Baby Boomers are Building Rewarding Encore Careers

career door optionsWork/life balance, personal satisfaction, giving back to the community… there are a variety of reasons people turn to encore careers as an alternative to retirement. Realistically, we Baby Boomers will be working well past the typical retirement age of our parents. We are living longer and most of us will need additional income to supplement any pension or social security payments we may receive. Why not enjoy your work? An encore career can combine personal fulfillment and social impact with continued income. There is a world full of options out there waiting for you!

As a career coach and resume writer, I work with many mid- to late-career professionals looking to increase their quality of life with an encore career. Some of my clients know the exact direction they want to take, while others need guidance determining their ideal path. We work together to evaluate their ideal work culture, the type of role they want to play, and what fields align with their natural skills and interests. Providing advice on networking, interviewing and addressing age discrimination, I guide my clients through the job search process to make it less overwhelming and more successful.

Personally, I built my encore career on a talent I had discovered years ago. I love to write resumes, and had done it as a hobby for more than 20 years. I enjoy writing people’s “commercials” and can present their unique value with resumes that consistently win interviews. I left the corporate setting because I wanted to make a difference in the world, and was looking to make a living doing something I found personally rewarding. To make the jump from “amateur” to “professional“, I took a great deal of training in various career services topics and small business management. Most importantly, I hired Success Coach Marge Piccini to help me build a strong foundation and vision for my business. I can honestly say that I have never been happier and I absolutely love working for myself! Now that I know what it is like to have a very rewarding encore career, it is my mission to help others find the same happiness.

You can build a more rewarding career doing what you love and get paid for it. 78 million Baby Boomers make up the best-educated population of Americans. We have developed useful skills and experience that we can apply to rewarding encore careers that can improve our quality of life while also helping others. According to research from the MetLife Foundation and Encore.org, as many as 9 million people ages 44 to 70 are in encore careers today and 31 million more are interested in joining them. Have you thought about transitioning to a career that provides more than just a paycheck?

Whether you are currently employed in an unsatisfying role, see opportunities drying up in your industry, or have been presented with the opportunity for change through a layoff, it may be time to look into an encore career. The top 5 encore job fields are education, healthcare, environment, government and nonprofits. See how your skills might apply, and what you may need to learn to prepare for your encore career. Contact us for a free consultation today.

Trish Thomas founded The Resume Resource in 2009 to help people develop the tools, strategies and confidence to build satisfying careers. As a Career Coach and Resume Writer, she helps her clients articulate their unique value to stand out from the competition, and guides  them through the job search process to make it less overwhelming and more successful.  www.the-resume-resource.com

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