Some time ago, I wrote that two things retired people worry about most are health and wealth. Actually, I think I got the order wrong. After trying on retirement, I have realized that retirement income (money or wealth), should be at the head of the list. The reason is simple. Some of us will retire, but still need a little extra cash to help pay the bills or maintain our lifestyle.
I’ve been reading lately about seniors having to decide between medication to stay healthy and food, one of the basics of life. Not much of a choice, but one that some people face every day and the reason many people continue to work after retirement. It is also the reason many retired people are looking for part time work.
One area that should be considered is work at home jobs. Working from home can be the best of all jobs for seniors. But, the difficulty comes in finding a job that you can do from your home. I found a work at home job and here are some tips to help you find yours.
Work At Home Jobs
1. Identify the skills you learned in your career and decide what you want to do or are willing to do in the future. Make a list of things you have learned that could be useful in future endeavors. I have a friend who retired after years in a management positions where he had the opportunity to help develop other company management teams. It would have been easy for him to continue this as a part time job from home with a little bit of networking, marketing and perseverance.
Make a list of all the things you have done that added value to your career. Put everything on the initial list, no matter how insignificant you think it is. I believe everything you do has value. You just have to figure out how. Then narrow the list to specific skills that you can market. Identify what you have learned while working at a particular job that can be useful as your part time job.
2. Advertise yourself. Find and join several professional networks that you can use to stay in touch and promote your skills and knowledge. Stay in touch with people you have worked with in the past. Recognize the fact that networking is the only useful way to find part time work you can do at home. You have to network and advertise yourself because hey, nobody is going to find you if you don’t.
Do an internet search for your skill and “networking websites” or go to Wikipedia and find a list of networks you can join.
3. Stay in the job market. Consider doing some volunteer work, or give your time and skills away for free as a way to learn how to do part time employment after you retire. The idea is to get freelance work that you can add to your resume and network profiles. Pro bono work is a common practice in the entertainment industry and can be effective in other fields as well. Several years ago, I did some free consulting for a local college video media class and the local Salvation Army. Both were very useful on the resume, networking site and made good talking points when interviewing.
4. The most important tip is to believe in yourself and keep learning. The more you know the more valuable your skills and service can become to potential employers when you get to the point in your life where you are considering part time employment as a retiree. Believe me, been there, done that and I know it works.