benefits of hiring older workers. Among the companies the AARP recommends to aging workers are private health-care and home-care companies such as Scripps Health, Synergy HomeCare, and Bright Horizons. Faced with a “tsunami” of retirements in the next several years, the federal government itself plans to tap this pool of talent for positions within the IRS, the Peace Corps, and the Office of Disaster Relief. IBM has even begun a partnership to train its 350,000 current and retired workers for future work in civil service.

Many older workers struggle with how to recast their résumés, said Jan Cullinane in Forbes. A functional résumé lists positions in order of importance, emphasizing your achievements. “But many employers and recruiters know this type of résumé can be hiding work gaps and age, and dislike them.” Chronological résumés, though more widely accepted, may not do an older employee justice. A good compromise is a “chrono-functional” résumé, a chronological list of the most important jobs you’ve held. “Don’t feel obligated to list every job you’ve ever had; concentrate on those positions that are pertinent to the employment you are seeking.”

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