Working into your 50s and early 60s and, if you wish, after State Pension age can help support your financial, health and social well-being into later life.
If you are looking for work or thinking of changing your career Gov.uk has some useful information, ranging from developing your skills, flexible working and self-employment to managing health and disability.
A common myth I hear from people I speak to is that there are no jobs, or no jobs they can do. However, there are a lot of jobs out there now, but people often miss out on them because they don’t realise their own potential.
The first thing I do is look at what skills people have that could be used in different jobs. Often they won’t have considered jobs they could easily apply for, because they don’t realise what skills they already have. If they don’t quite have the skills to apply, I can help them find the training or work experience they need to develop.
Jobcentre Plus works closely with partners and employers. We run job or sector-based courses to help people prepare and up-skill themselves for a range of jobs. This includes call centre work, which offers people flexible employment and office skills for career progression.
I also advise people to register with specialist agencies and consider temporary or part-time working as a stepping stone into a permanent job. Remember, the job market place is changing. For example, whilst manufacturing was traditionally the largest employer in Oldham, healthcare and retail are now almost as important.
Employment in the financial and professional services is rapidly increasing, so people should think about how their skills can be transferred and keep an open mind about what type of jobs to look for.
You should also be prepared to commute for the best jobs. For example, 29,000 of Oldham residents (40%) commute out of Oldham into surrounding areas including Manchester, Salford and Trafford.
Contributor: William Short, Work Coach, Oldham Jobcentre
When looking for a new job, it’s easy to fall into the trap of assuming you are only capable of doing one thing: the job you’re already doing.
That may be true, but whether you’re a lifeguard, a metalworker or an admin assistant, you’re building up a pool of skills that can make you more than qualified for a role in a new sector… you just have to look for it.
Assess your skills
Assessing your skills is easy – Nobody knows you better than you know yourself. But convincing others that your skills are relevant to them can be the tricky part. When you’re putting together a CV or job application, your use of language is important — As is, wherever possible, bundling it together with an example.
Identify skills you can use in other jobs
Say you work in a coffee shop. Frothing milk is a very specific skill, but not one hugely suited for an office environment.
So how do you identify skills you can use in other jobs? Well, do you get on well with your workmates? Then hype those people skills you’ve been developing. Have you been asked to help a new barista come to terms with the coffee machine? You have experience in leadership and training. Asked to lock-up or open the shop in the morning? You’re clearly punctual and trustworthy.
Starting up a new business is not just for young people. More people are fulfilling their ambitions to start up a business or become self-employed later in life.
If you are a budding ‘olderpreneur’ and are thinking about setting up on your own, there may be help and support available.
If you are receiving certain benefits, the New Enterprise Allowance can help you to start your own business. It provides mentoring support to help you develop your business plan and financial support worth up to £1,274 when you start to trade.
Since its launch in 2011, the scheme has supported over 80,000 new business starts, and nearly one in four of participants are aged 50 or older.
Becoming self-employed or starting your own business can be a great way to use your wider knowledge, experience and skills whilst continuing to earn money, turning your passions and hobbies into a profession
You can also be in control of your workload and have the option of flexible working. For example, you could work part-time or during certain times of the year to fit around your other commitments and hobbies.
You can find out more about help and support for older workers, the New Enterprise Allowance and starting your own business on GOV.UK.
As a jobseeker, one of your big challenges is making sure that you have the basic skills necessary to build a successful career.
Employers say that it’s often a lack of the most basic skills that’s causing jobseekers to fall at the final hurdle. In particular, strong literacy and numeracy skills are crucial to success in the workplace.
It’s easy to happen, we’ve all been there. There’s always one subject that you struggle with at school, and once you leave, you forget all about it.
However, employers are increasingly demanding strong reading, writing and numbers skills.
If you feel that you are lacking literacy or numeracy skills, or are just a bit rusty then consider taking an adult education course? The National Careers Service has a lot of information available, including literacy and numeracy courses. There are thousands of adult education courses available in the UK, both part-time and full-time so you can tailor your learning to your personal circumstances. You can also find courses in your local area and helpful information on claiming financial support.
Adult education courses are not like going back to school. There will be many people who need to strengthen their literacy and numeracy skills so there’s nothing to be embarrassed about. The benefits from undertaking these courses also extend beyond the workplace; including improved self-confidence and being better able to manage your finances.
When you write your CV, it can sometimes be difficult to populate that down-near-the-bottom section marked ‘skills’: surely that’s all been covered by the detailed description of your work history that came before it?
Well, yes and no. What many people don’t realise is the sheer number of skills they have that aren’t directly related to their previous jobs, but can still be desirable for a potential employer. Say you worked in a clothes store as a kid: sure, you can fold a mean t-shirt, but did you reliably handle cash? Did you hone your communication skills speaking to customers? Were you trusted to lock up and open the store, and did you ever top the sales charts?
All these things employers want to know. But never underestimate what you’re learning from your hobbies and interests. Are you the quizmaster in charge of your pub’s weekly quiz? Then you’ve got experience working to deadlines, a keen memory and you’re not afraid to stand up in front of people and present — plus you know the winner of the 1974 FA Cup final (Liverpool). Do you compete in a weekly swimming club? Then you’re dedicated, punctual and you can hold your breath for a very long time!
While ‘looking good in Speedos’ isn’t a vital component of most jobs, it’s important to truly assess your skills and strengths. It could well lead to a new job role where you get to use those new-found powers. Try National Careers Service’s skills health check tools to help you think about what type of career might suit you best.
Finding yourself slipping out of the job search routine? Here are five ways to stay focused and on track:
1. Put aside an hour a day to research and contact companies you want to work for. With up to 60% of all jobs going unadvertised, dealing with companies directly is often the best way of hearing about the best jobs: but you can’t go in unarmed. Research a company, make enquiry phone calls, and even consider turning up in person with a well-tailored CV.
Ask to talk to the hiring manager. It sounds pushy but can often get you where you want to go.
2. Maintain a routine. It is essential to treat your job search like an actual job. That means waking in the morning, showering and getting dressed, eating a good breakfast and sitting down and working, just like any other job. Keep distractions such as TV to a minimum, and focus fully on your search. Not only will you be more productive, but keeping that routine will be useful when you bag that job and have to get up early anyway.
3. Stay organised. As well as approaching your job search like a job, it’s important to document your activity outside of the ‘Sent Messages’ folder of your e-mail inbox. Use Google Docs (or just a plain ol’ paper and pen) to keep track of which jobs you applied for and when, as well as useful info such as where you saw the job, and when the closing date was.
Not only is such documentation useful when you’re thinking about sending a follow-up email to ask about the status of your application, but being able to see a log of all the work you’ve put in can be heartening when dealing with job search dejection.
4. Use Google to your advantage.
While job boards are a fantastic way of finding new roles, Google is a powerful search tool that can give you the edge in your job hunt – if you know how to use it. Use the advanced settings to search jobs posted within the last 7 days, and use quotation marks around specific phrases, such as “admin assistant” + Oldham, to find the pages most relevant to you.
5. Use browser extensions to avoid distractions. It’s easy to fall down the Facebook hole or waste time checking your inbox when you’re searching for jobs online, but it does slow you down… a lot. Use browser extensions such as StayFocusd to block certain websites during the day and stay on track with your job search.
Volunteering is a rewarding way of helping others, working on worthwhile projects and meeting new people. But did you know it can also give you a leg up into employment? Research shows you increase your chances of finding a paid job if you work for free. You’ll gain in other ways too – here’s how volunteering can help you thrive.
1. Gain new skills and experience. Volunteering gives you the chance to do things you haven’t done before, or recently. For example many volunteers take on management tasks, supervise others, work with the general public or gain skills in their field of interest. Your new skills and experience will make you a better job candidate in future and help you gain confidence.
2. Think things through. If you’re not sure of your next step, or you’ve been looking for work for a while and need a change of focus, volunteering is a good way of exploring different roles, organisations and types of work.
3. Build a track record. If you don’t have much recent work experience, or want to avoid long gaps in your CV, volunteering can help. It demonstrates to employers that you’re motivated, capable, and able to keep active and develop yourself while unemployed. You can even stand out from other job candidates because hiring managers often set a lot of store by someone’s willingness to volunteer.
4. Widen your job search network. Volunteering, especially if it’s in a role related to your target job, can bring you into contact with people who can tell you about job openings and training opportunities and support you in your job search.
If you’re interested in volunteering you can find out how to get started by visiting www.gov.uk/volunteering/find-volunteer-placements.
Cliff Adamson – Assistant Work Coach, Oldham Jobcentre
If you’re a smart jobseeker you have probably researched everything there is to know about resumes, cover letters, interviews, and all of the other job-searching basics.
But you might not be as familiar with the newest member of the job search family: social media. The Muse have written this article to help you get the most out of social media.
Transferable skills are skills and abilities that are relevant and helpful across different areas of life: socially, professionally and at school.
It is often important that you can identify and give examples of as many of these 10 transferable skills that you have developed – this will go a long way to persuading prospective employers that you are right for the job.