More than 10m workers are aged over 50 as firms value work experience and customer service skills
Barclays, Boots, Aviva and the Co-op are among firms vowing to increase the over 50s they employ by 12 per cent by 2022
LIFE begins at 40 but when it comes to your career, 50 is the new age to focus on.
More than 10.1million UK workers are aged over 50 — a record high. And more than a quarter of a million of them have joined the workforce in the past year alone.
Almost 72 per cent of Brits aged 50 to 64 now do some form of paid work.
So, what’s driving the change? While many firms still focus on recruiting millennials, an increasing number are turning back to more mature workers as they value their customer service and people skills.
Barclays, Boots, Aviva and the Co-op are among firms vowing to increase the over 50s they employ by 12 per cent by 2022.
Angela Clifton, Saga’s deputy head of communications, says: “Many people in their 50s and beyond want to keep working. Retirement does not sit well with people.”
So if you are 50 plus and keen to get back to work, Jobcentre Plus business development leader, Cathy Taylor has these five tips:
- Focus your CV: Hone in recent examples of experience so employers can see what you can bring and how your skills suit their organisation.
- Show benefits of age: You may be more confident or experienced, require less training and have a stronger network — making an excellent mentor for junior colleagues.
- Get online: Recruiters look at applicants’ social media accounts, so keep yours professional and updated. A social media presence shows you have technical experience and marketing skills.
- Expand your skills: Take a course to boost your knowledge.
- Know the industry: Consider volunteering or taking an apprenticeship in the field you are applying, especially if is a role that is new to you.
Back at work
EDWARD JACKSON, 65, retired for just six months and is now going back to work as a coach driver... partly in the interests of harmony at home.
Edward, from Wrexham, who has been a driver since 1979, will work for new bus firm easyCoach and said he couldn’t be happier, adding: “I think my wife’s happy too, because she wants me out of the house.
“I enjoy meeting the public and getting on with them. Your passengers are your livelihood, so you have to treat them well and go the extra mile.”
There are ten vacancies for easyCoach drivers. Applicants need a PCV driving licence and Valid Driver CPC card.
To apply, send CV to [email protected] to reach them before August 30.
Company boss Andrew Martin said: “We are looking for PCV drivers who are team players with a positive and friendly outlook, who want to join us on our journey as we experience the excitement and challenge of growing this new venture.”
How to bag that teen job
MORE teens should take Saturday jobs to get ready for the world of work, according to work and pensions secretary Esther McVey.
The MP said a “drastic” decline in the number of young people doing part-time work was leaving them ill-prepared for later life.
So here James Reed, the chairman of Reed recruitment reveals his tips for bagging weekend work:
- BE PROACTIVE: Go into pubs, hairdressers, restaurants, community centres, newsagents – wherever it is you want to work – and ask for a Saturday job. Get your face and name known. Referrals can work well, too, so ask family or friends with a good job to ask for you.
- BE PERSISTENT: Saturday jobs are competitive, so be prepared to go back to places you have visited before to ask for an update on any vacancies. Show your willingness to learn and how your winning mindset will make you successful.
- GET HANDS DIRTY: A Saturday job is not necessarily about the tasks you do, it is about the additional skills you will learn and the people you meet. Learning how to deal with customers, solve problems and work effectively will go a long way.
- ASK FOR ADVICE: Ask your parents where to look and who to talk to. Also ask them what they learned from their own Saturday jobs.
Jobspot
- BUILD a new career. Construction specialist Minstrell Recruitment has 500 roles to fill. See .
- RING the changes for your new career with BT. The telecoms firm has 150 roles at .
MOST READ IN MONEY TIPS
Fest gig going
IS THIS simply the fest gig going? Staff Heroes is hiring festival concierge workers at £15 an hour.
The role involves attending music festivals such as Reading and Leeds, Boomtown and Boardmasters, and doing various tasks to make fans’ experiences more enjoyable.
These include collecting festival-goers’ belongings from their cars and taking them to the campsite on arrival, putting up tents, buying food and drink from stalls, and making a timetable of acts the customer would like to see.
Laurent Gibb, co-founder and CEO of Staff Heroes, says: “We have created what we believe is the best job you could have at a festival - to work flexibly, meet great people and enjoy some of the world’s best artists.”
See .
Work opportunities
- IS YOUR child open to an engineering career? Then give them a sneak peek of what is involved at today’s Engineering Open House Day.More than 30 major firms, including Rolls-Royce, the BBC and Google, have thrown open their doors to youngsters keen to learn more about the career.There are hundreds of fun events to take part in for free. Find your nearest at .
- WORKERS could finally be back in the money as half of firms plan to hike wages in the next year. The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) poll also found just two per cent of companies expect to decrease salaries, but six per cent will offer rises of five per cent plus. Jane Gratton, BCC head of business environment and skills policy, says: “This is good news for employees who have felt the squeeze in their pay packets.”
- THE trendy redeveloped Battersea Power Station needs 350 new starters by the end of this year. Jobs range from bartenders to fitness hosts.
Andre Burwood, programme director of its employment initiative, Base, says: “We are looking for people with the right skills, experience and attitude.” See .