In today’s economy, it is typical for a person that is close to retirement to go back to work for financial reasons. This is beneficial for the workforce because organizations can expect a high level of experience with fewer mistakes made by seasoned working professionals. Comes without saying, right? The downside however can be that young adults often feel disregarded for work advancement because an older counterpart has worked over a decade at a company.
At times, seasoned workers experience differences in communication with young adults because of the drastic difference today. An older workmate may not understand a conversation about entertainment, politics or issues that new graduates face at work.
The next time you receive an invitation for a job interview at a company where most employees are under the age of 35, you can use these tips to help your career:
1. Enhance Your Resume
The most common resume examples is a useful template to improve responsibilities in a job description. It will outline your profession with examples of how to write a resume and is tailored to a specific industry.
If you have been out of the workforce for the past 5 – 10 years, a human resource management can potentially reject an article that appears outdated. In the time you were out of work, volunteer experience, a small business, invention or scientific experiments can be included to reflect current professional skills.
2. Pay Attention to Pop Culture Trends
A more experienced manager that can discuss entertainment and sports trends with young employees can help build rapport with a team. The idea is to be yourself because people can tell when a person is not their true self. If you feel that you do not connect on a personal level with people outside of your age group, start a conversation about their hobbies. Ask colleagues about their upcoming plans for the weekend or invite the team to go out for lunch to learn about their interests. The key to success in the workplace is building relationships that can improve.
3. Volunteer to as a Mentor
An act of kindness by helping a new employee that recently graduated from University can project a character of leadership. If you notice an inexperienced worker is struggling with a complex project, offer advice with clear examples on how to efficiently complete the job.
If your company has an employee engagement program with volunteers to help mentor people that need career development, use your strengths to help improve the weaknesses of deserving colleagues. The management team will appreciate the fact you have an interest in developing the skills of people in the organization.
4. Update Your Work Knowledge
The expense of secondary education at a University to learn new skills is not feasible for most people. However, the internet has a variety of online courses at a low cost in the format of a video session for continuous learning.
Most online courses can be completed at convenient times in the evening after work ends. The classes are relevant to an industry with homework assignments assigned to students for completion.
5. Work-Life Balance
If you are not a workaholic at heart, an employer needs to understand that working overtime or on the weekend is not an option. You might have a family to take care of our other responsibilities that need to be met. The idea of working harder than expected to receive recognition often ends with no recognition.
In the event your manager expects you to work more extended hours, don’t be shy to ask for flexible working. Flexible working is a beneficial opportunity to work from home during business hours. Studies show that employees that work at home are more productive than working in the office.
6. Embrace Change
New changes in the workplace can include wearing casual clothing, a gym on the first floor of an office building, or a game room to help employees to release stress. The stringent rules that were existent at work a decade ago have turned some organizations into a place that embraces comfort and creative ideas. At some organizations, the CEO of a company can walk into work every day with a pair of trainers. If you don’t agree with it, it is best to hold on to your opinion to refrain from offending people. The best decision is to embrace change and discover how it can benefit your career.
7. Start a Blog
You might be back in the workforce for a list of reasons that are personal, but documenting your understanding of an industry can result in new work opportunities. For example, if you worked in the legal industry for over a decade, starting a blog by commenting on trending news topics can start a discussion with professionals. Blogging is an efficient way to network with influencers online. It is common today for a subject matter expert to start a blog and be contacted by recruiters for a job interview. Now is the time to use your skills to inspire people in the community.
8. Humour is Essential
You are a hard-working professional and management recognizes your unique skillsets. A universal truth at work is people feel comfortable being around colleagues that can untighten their tie and laugh. It means going out for drinks with colleagues after work. Starting light conversations about controversial topics in the news. As you learn more about the company culture, network with people that are sync with your personality.
9. Say No When Necessary
A successful worker understands the value of accepting challenging responsibilities or declining those that conflict with their ethical views. If you in an organization completing manual labor, it is best to reject an assignment that is unsafe than to accept and potentially cause a workplace injury. The truth is, a burnout employee cannot be productive or produce quality results at work.
10. Resign at the Right Time
Why are you planning to go back to work? If it is to pay off debt or to stay at home is mundane, the moment you realize it is time to retire, be honest with your inner voice. It will be a disadvantage to continue to work out of guilt that your manager will have to find a new employee after you leave. When it is time for you to sit back, relax and watch your grandchildren grow, resigning from a position will give a new employee a chance to develop in the organization.
