Unretirement Project

Retirement Redefined

Thanks for Unretiring with Us!

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You’ve probably suspected this for a while, but we’re making it official today. We’ve decided to sunset Unretirement Project. 

Thanks so much for sharing this space with us. We’ve loved every minute of it. And maybe at some point, we’ll start it again. For now, we’re going to focus our efforts on other things.

After all, isn’t that what unretirement is all about?

Over the past couple of years, we’ve learned that the old notion of just not going to work anymore is exactly that – an old notion. Tom Brady “retired” for a few weeks. Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz has joined the ranks of the unretired. The point is there’s no single prescription for retirement. You make your own rules. And when you want to change them…do it. 

At some point, we’ll stop sharing things via social media and maybe even take this site down. Honestly, we haven’t figured it all out yet. We do want to thank you for supporting us. Take care and stay well. 

3 Qualities Older Workers Need to Get and Keep a Job Today

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wall sign how does job success start

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

I ran across a study conducted last year focused on “Meeting the World’s Midcareer Moment”. As a human resources professional, I found it interesting to read about how individuals in the 45+ age category make up the largest share of long-term unemployed. Not just in the United States, but worldwide. And this isn’t just a pandemic thing, it’s been going on for years. 

What fascinated me most about the study was the question about hiring manager concerns. It identified three top concerns that organizations have when considering older workers for a job.

Technology was tops on the list. This shouldn’t be a surprise. There is an ongoing perception that older individuals either cannot or will not embrace new technologies. Individuals hoping to get a job in today’s high tech business world are going to have to think about this. You don’t have to own the latest technologies, but individuals do need to read about new tech and possibly try some of it out when given the opportunity.  

Learning was second on the list. There’s an old saying that “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”. Well, organizations want to know that older workers can and want to learn new stuff. And I believe that the second part of that sentence is just as important as the first. It’s one thing to show a company that you can learn new skills for a job, but it’s another thing to show the organization that you’re curious and excited about learning new things. 

Relationships was the last item mentioned. Remember that phrase “OK, Boomer.”? It’s a catchphrase used by younger people to dismiss older people and their attitudes/behaviors that are stuck in the past. Well, organizations want to know that older workers can build positive working relationships with their younger coworkers. No one is saying that you must pretend that you’re 20 again – thank goodness! But we do need to be relevant.

Honestly, I must admit none of these concerns (technology, learning, and relationships) were a surprise to me. The survey confirmed what I’ve been hearing anecdotally. It does mean that older workers need to spend some dedicated time thinking about how they want to address these areas when on a job search. Here are a few things to consider:

  • Get a mentor or develop a personal board of advisors. Make sure the group is diverse. Maybe include younger people to gain new perspective. Be prepared to listen and take their comments constructively. 
  • Take a massive open online course (MOOC). These are university courses that are typically free. Coursera and edX are two top providers. One of the most popular ones is called “The Science of Well-Being” from Yale University.
  • Find a way to learn a new technology. You can take a course. Start playing some computer games. One of my favorite things to do is take photos and edit them with my smartphone camera. Just carve out some time to use tech more. 

Whether your unretirement includes working at an organization, self-employment, or volunteering, you will want to feel like you’re contributing to your job and employer. The way to do that is by having a skill set that’s current and relevant. Just because we’ve done a lot in our career doesn’t mean we’re done adding to our experiences. 

Ageism and Your Job Search: How Older Workers Can Position Their Resume

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sign replace fear of the unknown with curiosity to fight ageism

I recently saw a discussion on LinkedIn about older workers, job search, and ageism. Sadly, I wish I could say that ageism doesn’t exist. I believe it does. But as I’ve said before, I also think there are times when we might not be doing ourselves any favors and, as a result we may be contributing to our own ageism. 

Back to the discussion on LinkedIn. A colleague of mine, Lisa Rangel, weighed in on this conversation with a similar comment about contributing to your own ageism and that the key was making sure your resume was positioned for success. So, I asked Lisa if she would be willing to share her expertise here and thankfully, she said yes.

Lisa Rangel is an expert resume writer and job landing consultant with Chameleon Resumes in New York City. In her role, she works with clients to help them successfully navigate the job search process. She’s been featured in CNBC, TIME, Forbes, and Fox News talking about how to position your resume for success and get hired. 

Lisa, thanks so much for being here. In terms of the hiring process, can you give us an example where a candidate might be contributing to their own ageism?

Lisa Rangel job consultant headshot

[Rangel] Where candidates may be contributing to their own ageism is labeling behaviors as ageism that are better categorized as ‘outdated’. This is important to distinguish since we can’t change how old we are, but we can change an outdated behavior. 

For example, some senior-level candidates don’t have a LinkedIn profile, or if they do, they don’t put value in keeping it updated or using the platform. This is a mistake. Companies will look up a candidate on LinkedIn after seeing their resume. If the profile doesn’t exist or isn’t updated, it sends a subliminal message to the hiring manager that the candidate is not up to date on personal marketing practices. So what else may they not be updated on? 

Additionally, if the role being pursued involves attracting top talent, or developing sales, or courting suppliers, and one’s LinkedIn profile or network isn’t current, the prospective employer can doubt how effective that candidate will be in their job if they are still doing their work in a traditional manner only. The prospective employer may also be concerned how this job seeker will gain credibility with their new team if their personal marketing is outdated. 

In addition to LinkedIn, another place that a candidate might contribute to their own ageism is in their resume. For example, AARP has said that individuals should consider only sharing the last 15 years of work experience on their resume. Are there any tips that you would give someone who has a lot of work experience and is trying to update their resume?

[Rangel] One main way to reduce or eliminate ageism from a resume is to focus on recent, relevant achievements only. Do not emphasize seniority. Don’t start your resume (or LinkedIn profile) with something like ‘senior professional with over 30 years of experience’. That’s called leading with the chin. You can’t lead with age and then be upset if a hiring manager (wrongly) factors in the age that you led with in your documents. Remember your age or seniority doesn’t qualify you for a job—your recent, relevant achievements and skills do, so focus on leading with those points. 

Technology is regularly mentioned in the same sentence as ageism, as in “older people don’t know how to use it well.” If you could offer one suggestion to older candidates when it comes to tech and their job search, what would it be?

[Rangel] Whatever technology you need that you are most afraid of learning, jump on a class or hire someone to help you learn it (or both!). Don’t hide behind the fear or discomfort—face it head on and commit to learning it! This is unfair, but it’s true: there is a stereotype that older employees aren’t tech savvy. And while some of us in the senior demographic may embody this stereotype, not all of us do. 

No matter what, the key is to do all you can to buck the stereotypical assumption and educate yourself on what you need to stay relevant. 

During the pandemic, many people have decided to retire early. Honestly, I could see them trying to “unretire” at some point. Is there a way to position unretirement without getting too deep into the age conversation?

[Rangel] I agree that many who retired during the pandemic could start to resurface to re-enter the workforce in the next couple of years. I would suggest focusing on the ‘gap’ the way one would focus on other types of gaps: what did you do during the gap? (i.e., education, hobbies, personal projects, part-time work, volunteer experiences, etc.). Employers are looking for intrinsically motivated people so demonstrate how you did this in your activities during the retirement gap.  

Last question. I’m a big fan of utilizing the services of career coaches and resume writing professionals. How can someone who provides these services help an older candidate right now?

[Rangel] Resume writers and career coaches can help the senior job seeker focus on their recent, relevant achievements and promote themselves in this direct, factual manner. Many senior-level job seekers have been brought up to promote loyalty and seniority, as we are a product of our parents from The Greatest Generation who valued these traits. 

The problem is these traits aren’t valued as much by today’s hiring manager as much as nimble accomplishment and effective pivoting in chaos are valued. So, the writer/coach can help the senior level job seeker reposition their incredible backgrounds in the way hiring managers evaluate candidate backgrounds’ today, so the interviews start rolling in again. 

I want to extend a huge thanks to Lisa for sharing her knowledge with us. If you want to learn more from Lisa – and I know you do – check out her websites Chameleon Resumes and the Job Landing Academy. 

Lisa made a valuable point at the beginning of our conversation together about “ageism” versus “outdated”. No one is saying that we have to act like we’re in our 20s again. But we do need to show that we are able to be successful in today’s modern business world. If you are actively looking for a new job or just considering getting back into the workforce, think about how you would do that and if there are any gaps you need to address.

Have Open Talks About Retirement Planning

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airport wall sign it only gets easier from here when retirement planning

I love reading the news. As I get older, I’m coming to appreciate well curated sources for news. One of them is Morning Brew. It’s a FREE daily news recap written in a very casual conversational tone.

Well, the Morning Brew team have launched a twice-weekly newsletter focused on money matters called “Money Scoop”. It’s a nice blend of proven money strategies and new money trends (like cryptocurrency). One of their recent articles caught my eye, “3 Questions to Ask Your Parents Before Retirement”. The article was focused on the conversation that younger people should have with their parents to make sure their parents are prepared for retirement.

As I was reading the article, I was reminded that conversations go both ways. So yes, if you’re a younger person worried about how your parents are preparing for retirement, then by all means – ask them. But if you’re an older person preparing for retirement, have you started sharing information with your loved ones?

We’ve talked before about estate planning and making sure that loved ones know your final wishes, but I think this is something different. Do you have enough money to sustain your retirement?

If the answer is YES, then great! That’s quite the achievement. Saving for retirement isn’t easy.

It does raise the question about how much you expect to pass on in terms of inheritance. And do your loved ones know? I mean, are they expecting an inheritance? I know individuals who will need an inheritance to buy their own home. If they don’t get it…well, they will be surprised. And possibly upset. Does it make some sense to have conversations about what you expect to pass on to heirs?

If the answer to the “have enough money” question is NO, well…then do you need to talk with loved ones about how you’re going to manage?

This is nothing to be ashamed of – not having enough money to retire. According to Synchrony Bank, the average American in their 60s should have 8-10 times their annual salary in retirement savings. That’s a lot! There are many reasons that individuals do not reach that goal including housing expenses, health care expenses, and education expenses. But it doesn’t change the fact that a person might need help. Waiting until the last minute to ask for money or resources isn’t helpful to anyone. Start thinking about how you’re going to approach that conversation.

Regardless of the answer to the retirement planning question, I realize this is a difficult conversation. It’s possible we don’t have all the answers. On some level, retirement is an unknown for many of us. We might not have the answers for a long time.

But talking with loved ones about our plans could help to put our minds at ease. The people around us know we’re okay. They know we’re thinking about our plans and taking all the right steps. And if we need help or guidance, that we’re comfortable asking for it. Better to start those conversations now.   

Bookmark This! The Estate Planning Edition

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let's disrupt aging sign

I know that all of these “special days” and “special months” might seem a bit excessive, but in some cases, I believe they might be helpful. For example, October is estate planning month. Let’s face it, we probably don’t want to talk about estate planning. So maybe having an estate planning month kinda reminds us that it’s important and we need to work on it.

Regular readers of Unretirement Project know that Keith and I have been writing about this topic for a while. We’ve been working on our estate plans on and off for a couple of years. Yes, that’s not a typo. Estate planning can be complicated. One document might not cover everything. So, if you’re looking for some resources to start your estate planning process, here are a few articles to get you started:

Loved Ones Must Know Your Health Care Wishes

It might take some time to figure out how you would like your health care treatment handled and who you would like to be your spokesperson. And then of course, there’s the decision of backups in case your first choice isn’t willing or able to take on this responsibility. The point being, the process of putting these plans in place takes time. The ideal time to do all of this is when you’re not under the pressure of having to do it.

Make a FINAL File for Your Loved Ones

Talking about illness and death isn’t fun. None of us want to do it. I remember every time we visited my father-in-law, he would at some point have the “When I die…” conversation. On one hand, you dread it. That’s not why you came to visit. It’s to enjoy his company. But when his health did start failing, we were prepared. And it allowed us to focus on making his final days comfortable versus worrying about papers, insurance, etc.

AARP Personal Estate Planning Course

The AARP Foundation offers a personal estate planning lesson book and record book for download. The documents might be a good way to start conversations like “Who should be my executor?” and “Do I need a trust?” The recordkeeping guide is just that – a place to record information in case someone needs it and you’re not in a position to tell them.

Estate Planning: 3 Important Takeaways

We found out quickly that you should have a Plan A, Plan B, and at least a Plan C when it comes to estate planning. It turns out that different states have different laws regarding things like taxes and executors. And if your will doesn’t follow the laws for your state, chances are the estate will be disposed by probate court. That could mean additional costly headaches for heirs and family.

Estate Planning: Remember Your Digital Life

Most of us can readily think of bank accounts, investments, and insurance when estate planning. But we tend to overlook who should be responsible for our digital streaming accounts when we can no longer Netflix and chill. Take a moment to think of the things you send to cloud storage, and you will see why planning for your digital estate is just as important as who gets your home or car when you’re gone.

Estate planning isn’t the sexiest activity, but it’s a necessary one. We want others to know our final wishes and we want them to respect them. The best time to put these plans in place is when you have the time and the budget to do it.

You Can Always Unretire

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airport sign change is in the air to show you can unretire

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

I saw an article on NPR titled “These Older Workers Hadn’t Planned to Retire So Soon. The Pandemic Sped Things Up.” It’s a good read about the question that some individuals faced during the pandemic – is it time for me to retire?

My takeaway from the article was that there are many factors that go into the retirement decision. It could be our health. Maybe money. Or it’s possible we’re just tired. And all those reasons are fine. But just because we made the decision to retire, doesn’t mean we can’t ever unretire. Athletes do it all the time. In fact, that’s where the name of this blog comes from. We don’t have to officially retire unless we want to.

While being retired right now could be perfect, a moment could arise when you might want to think about unretiring.

Your old boss might ask you to come back. It’s no secret that organizations are having recruitment challenges. A common strategy to finding candidates is to start calling former employees to see if they’d like to return. Keep in mind that the opportunity might not be at your same job with the same pay and benefits. And on some level that could be perfect.

Oh, and if the boss doesn’t call, no worries. You can apply if you’d like to be reconsidered. Of course, the organization will check your personnel file to see if you’re eligible for rehire. But there’s nothing wrong with expressing an interest to return. If your old company isn’t hiring, you can look at other organizations. Bottom line – there’s nothing wrong with going back to work.

Maybe you’d like to turn a hobby into a side hustle. There are very talented people who bake cakes, make jewelry, clean driveways, etc. They don’t want to go back to a “regular” job. They’re happy doing their hobby. But maybe it’s crossed their mind that it would be nice to make a little money on the side. Possibly just enough to cover their expenses.

If you’re planning to start a side hustle, make sure that you’re set up to run a business and accept payments. The last thing you want is for your hobby to turn into a hinderance. The good news is there are often local resources or online resources that can assist at little or no cost.

A volunteer gig turns into part-time work. We’ve talked before about how volunteerism can be a great way to give back during retirement. Well, not-for-profit entities need employees too. The organization already sees the great work you’re doing as a volunteer, and they might ask you to consider full- or part-time employment.

This could be wonderful way to combine your passion with getting paid. But I can also see the opposite happening. Some people might find getting paid for something they did previously as a volunteer to be less fulfilling. Ultimately, you know you and will have to make that decision.

As a human resources professional, I am wondering how many people who retired over the past year or so will entertain the idea of returning to the working world. And what that “work” will look like. The important thing to remember is that unretiring is perfectly acceptable. Make it what you want it to be.

Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby while exploring the streets of New York, NY

Unretirement Is About Change

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wall art flowers and box with saying creativity is contagious like change

I came across an article on Fast Company titled “5 Steps to Finally Making Changes in Your Life”. It’s a good read worth checking out. And it’s good timing to think about change.

During the pandemic, an increasing number of Americans have retired or started thinking about an earlier retirement. Many people are looking for a new opportunity, possibly toward an encore career. All these decisions can make sense depending on your personal situation. The thing they all have in common is change.  

Back to the Fast Company article, one of the steps that I found interesting was “choose an enjoyable path rather than a highly effective one”. It reminded me of that old saying “the journey is the destination”. When we’re thinking about changes, especially big changes, it’s a good reminder to choose an enjoyable journey. But what does enjoyable mean? I think that’s the part that will take some reflection.

TIME means different things to all of us. When we’re talking about change, is it better to take a long journey with small adjustments along the way or a short one with a big change? Does it depend on what the change is? Maybe a move to an encore career can happen quickly but the journey to full-time retirement could be slower.

FINANCES are something that we must deal with all the time. If we’re talking about change, we must ask ourselves if we can afford the change we’re thinking about. It’s possible the answer is “yes” but only if we make some modifications to our lifestyle. That means we have change on top of change. Are you ready for it? Maybe making some money decisions will change the time component.

PLACE is another area that means different things to each of us. In this case, I’m talking about location. Are you where you want to be when you make this change? Or do you need to move to start the change? During the pandemic, I’ve seen many people evaluate their living situation and decide that change is necessary. Moving is expensive, so making a long-term commitment to a place could be important.

PARTNERS are the people who will be taking this journey with you. They could be family or friends. If we’re ready to make a big decision, are they ready to join us? Will they be supportive? Is it going to be enjoyable for them? Keith and I often talk about what our life will look like if one of us decided to retire and the other person didn’t. Those conversations need to happen, or the enjoyable part of the journey might not.

RESULTS should be flexible. I’m a big fan of Lewin’s change model which is basically three steps:

  1. Unfreeze, which is recognizing the need for change.
  2. Change, meaning develop a new habit/routine/etc.
  3. Refreeze, which is settling into the new normal.

One of the things that I like about the model is the implication that there’s always something unfreezing. While I believe it’s important to make good goals and work toward accomplishing them, it’s okay to change your mind. If you decide to retire and then decide to unretire, that’s totally cool.

Anytime we’re thinking about change, it makes sense to ask the question “How can I make this change an enjoyable one?” Honestly, that doesn’t mean that everything will go perfect. There could be some unexpected bumps along the way. But if we plan for an enjoyable journey, it’s very likely that we will have more things go right than wrong.

P.S. Speaking of change, regular readers of Unretirement Project have probably noticed that we’re publishing articles less frequently. All is good. We’re healthy. The reason for our irregular schedule is because I’m writing a book. Actually, the better way of putting it is that “we’re” writing a book because it ends up becoming a family event. Ha.Ha. Anyway, I’m super excited about it and promise to share more details later. But taking on the commitment to write a book, means that we need to shift other priorities. So please stick around and enjoy the articles…just a little less frequently for now.