How to find a job after retirement: everything you need to know

by | Nov 25, 2022

As retirement age approaches, we begin to plan what our life will look like post-retirement. For many of us, we dream of a life of travel, adventure, freedom, and possibly even a location change. But what we often overlook is the ability to work after retirement. 

Work after retirement is becoming more commonplace thanks to the rising cost of living and a desire for stable income in later years. It’s also recognised as a great way to maintain a sense of purpose in life. While you may not be planning to work after retirement now, many are finding that, once retirement age hits, it becomes an ideal reality and a great means of passing time.

But how do you find a job after retirement? We’ve already taken a dive into the step by step in our How to find a job after retirement blog, but we decided to go even deeper and take a look into everything you need to know about finding a job after retirement.

How hard is it for a 60+ year old to find a job after retirement?

While many worry it will be harder to find a job after retirement, your position actually gives you an added advantage that others don't possess...

It can be pretty daunting looking for a new job after retirement. Age and experience add up to a fairly expensive price tag, giving you the sense that you’re a lot less likely to be picked out of a group of 20 and 30 year olds. But that doesn’t necessarily dictate how hard it is at all. 

Looking for a new job can be challenging at any stage in your career, but there are plenty of opportunities for the older job candidates, especially if you have the added advantage of already being in retirement, in less need of funds, requiring less working hours, and with a wealth of experience on your shoulders. 

Just remember: if at any point you feel discouraged by an employer, you can always ask if they’d like to pay you a discounted rate for lesser hours or even take you on as an intern – anyone remember how well Robert De Niro made it work in the Intern? 

What percentage of retirees go back to work?

As a result of the pandemic, many were forced into early retirement, and data shows that “unretirements” are now on the rise. As of March 2022, 3.2% of workers who were retired a year earlier are now employed, with return-to-work levels of retirees sitting higher than before the spring of 2020. 

Why? Survey data from Joblist indicated that 27% of retired job seekers are re-entering the workplace for financial reasons – with 21% noting inflation concerns, specifically. But the majority are doing so for personal reasons, like “looking for something to do”. 

It’s proof that things are changing in the world and that retirement no longer looks quite the same as it used to. 

Should I get a job after retirement?

Working a job after retirement is a completely personal decision, but there’s definitely no reason not to.

If you want to live freely, without constraints, a job may not be the right choice for you. However, there are still many jobs that’ll suit you if this is your goal. 

We like to remind retirees that, unlike their previous careers, working after retirement is all about what suits you. You’re not there because you have to be, you’re doing it because you want to. So, if you want a job where you can work just 3 hours a week? You can do it. If you want a job where you can work from any place in the world? You can do it. If you want to try out every job you’ve ever considered and see where the world takes you? You can. 

It’s all about getting comfortable with what you actually want and going from there. 

It’ll help boost your well-being, give you purpose in life, and will help you earn some extra cash on the side of your retirement fund… Who wouldn’t enjoy a bit of that?!

Finding a job in retirement can be a great way to earn some extra cash in retirement

How to: find a job after retirement

So, how do you actually go about finding a job after retirement? We covered the basics of touching up your resume, networking, and figuring out what you want here, but we figured you need something a little more direct to guide you through the process. 

The first thing you’ll need to get started is to consider what kind of job you actually want. And from there, we’ve got exactly what you need…

Looking for a part-time job after retirement? 

Here’s our step-by-step process to find the perfect part-time job after retirement:

  1. Reach out to your former employers and colleagues – it’s the best way to find interesting and lucrative part-time opportunities that directly suit you 
  2. Volunteer/intern – sometimes, volunteering or applying for an intern position can lead to a paid position in retirement. If you prove to an organization that you have the skills and attitude needed, you’ll be top of mind if a paid position opens up
  3. Search the 50+ job boards – The AARP jobs board, Retirementjobs.com and Retiredbrains.com are three that are worth checking out
  4. From there? All you need to worry about is applying, applying, applying, getting interview-ready, and making sure that CV is ready for action!
If you're looking to find a part-time job after retirement, be sure to touch up that resume and apply, apply, apply!

Looking to start up your own side hustle after retirement?

Side hustles can be a great means of making money through retirement. If you have a passion project you want to pursue, want to sell creations you make, or just want to figure out an easy way to make money online, there are a number of different avenues you can take. 

We’d recommend figuring out exactly what kind of side hustle you want to do, which may take a bit of research to get started. Our 10 side hustles you can do to earn extra cash in retirement blog will help you with this process. But once you’re there? There are a couple of things to keep in mind that may help. 

  • Etsy is a great platform for selling products online and TikTok, Instagram, Facebook are all reputable places to build followers, establish your brand and gain visibility.
  • You will need to register your business name under the US to be recognised – even small businesses will need to take this step to assure no issues in future
  • It’s important to look into details of starting a business in your specific field: you may need to purchase insurance or take further steps to legally establish your side hustle
  • NEVER take free training for granted! If you’re looking to start up a business or do any form of marketing to gain sales, there are so many free resources available today to  teach you the ins and outs. You can even find ones tailored to your specific niche!

Looking to volunteer or intern after retirement?

If you want to volunteer or intern after retirement, you’ll need to look around for the kind of service that suits you. Maybe you already have an organization in mind or maybe you’re ready to have a dig and find exactly where your services are needed. Either way, make a list of organizations you feel you’d enjoy volunteering for, and contact them to see what is available. 

Not all businesses will advertise intern programs, but a lot will respond positively to you contacting them, personally, with your information, a cover letter that explains why you’d like this opportunity, and an outline on how you intend to help out.

This is the same for volunteering: whether or not it’s an organization set up for this kind of work, if you’re interested in a specific field or position, businesses can always use an extra hand, especially if they don’t have to pay for it!

If you want to find a job after retirment, it can be useful to step into volunteering to get started

And that’s it! For now… 

We’ve already covered the basics of how to find a job after retirement in our earlier blog here, but now we’ve covered everything you need to know about finding a job after retirement. 


If there’s something we haven’t covered here? Explore the rest of our blog posts here to gain insight into specific jobs, creative ways to make money and so much more! We promise to help make the experience of earning money in retirement as beneficial, easy, and enriching as possible.