Career Success After 50 Blog

Job Seekers Over 50 Need To Beware of "Forwarding" and "Reshipping" Scams

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 12:33:18 -0600

If you've been searching for a new job or career on the Internet lately, you may have come across postings by foreign companies who advertise that they're looking for "import/export specialists" or "financial and marketing managers." The applicants are required to send money from one bank account to another as part of their employment duties, or repackage and reship items overseas. The only problem is that the money or items in question are often stolen and these US "exporters" and "managers" are used to ship the stolen merchandise out of the country.

Many of these scams involve merchandise bought online from auction sites or ecommerce sites set up to look like legitimate online businesses. The customer makes a purchase and sends in their money, but the merchanidise in question only existed as a picture on a web page. The employee hired by the overseas company is used as a middleman to collect the money and then wire it overseas, keeping a portion for themselves as payement.

In a second variation on this scam, the employee is asked to repackage and re-ship merchandise that was ordered online but never paid for, or paid for with a stolen credit card. By the time the seller realizes there's a problem, the merchandise is already out of the country.

Job and career seekers can protect themselves from these scams by doing their homework before answering an ad on one of the big online career websites. If a job listing uses words like "wiring funds" or "package forwarding" or "reshipping" then think twice before answering the ad. Be suspecious of companies that want you to wire or transfer money, and never give out any of your financial information to anyone. A legitimate potential employer would never ask for your personal bank account, credit card or Paypal account information.

If you have questions about the legitimacy of a job listing, contact your Better Business Bureau, your state or local consumer agency or the Federal Trade Commission.

Older Workers Re-entering The Workforce Need To Have A Plan

Wed, 9 Apr 2008 16:54:00 -0600

If you're an older worker who's been out of work for some time, and you're considering re-entering the workforce, you need to have a plan. And part of that plan includes doing some self discovery to find out what you really want to do with the rest of your woking life.

Jobseekers who have not maintained steady employment should pause to think about why. It may be that the types of jobs a person has held have not been well suited to him or her. This is one reason that employment counselors stress the importance of jobseekers exploring what they want to do as a step toward finding a job for the long term.

Jobseekers need self-knowledge so that they can be advocates for themselves. Most employers are reluctant to hire and train someone who will not stay in the position very long. Being able to explain job hopping or gaps in employment, and providing assurance that the pattern is not likely to continue, improves the chances of getting and keeping a job.

Additionally, jobseekers can avoid having to reveal the full extent of an intermittent employment past. Counselors note that there are a lot of different ways to write a resume, so jobseekers need to create one that makes the most of their skills without emphasizing their employment history -- using a functional rather than a chronological format, perhaps, or providing only years of employment instead of including months and days. After all, a person does not have to account for every minute of his or her time.

Whatever the case, you don't need to give up on getting a new job or career as an older worker re-entering the workforce. Older workers have a lot to offer in the way of skills and experience, and they're often more reliable than their younger counterparts. So keep your chin up, stress the positives, and go out there and find that job or career that you've always wanted, before it's too late.

Older Workers Turning To Outdoor And Nature Careers

Mon, 7 Apr 2008 10:54:47 -0600

Some older workers who are looking to change careers are returning to nature as a new career path. After all, many young people dream of working in the outdoors, but end up spending most of their adult lives sitting behind a desk in an office cubicle.

So when they reach middle age, and decide to strike out on a new career path, one of the first things they look for is a job that will get them outside and back to nature.

A great place to start is the US Fish and Wildlife service. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plays a pivotal role in safeguarding some of this nation's rich natural resources. It's a challenge that's challenge that is growing more complex every year, and skilled workers are in great demand to help meet that complex challenge.

To accomplish its mission, the US Fish and Wildlife Service employs many of the country's best biologists, wildlife managers, engineers, realty specialists, educators, law enforcement agents, and others who work to save endangered and threatened species; conserve migratory birds and inland fisheries; restore habitats; provide expert conservation advice to other federal agencies, industry, private citizens, and foreign governments; and manage millions of acres of wildlife lands.

So if you're a Baby Boomer or other older worker looking for a challenging and exciting new career path, you might just want to look for an outdoor career as a way of re-discovering the passion you had as a youth. And you might just help bring an endangered species back to prosperity in the process.

Changing Careers After Age 50 Can Be A Life Altering Experience

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 13:37:39 -0600

So you're over 50 and you've decided to change careers. Or maybe that decision was made for you, in the form of a layoff, downsizing purge or other unfortunate event outside of your control. Whatever the case, you find yourself at a crossroads, with a lot of decisions (and maybe a little fear and anxiety) waiting for you at every turn.

And believe me, making such a major life change at an age when your parents were more than likely cruising into retirement can be more than a little uncomfortable. Switching careers in mid-life brings up a lot of issues for most people, but it can also be a great opportunity if you choose to take advantage of it.

I found myself in this very position a few years ago when the career field I'd worked in since my early twenties suddenly vanished into thin air. I should have seen it coming, of course -- the signals had been there for years -- but I suppose I was in denial. I mean I'd heard of other jobs and careers being made obsolescent by the forward march of new technologies, but I never thought it would happen to me.

Well, one day it did.

As shock turned into terror at the specter of being a 48-year-old man with an outdated skill set and a big mortgage, I found myself brainstorming for a way out. I was too old to go back to college and get a new degree (or so I thought), and most of the jobs in the newspaper career section were for low-paying retail or sales positions.

But then one day I woke up and realized that what I was thinking of as a disaster was actually an opportunity. I had been bored, frustrated and disillusioned with my old career for years, but had been too lazy (and afraid of the unknown) to do anything about it. And so I had done nothing for years, sort of like being stuck in a bad marriage but not wanting the uncertainty and anxiety of being single again.

Until one day the issue had finally been forced upon me. And once I started looking upon it as an opportunity, my whole outlook on life changed. Here was the chance to finally pursue the career and work I was born to do. Here was the chance to do something meaningful with my life, something rewarding and maybe even more profitable as well.

And so I started my own business (one of several I now own) and I've never looked back since. So if you find yourself contemplating a mid-life career change, know that it's okay to be a little scared. But also know that this just might be the opportunity you've been waiting for your whole life.

How To Make A Successful Midlife Career Change

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 09:54:11 -0600

How to Make a Successful Midlife Career Change

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit
Are you over the age of 50 and looking at changing careers? If so, you’re not alone. Many thousands of midlife workers are changing jobs and careers, sometimes by choice, sometimes out of necessity. Some people have been laid off or downsized out of their current position. Others are simply tired of their current job or career and they’re looking for a fresh start while they’re still young enough to make a major life change.

Steps

Without a doubt, making a career change later in life does involve some unique challenges, but the opportunity to do the type of work you’ve always dreamed of doing can be well worth the effort. The chance to do the work you love can change your life in many ways, from helping you feel younger to giving you the job satisfaction and fulfillment that many workers never experience. Just be aware of the obstacles you might face, and prepare for them in advance.
First you need to develop a master plan, a blueprint for getting to where you want to go. Many older workers become overwhelmed at the thought of starting a whole new career in mid-life, but the process becomes must less intimidating if you break it down into smaller steps. You could start by taking a night class at your local community college, or reading a book or guide regarding your prospective new career.
If you’re a worker over 50, and on the job market, one of the things you want to do is leverage your experience. This can be one of your major advantages, and experience is one thing that can’t be bought or learned out of a college textbook. Some workers are afraid to put everything on their resume for fear of appearing too old, or “over the hill” in the eyes of an employer.
Use your resume to your advantage. If you have college degrees, list them, but don’t give the date when they were awarded. You only need to go back 15 or 20 years when listing past jobs, and it’s best to only include experience that pertains to the job you’re seeking.
Another tip is to seek out openings at smaller companies. Smaller firms can be more flexible in their hiring guidelines, and tend to be more open to hiring older workers. Your skills and experience may be more valuable here than in a larger corporation.
Always be upbeat and positive during a job interview. When the opportunity arises, point out your experience and positive attributes. Be sure to tell the interviewer about your past accomplishments. Project an air of energy and youthfulness, and make it clear that you intend to work for the company for a long time.
Take action on your plan every day. No one is going to make your career change happen for you. Take action every day toward your goals, no matter how small. You'll probably find that once you get the ball rolling, the process begins to gain momentum and taking action will become a comfortable habit rather than something to be avoided.
And lastly, don’t give up, or become discouraged as and older worker seeking a new job or career. It may take a little longer, but the opportunities are out there. Just be patient, have a solid game plan, and seek out the employers that put a high value on your valuable wisdom and experience

Sources and Citations

Visit http://www.success-after-50.com for more information on midlife career change and other career topics.

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Make a Successful Midlife Career Change. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Many People Over 50 Are Finding Success By Starting Their Own Business

Sat, 8 Mar 2008 08:00:26 -0600

Many people over the age of 50 are starting their own businesses as a way of finding the success that may have eluded them as employees. Having done the same thing myself several years ago, I can relate to the frustration and disappointment many workers feel as they seem to work longer hours for fewer rewards, while their employers reap all of the fruits of their labor.

Starting my own business was the best thing I've ever done for myself, and I've spoken to many other small business owners who feel the same way. When you own the business, you may work a lot of hours, but you reap the rewards of your own success. You call the shots, take the risks, and get all of the satisfaction of knowing that you've built something from scratch, something you can sell or leave behind to your kids or grandkids. And if there's a little extra money left over at the end of the day, guess who gets to put it in their pocket?

Another thing I love about owning and operating my own business is the freedom it gives me. If I want to take an afternoon off, I don't have to arrange it with anyone but myself. Most people I know over age 50 want more freedom and flexibility in their schedules. The kids are grown and out of the house, and they want to be able to take off on vacation or just a relaxing weekend when the mood hits them. And owning your own business usually -- not always, depending on your situation -- but usually allows the business owner a lot more latitude in terms of work schedule and time off.

One advantage people over age 50 have is their knowledge and experience. Many folks who go into business choose a field that they're already experienced in. Who hasn't worked for someone else and though to themselves "I could do this or that better if I had the chance," or "If this was my business, I'd do things a lot different." Owning your own business gives you a chance to take all of that hard won knowledge and experience and put it to work for you, instead of someone else.

All of the benefits aside, don't kid yourself that starting your own business from scratch is going to be easy. There's plenty of hard work to be done, money to be invested, and more than a few bumps in the road. And there's certainly no guarantee of success, or even that you'll still be in business after two or three years.

But you can move the odds in your favor by doing careful research and planning before you jump into a business venture, or buy an existing business. "Fail to plan and plan to fail," as the old saying goes, and nowhere is that more true than in the world of small business. So make sure you do your homework before reaching for your checkbook or signing a lease.

First off, write out a detailed business plan, and don't leave anything to chance. Try to anticipate everything that can go wrong in the first two years, and how you would handle the situation if things did go that way. Figure out how much money you'll need to have in order to meet expenses during the first year - after all, many new business don't start turning a profit until after the first or second year. The last thing you want to have to do is burrow money from your credit cards just to pay expenses while you're new business venture is in its critical embryonic stage.

And lastly, be sure to discuss these and other issues with your spouse before launching into a new business venture. You're going to need the full support of your family in order to succeed -- both emotionally and financially -- and there's nothing worse than struggling to get a new business off the ground while having stress in your family at the same time. Make sure everyone's on board with your new business and things will go a lot more smoothly.

So there you have it. If you're over 50 and you've been dreaming of starting your own business, this might be the time. One study suggests that more than half of Americans are currently working from home, and thousands more take the leap every day. Why not be one of them, and start living the life you've always dreamed of instead of working another day at a job or career that leaves you miserable at the end of the day?

Don't Want To Work After Age 50? Consider Volunteering!

Wed, 5 Mar 2008 10:01:02 -0600

Some people have no desire to work after age 50. They have have worked all of their adult lives in jobs or careers that they ultimately found unfulfilling. But they don't exactly want to retire, either, or put in all the time and effort required to lanch a new business venture.

But there is an alternative. Consider volunteering your time to a worthy cause that motivates and excites you. More and more people these days are finding that fulfillment in life for them means giving back in some way. Helping out people in need, or teaching children, or getting involved in a political campaign.

There are few things in life more rewarding than volunteering your time and seeing the look on people's faces when you help them out of a difficult situation - or inspire them to better themselves and achieve more in their own lives.

Here are a few great reasons to become a volunteer:

Help others
Make a difference
Find purpose
Feel involved
Contribute to a cause that you care about
Develop new skills
Meet new people, make new friends
Explore new areas of interest
Expand your horizons
Use your job skills in a productive way
Connect with your community
Get out of the house
Strengthen your resume

Visit our volunteering page for more information on this topic.

Avoid Work At Home Scams By Doing Your Homework

Tue, 4 Mar 2008 18:33:42 -0600

Okay, I'll admit that's probably a bad pun. But the point is that there are legitimate work from home opportunities, and, unfortunately, there are some that are simply a ripoff.

One problem with work at home scams is that they often sound really good. You'll make boatloads of money really fast, without having to do any work, or sell anything, or, well, you get the idea....

These are actually just get rich quick schemes disguised as work from home opportunities, and the only ones getting rich are the people selling the "opportunity." And some of these people are really good at preying on seniors and other people desperate to suppliment their fixed income. As the old saying goes: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Be very wary of any "opportunity" that requires you to pay an up-front fee to get started. Never send money to a company claiming to put you to work from your home. Any legitimate employer isn't going to charge money just to hire you or to get you started. Don't send money for work at home directories or start-up kits.

If you have doubts about a prospective employer or work from home opportunity, ask to see their references. Request to see a list of other employees or contractors that have done work for the company in the past, then contact those people and ask them to share their experiences with the company. Always avoid any company that's unwilling to provide these type of references.

Never give out your personal information in an email. This is known as a philshing scam, and many of these emails are made to look very legitimate. Delete any email that's not addressed to you personally, and that has links in it asking you to sign into another website, or give out your bank account information, passwords, social security number, or other personal information.

Work at home opportunites to watch out for

Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) opportunities. Almost everyone knows someone who's been a distributor of an MLM company. The entire basis for these distributorships is to sign up more people to become distributors below you, in a sort of pyramid scheme. The problem is that the only people making real money are the people at the top of the pyramid, which isn't going to be you, sad to say.

Assembly Jobs - you're probably not going to make lots of money assembling electronic or craft kits or any other type of kits. You can waste money on a package to get you started though.

Online Businesses - Do you want to start your own online business and get rich? Be very wary of these type of ads too. While there are many legitimate online home businesses, avoid opportunities where you have pay for some sort of a guide to working at home, information you could probably find online yourself for free.

Filling out surveys. There are lots of ads saying you can make money or win prizes for filling out online surveys. I tried it, and if you can make money doing this, you're a lot more talented than I am.

Processing Claims online - In order to get "hired" you'll need to buy equipment, software and pay for training.

Stuffing Envelopes - this is a classic scam. The pitch is that you can earn $3 or $4 per envelope to stuff them. You can't. All major companies have postage machines which stuff, sort and meter mail. Keep your wallet in your pocket.

Retired And Need Extra Income? Start A Home Business!

Mon, 3 Mar 2008 09:32:42 -0600

If you're retired, or just an older worker who's fed up with your current job or career, you might consider starting your own home business. A business out of your home can provide extra spending cash or finances for living expenses. This is a great time for seniors - or people of any age for that matter - to start a business out of your home.

One obvious place to start it the Internet. Selling a product or service from home, over the Internet, is one of the fastest growning home business models of the Twenty-First Century. One huge advantage of the Internet is the ability to attract customers from all over the world, not just in your local area as in a traditional home business. Almost everyone has bought or sold some something on Ebay or one of the other large auction websites, and thousands have turned Ebay into a full time business. All you need is a source of products, a digital camera, a computer with DSL Intenet access, and a desire to make money from home to get started.

Another advantage of an online small business is its flexibility. With the Internet, you can set your own schedule and work your own hours. You're not tied to working regular business hours, which can be a great advantage for retirees or anyone else who seeks flexibility in their schedule. You can work on your business in the morning, go fishing in the afternoon, and work some more in the evening if you like. Or even take several weeks off and go on a vacation without worrying that your customers will go somewhere else while you're gone.

If you're not interested in selling physical products online, you can also offer a service over the Internet. Large self-employment websites like Elance.com allow people to bid on projects like writing or web design, and then deliver the work via Fax or email, without ever meeting the client in person. Once you build a reputation for quality work, and a reliable client base, you'll probably get as many offers as you can handle in a very short time.

Another option is to offer products or services to other seniors. Because of your own experiences, you are more likely to know what other seniors might need or want. Products for retired and senior citizens you might consider selling include knowledge (articles and books), items relating to travel, entertainment, health, lifestyle, nutrition, and family. An Internet business could also provide any services that could be delivered or arranged electronically and would fulfill the needs and desires of seniors or retirees.

See our retirement success page for more information on this topic.

Retired? Don't stop thinking, producing, and learning

Sun, 2 Mar 2008 20:58:43 -0600

We sometimes get emails from retirees who say they're downright bored with life these days. They spent much of their adult lives looking forward to retirement, but now that its arrived, they're finding that it's not what they expected.

Other retirees are feeling the pinch financially, especially with todays inflation and the ever increasing cost of gasoline and groceries.

But retirement doesn't have to mean penny pinching and boredom. If you have good ideas, and you're willing to work hard (and smart) you can add some zest to your life and a few extra dollars in your wallet.

One idea is to start your own business. Many people think that just because they've reached a certain age, there's no way they could ever go into business for themselves. But that's simply not true. In fact thousands of people over age 50 have launched successful businesses of all types, from pet sitting to floral shops to selling goods through Ebay or one of the other auction websites. In fact many older entrepreneurs find that the hard-won knowledge and experience that they bring to the table actually gives them an edge over their younger competition.

If you don't itch to start your own business, then take a class, or volunteer your time to a needy cause. Get involved. Get out of the house and meet new people. You'll be surprised at how quickly boredom will disappear as you become engaged with something larger than yourself. I know a 63-year-old woman who decided to take skydiving classes last year, and she's now having the time of her life doing something she always wanted to try, but never had the time (or courage).

Another idea is to get involved in the political process. This has been a fascinating election year so far, with hundreds of thousands of people getting involved and volunteering for the first time in their lives. Call your local political party of choice and see what you can do to lend a helping hand. Offer to work the phones, or hand out fliers, or put out signs on street corners. It's a great way to get engaged and meet new people who share the same political beliefs as yourself.

The point is just get out and do something. It might be a little uncomfortable at first, but in the end I think you'll be more than glad you did.
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