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8 Things Your Boss Wants Older Workers to Do
Take these steps to stay competitive later in your career
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Whether looking for a new job or wondering about security in their current position, many older workers are concerned about whether age is a disadvantage and what they can do to stay more competitive.
The good news is that in recent years more employers are recognizing what older workers have to offer. According to a Transamerica Institute survey of 1,876 employers, more businesses are interested in hiring people 50 and older. The survey found that 61 percent of employers gave older applicants either “a great deal” or “quite a bit” of consideration in their recruiting efforts. The survey also found that 54 percent of employers said they emphasize professional development for their workers of all ages.
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While still far from 100 percent, the responses are encouraging for workers’ job opportunities later in life, the study says.
“We know that workers are seeking to extend their working lives and work into older age,” says Catherine Collinson, CEO and president of Transamerica Institute. “However, they can only be successful if their employers have business practices in place to support them and are welcoming of older workers. So, a critical success factor for workers to stay in the workforce is access to employment opportunities.”
The survey also asked employers what steps they think workers should take to be able to work as long as they want or need. To get workers’ perspectives, the Transamerica Institute asked a nationally representative sample of 5,725 workers age 18 and older about which of those steps they are taking to extend their careers.
The following eight tips are ranked in order of which steps the employers said are most important for people to be able to work later in life.
1. Stay healthy to be able to continue working
It's easy to understand why this was employers' top recommendation, with 64 percent of those surveyed advising older workers to take care of health. The majority of older workers (58 percent of respondents) agreed that health was the most important thing they could do to stay on the job.
2. Keep job skills up to date
When it comes to getting hired or advancing in a career, new skills can matter just as much as much as years of experience. Staying competitive means learning new skills and technologies as responsibilities change, with 62 percent of bosses saying this is important for older workers to do. Making use of the training and development opportunities that are available on the job is one way that older workers can ensure they’re keeping up with the latest job skills.
3. Perform well at current job
Of course, the best argument for being qualified for your job is to do it well. Sixty percent of employers and 54 percent of workers surveyed agreed that strong job performance is one of the best ways for employees to be able to work as long as they want or need.
4. Take classes to learn new skills
This question saw the widest gaps in responses, with 43 percent of employers saying it’s important while only 24 percent of older workers said the same. For some workers, the idea of taking courses might seem too much like going to college or graduate school, which can be expensive or inconvenient.
“It doesn't necessarily mean you need to go back to university and do midterms and finals. There are other ways to learn these skills,” Collinson says. “It could be a class at a community college, or it can be seeking out training programs or other avenues of learning something that is relevant to your job or maybe your future job. It's hard because people are busy juggling priorities between work and personal life, but this [gap in responses] just illustrates how important it is to get out there and keep learning.”
There are free and affordable ways to learn job skills through self-paced online courses. AARP Skills Builder for Work is one option. Others options include Coursera and edX, and the U.S. Department of Labor offers guidance on how to find free job training.
5. Network and meet new people
Over the course of their careers, older workers can meet and collaborate with hundreds of people. But that doesn’t mean that they have maintained those connections in ways that can boost their job opportunities. Only 26 percent of the workers surveyed thought that networking was important for extending their careers. Letting a network lapse is the number one networking mistake that workers make in their 50s, AARP has reported.
6. Attend virtual conferences and webinars
While in-person conferences and courses can be costly or inconvenient, online events can provide a quick way to build skills and network. Even so, this option received the lowest response from workers 50 and older, with only 15 percent of respondents saying it was important. Twenty-seven percent of employers said it was important, making for a 12 percentage point gap.
7. Obtain a new degree, certification, or professional designation
While a degree is a major time investment, some certificates — such as ones for mastering Microsoft Office fundamentals —can be earned much faster and offer a boost on LinkedIn profiles and resumes. Twenty-six percent of employers said this step was important for extending careers, while just 17 percent of workers said the same.
8. Scope out the employment market and opportunities available
There’s a saying that the best way to get ready is to stay ready. Employers (24 percent) and older workers (19 percent) largely agree that keeping an eye on what job opportunities are available can help people extend their careers. Among the resources that AARP offers to help older workers find employment are the AARP Job Board, which features current postings for positions nationwide, and AARP Resume Advisor, which offers free resume reviews.
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