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Unretirees need to learn how to use artificial intelligence to land a new job and then excel at it
Barry Rose spent his career in management at Fortune 500 companies. When he got caught up in a wave of layoffs and couldn’t find another corporate role, the Chapel Hill, North Carolina resident did a series of odd jobs at a golf course and owned a dry cleaning business. Now he wants a corporate role again. “I’ve got a lot of knowledge and motivation left in me at nearly 65 years old,” he says.
But as Rose contemplates embarking on the job search again, he feels somewhat out of sorts. He landed his first, and subsequent, roles without a resume, and he never got around to making one. He wonders how to explain his eclectic experience to hiring managers, and to make himself stand out from younger job applicants.
For Rose and others like him, looking for a job after spending time retired can feel overwhelming. Some worry about how to account for retirement on their LinkedIn profile and resume while others fret over how to explain their decision to “unretire,” or return to the workplace. Identifying age-friendly employers can be a challenge, too.
Prepare to Succeed
The good news is that retired people embarking on a job hunt can do plenty to set themselves up for success, from mining their connections to learning new skills to experimenting with AI.
“When you’re coming back from retirement, you need to do the same things you’d do when looking for a new job,” says Bonnie Lessans, talent engagement and program manager at Flex Professionals in Fairfax, Virginia.
She said that around one-third of the job candidates her company works with are retirees, and most return to the workforce out of boredom. “You don’t need to lead with your retirement story,” Lessans adds. “Bypass that completely.”
“Being able to speak with clarity and confidence about what do you want to do is really important.”
Nancy Davis, chief thought partner and strategist at Experion Consulting in Atlanta, tells her retiree clients to start their job hunts by sketching out what they want from a new position, and what unique talents they would bring to the role. “Being able to speak with clarity and confidence about what do you want to do is really important,” she says.
One of the best ways to gain clarity is to reconnect with former colleagues as you start the search, Davis says. Lessans adds that an early step should be to reach out to the professional network you had before you retired — it will contain your best advocates. That includes former bosses, peers and people who may have been junior to you.
Indeed, a LinkedIn survey shows that 89% of hiring managers believe referrals were important to filling an open position: when someone in their network refers a candidate to them, 49% will pay closer attention to the resume, and for 52%, it’s more likely that they will interview the candidate.
“Don’t discount people who were at a lower level than you, who may be higher up now,” Lessans says. Tell former co-workers you’re looking for a new role and ask them to let you know if they hear of anything. Also, people in your network may have connections that can help. Offer to buy a new connection a coffee in exchange for their guidance.
Focus on Your Best Assets
Davis says LinkedIn is a good place to grow your network by joining alumni groups, industry associations and community organizations, and then engaging.
When it comes to a LinkedIn profile and resume, many people tend to add unnecessary and unhelpful details about their retirement, says Lessans. For example, potential employers don’t need to know that you took care of your grandchildren for several years, unless it’s directly relevant to the type of job you’re applying for.
“It doesn’t cut it anymore to say, ‘I’m a fast learner’ or ‘I’m tech-savvy.’ You have to stay sharp on new skills.”
Instead, lead with a tight summary paragraph about who you are and what you’re seeking that includes keywords around the role you want. Look at job descriptions to find keywords, and at other peoples’ LinkedIn for inspiration. Follow the summary with your professional roles and qualities, putting your most recent position on top.
For the time you spent retired, simply leave a gap, Lessans says. If a hiring manager presses you on what you did during that time, say, “I was fortunate enough to have time with my grandkids,” and leave it at that.
For both your resume and your LinkedIn, update your skills, too, Lessans says, and learn new ones if you have to before the job search. For example, if you work in marketing and there’s a new marketing software everyone is using, take a LinkedIn course on how to use it. Then, you can add it to your resume as a skill.
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“It doesn’t cut it anymore to say, ‘I’m a fast learner’ or ‘I’m tech-savvy,’ ” Lessans says. “You have to stay sharp on new skills.” For the education section of your resume, leave off dates. “You don’t want to invite ageism in,” she adds. Finally, Lessans says, make sure your LinkedIn and resume reflect each other and that you have clear goals on each.
Davis advises clients not to use the words “gap” or “retirement” on a resume. She prefers the word “sabbatical” if you need one. Also, she adds, people still do career-relevant activities during retirement they may overlook when dusting off their resume. If you taught an artificial intelligence class to high schoolers, or did event planning for your local park conservancy, those can be relevant and may have a place on your resume.
Emphasize Recent Achievements
As you review your resume, Davis adds, weed out very old positions, or at least slim those sections down. “There shouldn’t be a job on your CV that’s old enough to drink,” she says. “Focus on what you did last, and then once you get in the door and establish rapport, you can talk about earlier stuff.”
Once you’re happy with how you’ve polished your resume and LinkedIn, says Davis, show it to a younger person in the workforce, like your adult child, grandchild, niece or nephew. Tell them you’re open to all feedback and make them a nice meal in return. Davis is also a firm believer in using AI as a tool during the job search.
There are a bunch of ways AI can help, she says. You can start by experimenting with a simple tool like ChatGPT, take a class on AI, and add it as a skill to your resume. Or, have AI analyze your resume to see what skills you might be missing. Paste in your resume and the job description, and ask AI, “Why wouldn’t you hire me?”
“There shouldn’t be a job on your CV that’s old enough to drink.”
“AI is an example of an upskill that you’ve got to have,” Davis says. “Get acquainted with AI and learn what it can do for you. Use it as a tool, not to replace your words, but to help you brainstorm, expand your thinking and craft your message.”
As for age-friendly employers, job seekers can look for companies that are certified age-friendly employers, from the American Heart Association to Xerox Corporation.
Finally, if the job hunt is dragging on, don’t despair, Davis says. “People shouldn’t wait for the perfect job to start doing what they want to do,” she says. “Action — such as volunteering, mentoring or working on small projects — can lead to new connections, quantifiable results to share with potential employees and a broader skillset.”