Freelance Work in Retirement: What You Need to Know

May 17, 2022 startworknow

Freelance Work in Retirement: What You Need to Know

Have you been dreaming of retirement for the last decade or so? As it approaches, are you starting to wonder if you’re as eager or able to retire as you thought you were? Many retirees realize that they need to continue working as the date draws closer.

For some, it’s about financial security, recognizing they would like to have more set aside for their golden years. Others simply want to stay busy.

After working for 30-40 years, suddenly having nothing to do might be great for the first few weeks but can get boring quickly. And yes, you most likely have hobbies, but with nothing but time on your hands, the cost of those hobbies can skyrocket.

Reasons to Work in Retirement-

Don’t worry, you’re not alone! According to Forbes, “30% of seniors seek to work past retirement.” Retirees have reported that the following are some of the most common reasons they remained in the workforce. Do you relate to any of these?

1.Building Financial Stability

As people live longer thanks to medical developments, there is an ever-increasing need for your retirement funds to stretch farther. If you’re not sure about the ability of your retirement income to meet your needs, working while you’re a younger retiree can help ensure your stability later on. Many companies offer retirement at 62. Betty White was an amazing woman, but few of us sought to work as long as she did.

Instead, consider adding to your nest egg with a partial retirement, such as a part-time job, becoming a consultant, or launching a freelance career. Later on, when you decide you’re truly ready to call it quits, your savings account will be padded.

2.Adding to Social Security

Tied into the tip above, your social security will continue to grow up to age 70. Most employers consider 62 the official retirement age, but your benefits will be pro-rated unless you wait until the government-recognized, “full retirement” age of 66.

As a bonus, the longer you add to your social security, the higher your benefit will be in your older retirement years. Generally, you’ll be eligible for your entire benefit by delaying until your full retirement age.

3.Funding Medical Insurance

Retiring before Medicare is an option at 65? The price of medical insurance can be staggering, even for just those few interim years. Finding a part-time position that can either supplement your insurance costs or cover them entirely will help keep your savings accounts from being drained.

Launching a Second Career You’re More Passionate About

Not every reason to postpone full retirement is about finances. Many adults in their 60s and 70s are not ready to slow down. Some have been waiting to pursue a second career they’re more passionate about.

Did you spend your life as an accountant? Maybe your second-career goal was freelancing to support small businesses with affordable bookkeeping. Have you created a hobby that you’d love to turn into a passion? Or, perhaps you’d like to follow your passion, such as nature conservancy or supporting at-risk youth?

Retirement gives you the ideal opportunity to turn your passion into a profitable, full-time or part-time role that adds meaning to your life.

Staying Active and Social

For some, the ability to continue working ensures a schedule to maintain that sees them interact with teammates routinely. Even if you live near your relatives, you might thrive on your relationships at work and aren’t ready to see that part of your life go.

Joining a team when you’re older allows you to build new relationships in a very unique and meaningful way. As you work side by side with younger coworkers, inevitably, you’ll impact each other. Perhaps they’ll be able to help you stay current with the latest technology while you share problem-solving ideas that can only be gained with years of experience.

6.Sharing Your Knowledge

Speaking of sharing, you have a wealth of information after a long career. Consider becoming a consultant or industry teacher to share that knowledge. You’ll continue working within the boundaries and flexibility of your schedule. Commit as much time as you want, taking vacation and family time as you prefer. Analyze the things you didn’t love about your job, and chances are you’ll find that it was tied to company work rules—no need to worry about those as a consultant.

If you committed to working in a career field for your entire life, you probably genuinely loved what you did. Given a new perspective or a little space, you might find that you miss it more than you anticipated.

7.Funding Your Travels

For many retirees, their vision of retiring includes hitting the road in an RV or traveling abroad. All of that adds up, and the reality can be way more expensive than anticipated.

Rather than let your wanderlust die away, fund your travel bug with a flexible job that you can take with you. Whether you travel a few weeks out of the year or jump full-fledged into becoming a digital nomad, you can find a role in retirement that you enjoy and that supports your excursions.

Finding a Flexible Job in Retirement-

One of the priorities that many retirees seek is maintaining their schedule and prioritizing personal commitments and family relationships. If balance is what you need, a flexible job, such as freelancing or consulting, might be precisely what will help you ease into your retirement.

Whatever your reasons are, if you’re considering your job options in retirement, StartWorkNow has loads of tips to help you get started. If you’re tempted by the idea of a flexible schedule without a stressful commute, a StartWorkNow membership can help you land your ideal role. We update our jobs daily with verified, scam-free listings to keep you safe in the online job search world. Explore all of the ways a StartWorkNow membership can support you.

Know Your Core Values for Job Satisfaction

May 16, 2022 startworknow

Know Your Core Values for Job Satisfaction

Are you considering a career change because you’re not feeling fulfilled in your current role? Perhaps you have a good job that meets your financial needs but leaves you feeling restless and wanting something different.

You might think that finding a company that supports a cause you’re passionate about is the answer. While that signals that the culture may be an excellent fit for you, it doesn’t define your core values for the role. Before taking the plunge into a new position, it would be best to take a step back and consider your core values surrounding your career. After you’ve defined those, you’ll be in a better position to create a dynamic career path that aligns with your fundamental needs to feel fulfilled.

Recognizing Core Job Values-

Core values are the critical ideas and codes by which you live your life, both at work and home, and they play a significant role in your overall job satisfaction. When a conflict occurs between your core values and those you’re being asked to assume, it’ll manifest itself in job misery.

Have you ever experienced a feeling of dread when heading to work? Perhaps you get a sense that you won’t ever really be at peak performance? Or, maybe you procrastinate duties often despite knowing that you are jeopardizing your position. It’s time to take a step back and analyze the different ways you can define value in your job.

Work Value Examples-

Understanding your core values creates a filter for decision-making. Generally, they’re divided into the following three categories.

1.Intrinsic Values

Internal rewards that are often intangible fill this category. Do you love to help others learn or enjoy tackling tricky projects with tight deadlines? Those are intrinsic values—the ones that keep you engaged and motivated at work. It could be public recognition for some, while others might not embrace being in the limelight. Do you rejoice at routine or variety in your workday tasks?

Accountants, for example, might thrive in a routine-oriented environment, whereas those who excel at sales are often drawn to changing metrics and challenges.

Of course, those are broad generalizations, but your first step is to define what aspects of work bring you the most internal delight.

Considerations:

Routine tasks or continually changing tasks
A fun working environment or a more formal one
Challenging deadlines or a calm pace
Leadership and advancement potential
Possibility for mentoring others
Opportunities for continuous growth

2.Extrinsic Values

The more tangible aspects of your job define your extrinsic values. Do you love to travel for work, explore new cities, and live out of a hotel frequently? What about team interactions? Do you thrive in a solo role, or are you inspired by collaboration and feel isolated by yourself? Is a paycheck or more time off a higher priority?

Considerations:

Physically active or sedentary roles
Amount of travel
Team-focused or autonomous
Level of income
Title of role
Perks and benefits
Support for causes you’re passionate about

3.Lifestyle Values

Finally, you’ll need to define how your role affects the lifestyle that you’re seeking to build. Would you enjoy living in the city or in a more rural area? Do you seek remote work or in-office work? How about flexibility in your schedule? Would you prefer a hybrid role or a four-day workweek?

Considerations:

Daily and weekly schedules
Work flexibility
Location requirements
Working outdoors
Work-life balance
Socialization
Ranking Your Values

Spend some time brainstorming each variable, then rank them in order of importance within each category. Hopefully, you’ll discover some truths about your ideal job that create insight into your next career move.

Creating a set of core values builds a foundation to communicate and connect. Prevent conflict in your career by filtering out those organizations and positions whose core values don’t match your own. Imagine interviewing with four different companies for a new position. How do you know which company will spark your fire?

Suppose you find a company that mirrors your values on mitigating climate change, for example. However, the role you’re applying for would require you to work remotely Monday through Friday without much team interaction. If you’re someone who thrives on the energy of collaboration and seeks a flexible schedule to balance personal obligations, this isn’t going to be a great fit, regardless of whether they support the same passions you do.

A misalignment of your core values can be a difficult challenge to overcome. That misalignment is what’s behind the desire to run screaming from your desk every afternoon by 3:00 p.m. Knowing your values upfront can spare you this anxiety, furthering your career by filtering out the wrong jobs.

Creating a Values Scorecard

Before exploring career opportunities, create a scorecard to measure potential jobs against. Ranking them in order of importance, you’ll be able to determine quickly if a position that seems appealing meets your basic requirements in a role. Leveraging this list ensures you find your best possible job fit.

Once you’ve created your list, if you discover that it’s time to seek out a more flexible job, StartWorkNow can help! With a massive database of flexible jobs in over 50 categories, you’ll find roles that range from freelance to full-time and just about every remote arrangement you can imagine. Take the tour and discover all of the ways that a StartWorkNow membership can help you find a job that matches your most essential core values.

How to Navigate the Hidden Job Market

May 12, 2022 startworknow

How to Navigate the Hidden Job Market

As a job seeker, your go-to search strategy may be to rely on advertised positions. But there’s an additional route you can explore to identify job openings—and it may be even better at helping you find and land professional opportunities.

It’s known as the “hidden job market,” and once you understand how to navigate and leverage the hidden job market, you’ll gain an advantage over the competition in your industry.

What Is the Hidden Job Market?

The hidden job market is simply another way of referring to any job opportunity that isn’t posted, listed, or otherwise advertised on job boards, social media, company websites, or other job search forums. “A huge percentage of jobs—especially higher-level jobs—go to people who didn’t stumble upon the job posting on Indeed,” explains Devon Fata, CEO of the web design firm Pixoul.

Employers who rely on the hidden job market aren’t necessarily trying to be secretive about their job openings or keep news of them from qualified candidates; they simply may have one or more reasons why they want to avoid announcing the positions publicly.

For example, hiring managers may initially want to keep their candidate search more targeted, starting with internal candidates before considering a wider pool. Or, some employers may want to avoid the costs of formally advertising the position and recruiting for it, both in terms of money and time spent. Other companies may have legitimate privacy reasons for wanting to keep the job vacancy under the radar screen, such as when they are launching a new initiative that hasn’t been announced yet.

How Can You Find Jobs in the Hidden Job Market?

If a role isn’t publicized, how can you know about it? Fortunately, there are a number of straightforward strategies that you can use to unearth intelligence about jobs that haven’t been advertised.

1.Use Online or Offline Networking

One of the best ways to find out about hidden job market opportunities is through networking, whether using an online platform like LinkedIn or through real-world networking opportunities. For example, while LinkedIn won’t have the hidden market job opportunities listed per se, you can ask around in your network or try to form new connections with people who work at employers of interest to you—and they may become a pipeline to hidden market jobs.

Fata maintains that networking is the essential key to finding hidden market jobs. “Take the time to chat with everyone you come across in your professional life, because you never know when one of them is going to have an opportunity for you,” Fata says.

Scott Hirsch, CTO and cofounder of TalentMarketplace, an AI-powered HR platform for tech companies and candidates, agrees that to find jobs in the hidden job market, you need a solid network, which often starts with connecting to people on LinkedIn, finding a common topic, and building a relationship.

“Pay attention to any updates they may post on their profile or private groups,” Hirsch recommends. “It’s also good to keep an eye on any company or position changes so you can reach out to them and ask if there are any other positions available.”

2.Start With an Internship or Volunteer Position

Another way to keep an ear to the ground and potentially be among the first candidates in the loop for as-yet-unpublished openings at a company where you’d like to work is by starting out as an intern or volunteer.

In an unpaid role or internship, you’ll gain access opportunities to the company’s decision-makers and may be able to learn about hidden job market options. You’ll also have the chance to show a potential hirer the skills that you bring to the table without being interviewed, making you a more desirable candidate if an internal opening arises.

3.Talk to People in Your Company or Industry

Your current company may have hidden market jobs available in different departments that you won’t know about unless you ask around. While this type of networking requires tact and discretion, as a company insider, you’ll have the inner track on these internal opportunities.

Take the time to talk to your peers cross-functionally about what jobs could be coming down the pike. You can take this same approach at an industry level, identifying people or organizations where you might like to work, and then using online or offline networking to connect with them.

“If you are interested in working for a certain company, reach out to peers who work at that company to see if they’ve heard about any open roles,” advises career coach and certified professional resume writer Colleen Paulson.

Once again, LinkedIn can be invaluable in these hidden job market efforts. “If you don’t know anyone who works at the company, start following the company on LinkedIn,” says Paulson. “Learn more about what their goals are and figure out how you can help them to reach their goals.”

She adds that it’s also okay when pursuing hidden job market opportunities to use LinkedIn to reach out to leaders in the organization and let them know that you have done your homework and have ideas on how you can make a difference. “With the Great Resignation, a lot of companies are quietly looking for good talent and if you can make a case for how you can help, you have a strong chance of getting the role that you are looking for,” Paulson concludes.

Find Hidden Jobs

Through networking, internships, volunteering, or a combination of these things, you can tap into the hidden job market and find a position that fits your life.

And whether a job is hidden or not, Start Work Now can help. Take the tour to learn more about the benefits of a Start Work Now membership.

What Actually Makes You Happy in a Job?

May 11, 2022 startworknow

What Actually Makes You Happy in a Job?

When you’re job hunting, it’s easy to get caught up in the everyday tasks of tailoring resumes and submitting follow-ups. However, it’s vital to ensure you’ve taken time to evaluate what truly makes you happy in a job. If you’re like most people, you probably feel pretty excited when you’re doing something that you’re good at and that fulfills you. So, one of the best things you can do is devote your search to roles and companies that are an excellent fit for you.

That may appear to be a daunting task, but it can provide valuable insight if you break it down into focus areas. And it will help you to create a more enthusiastic and energetic applicant to recruiters. No matter how much you need a job, finding a great fit is better than taking one that makes you miserable. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself back on the job hunt shortly.

Find Fulfillment in Your Next Job:

We’ve got some pointers below on how to analyze and use the information you find during your job hunt.

Consider Your Desired Work-Life Balance

Regardless of how much you love your job, if it takes over your life to a point where you cannot maintain a work-life balance, you’ll lose joy quickly. If you’re unsure of your ability to keep work in perspective, this is a role that may not be worth pursuing. You’ll likely be happier elsewhere.

For instance, if one of your big reasons for moving jobs is because you want more time with family and friends, yet it’s anticipated that the role will require 60-plus-hour weeks, the likelihood of you reaching a happy equilibrium is slim.

Have you always dreamed of being a digital nomad? Perhaps you need a flexible role to accommodate caregiving needs? The overall joy that a job provides your life might balance out job-specific duties that you find less engaging.

When work becomes the only thing that matters in your life, it gets old pretty quickly. And how much flexibility are you willing to accept? In terms of hours worked vs benefits gained, do they make working for that company desirable?

2.Understand Happiness Is Different for Everyone

The company or role that makes another person happy isn’t guaranteed to make you happy. And just because one environment fits a friend well, it doesn’t mean that’s true for everyone who works there. Or that it will be for you.

For example, if you need a faster-paced job, an office that is laid back and doesn’t have many challenges won’t keep you engaged. Being assigned tasks with little direction or room for creativity may drive you crazy, whereas others may thrive on the routine.

While it’s unrealistic to expect that you’ll never get bored at work with everyday tasks, you should focus on finding a role that doesn’t sound monotonous in its core functions.

3.Ensure You Have the Necessary Skills to Thrive

Identify what you enjoy, and then reframe those skills for roles that are a great fit. While there is always a learning curve, finding yourself in a position where you’re consistently underperforming will be miserable.

If you love organizing, for example, becoming a virtual assistant might not be a stretch. However, being a project manager for an architectural firm may be a role that is far beyond your experience. If that seems interesting, create a long-term career goal that includes education to close the gaps. Goals will help you be as prepared as possible when a position that’s right for you comes along.

4.Seek Out Roles With the Best Fit

In some cases, you may find yourself in a scenario where the only jobs available don’t align with your immediate financial dreams. If you find yourself in this position, it’s important to consider how much value the new job will bring you.

What are the benefits outside of dollars and cents? Is it something that will make you happy? Will it fulfill your core values? What are the potential pitfalls if things don’t work out? These are all questions worth asking when considering your next career move. All other factors being equal, a lower-paying job is likely still better for you than another less satisfying role.

5.Research Company Culture and Values

As you start looking for a job, take the time to learn about each company’s culture and values. The standard principles of other individuals in your office can significantly impact your happiness level. You can find this information in various ways, including online or by asking your network.

Gaining insight into what working at that organization is really like, you’ll be better equipped to decide if it’s a good fit.

Tangible Questions to Ask During Your Research-

As you consider what job you will enjoy, remember that you may not necessarily find your dream job. However, your job impacts nearly every aspect of your life—where you can live geographically, whether you can pay your bills, how fulfilled you feel daily, and how much free time you have.

Finding a job that brings you joy and supports your life’s essential values should be the focus. To get started, ask yourself the following questions:

What is the job’s industry, and what are your interests in that industry?
Do you have a strong affiliation with a particular industry, such as conservation? Does this job support that even if the role isn’t a “dream” role?
Are there multiple paths in this industry?
Could you do this job from home? Will this position provide a stable work environment and schedule that will be fulfilling?
Does the job align with your values and beliefs?
Is it a good fit for your personality?
What does a typical day of work look like for this position?
Are there more opportunities for professional growth and development? Where do you want to be professionally in five years? Is this job in line with your long-term career goals?
Is the compensation sufficient for your needs?
Does it offer benefits that are important to you?
What is the company culture like at this place of employment—will you fit in well?
Does the business have a good reputation within your community or industry (or both)?
How has the business performed over the past three years?

Find Joy in Your Everyday Work Life.

Don’t just accept the first job that pops up on your radar. The key to finding a fulfilling career is discovering what you want from your entire life and then ensuring the job aligns with those needs.

When it comes time for an interview, ensure you’re clear about what you’re looking for in a company before going into any meetings. You’ll know how best to present yourself, as well as ask relevant questions. Once you have found a position that meets all of your requirements, congratulations! You’ve made one of the most important decisions of your life so far, and we hope everything goes smoothly during training and beyond!

And if you haven’t landed an interview yet, ensure that you’re creating a long-term career plan that will build on the experience you’re gaining. Not sure what your next career goal should be? Consider meeting with a career coach to review your resume and find gaps. Understanding your goals will ensure you’re making the best choices as career opportunities present themselves.

Get Some Outside Perspective-

One of the best things you can do for your job search is gain some outside perspective. Our professional career coaches can help you find common themes and highlight gaps in experience. Give your job search a boost with us!

How to Be a Productive Remote Worker

May 10, 2022 startworknow

How to Be a Productive Remote Worker

Ask anyone who works from home regularly if they’re more productive than working in an office—the answer is almost always an enthusiastic “YES!” And while that answer may not surprise you, studies show remote workers are generally more productive than those who work in the office.

Whether you’re new to remote work or a seasoned pro, being productive is an essential element of success in any job. But being productive as a remote worker isn’t exactly the same as being a productive worker in general. Here are a few tips to help you out.

How to Be a Productive Remote Worker:

As a remote worker, you can improve your productivity by creating and sticking to a schedule, setting boundaries, and banishing distractions. But there are other things you can do to take your productivity to a whole new level (and impress your boss!).

Pick and Choose-

Every day, you’re probably faced with what seems like a mountain of tasks. And as you look over your daily to-do list, every one of those tasks may look crucial and need to have the top spot on your list.

Even if every task on your list were that urgent, there are only so many hours in the day. And as a remote worker, you won’t have a boss nearby saying “do this first” to help you decide what takes priority. While it may feel like everything is equally important, the reality is that you may need to make some hard choices about what can and can’t wait.

One way to approach this is to ask yourself which task or tasks you can make the most progress on today. Focus on and prioritize those tasks, leaving the others for another day.

Tackle Your Tasks-

Once you know which tasks take priority, you have to figure out how to tackle them. There are several ways to approach your to-do list, and you may have a method that works for you. But if you’re new to remote work, you may discover that what works in an office doesn’t work when you work remotely.

Here are some productivity techniques to test out:

The Pomodoro Technique: use blocks of time (like 25 minutes) to focus on your work, then take a five-minute break before working for another block of time

Eat the frog: start with your hardest task first to get it done and off your plate

Start small: AKA the two-minute rule, start with the smallest or easiest task first to start your day with an accomplishment.

One Task at a Time-

Multitasking can make you feel more productive. When you’re in a meeting while responding to emails and texts, you can check tasks off your list at the same time. There’s nothing more productive than that!

The problem with multitasking, though, is that while you feel more productive, the reality is that it’s probably making you less productive than you realize.

When you’re interrupted at work, you’re more likely to make mistakes. Studies have shown that your brain has trouble switching between tasks no matter how focused you feel, resulting in more errors. Even though intentionally multitasking isn’t the same as being interrupted, it has the same effect on your brain, making it more likely you’ll make mistakes you need to correct later and reducing your overall productivity.

Switch to monotasking to keep your productivity up. Focus on a single task and give it your full attention, reducing the likelihood you have to fix errors later and making you a more productive worker.

Take Breaks-

You’ve probably heard it before, but it’s worth repeating: to be a productive remote worker (or any worker), schedule and take regular breaks throughout the day!

Studies suggest that after 75 to 90 minutes, our brains get tired of whatever task we’re working on. When our brains tire, we are less focused on the task, making it more likely we’ll make mistakes.

As a remote worker, it’s easy to forget to take breaks. While you may run to the fridge to refill your water bottle, there’s no one there to chat with for a few moments, meaning you’ll fill up then go straight back to work.

Make it a priority to schedule a 15-minute break for yourself at least every 90 minutes to give your brain a chance to reset, refresh, and relax. Take a walk around the block, do some desk yoga, and yes, social media can count. Whatever it is, make it fun and not work-related.

Take Care of Yourself-

One of the best ways to be a productive remote worker is to be a healthy person. But with all of your professional priorities, sometimes it’s hard to remember to prioritize yourself. With so much competing for first place on your to-do list, you may skimp on sleep, exercise, or eating healthy to squeeze in a little more time to get it all done.

Working a late night here and there or ordering pizza instead of cooking once in a while is OK. But if you find you’re working more and sleeping less more often than not, and pizza is all you ever eat, it’s time to take a step back and take care of yourself.

Keep Production Going-

Being a productive remote worker doesn’t mean plowing through your tasks for eight straight hours. Productivity happens when you plan your tasks thoughtfully, give them your undivided attention, and take care of yourself!

If you’re ready to join the ranks of productive remote workers, StartWorkNow is here to help. From our extensive database of legitimate, remote, flexible, and hybrid jobs to career coaches (and more!), a StartWorkNow membership can power your job search. Take the tour and learn more.

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