If you’ve just ‘retired’ why would you think about returning to work and giving up your new found freedom?

There are lots of reasons for taking this step – some that we’ve touched on in earlier parts of this series – including:

MONEY/BUDGET – Maybe you need to top up your budget or perhaps your pension hasn’t started yet.

FOUNDATIONS – You want something that helps create a structure for your week.

STAYING CONNECTED – Using work to maintain and increase your social network.

ENJOYMENT – Some people like having goals and a sense of achievement. They actually enjoy work!

‘USE IT OR LOSE IT’ – If you want to maintain your mental capacity then work is one way to achieve this.

QUESTIONS & DECISIONS

Before you race out there and start applying for jobs what do you need to consider?

1. VOLUNTARY, PAID or HYBRID – How important is it to get paid to work? Is it your sole driver, a ‘nice to have’, a signal that you are still doing important work or is it of no consequence?
2. FLEXIBILITY – How much flexibility are you looking for? It’s no good getting a part-time job, say Monday to Wednesday each week, if you want to take long holidays.
3. STATUS & INFLUENCE – People often quote that they’d be happy to take a job stacking shelves at the local food store. However, this may well mean that, when you use your considerable experience to suggest changes to the way things are done, your supervisor may well ignore your advice. How will you feel about that?
4. RETURNING TO YOUR SPECIALITY or NEW BEGINNINGS – Most people don’t wish to return to the type of work that they’ve just left but, if you do, then don’t forget that your proficiency tends to diminish quickly after 6 months. So you need to get on an apply sooner rather than later. On the other hand, if you’re looking to enter a new sector, or job type, then don’t expect to walk into a job on a similar level to your previous position.
5. WORKING FOR AN ORGANISATION or GOING FREELANCE – If you decide to look for a job with an organisation, the process can be fairly straight forward. However if you decide that you want a portfolio of careers, or become a consultant, then you are going to need a different approach AND invest more time in achieving your goal.

LOOKING FOR WORK

Like everything in life, how you go about looking for work has changed dramatically over recent years. You can’t expect people to see your worth or look at your old CV and simply hand you a job. It doesn’t work like that.

VOLUNTARY WORK

Surely looking for unpaid work is quite straight forward? The answer is that it depends on the chosen organisation.

A friend of mine recently volunteered to work in a charity (thrift/op) store. He’d been a director of a large company, wasn’t looking to be paid but he still had to provide personal references.

Similarly, people looking to become a Trustee can expect to complete an application form asking you why they are interested in the role, what skills and experience you can offer, and they might even face election.

PAID WORK

Finding, applying for and landing a role is a huge topic which I won’t attempt to cover here. However here are some things you might want to consider or try –

Finding Job Opportunities –

WEB SITES

There are lots of websites which will give you access to job opportunities, especially for retirees. You might want to look up Rest Less or Work Redefined in UK, RetirementJobs.com and Workforce50.com in USA, Seeking Seniors in Australia, Indeed in Canada, and so on. Just use your search engine to find them.

NETWORKING

Networking is still a powerful tool to find a job BUT if you are looking for something different (part time or something outside of your normal line of work) your business connections may not be as much help as you think. So just let EVERYONE know what you are looking for.

LINKEDIN

LinkedIn can be another great tool to spread the word. that you are open for work. However, you do need to sync your LinkedIn profile with your CV, be specific about what role you are looking for and be an active contributor i.e. post or comment every week.

INTERNSHIP

By definition you aren’t just fresh out of education but if you are looking for a job why not offer to work for free for a while? This is especially useful if the work you are looking for is outside of your area of expertise. By offering to take an internship a/ the organisation know that you are keen to work for them and b/ it effectively gives you a long-term interview.

FREELANCING

If you want to go freelance this is a totally different matter. Since you are offering your services to clients on a per-contract or per project basis you are effectively setting up a business from scratch. Therefore you need to think about:

WHAT SERVICE ARE YOU GOING TO OFFER? – You need to be very specific when going to market.

HOW ARE YOU GOING TO REACH YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE? – Can you do this through contacts, LinkedIn or maybe go online?

WHAT NAME ARE YOU GOING TO GIVE YOUR BUSINESS? – You also need a logo and signature block .

Alternatively you could take an easier route. Rather than start from scratch you could look at picking up projects from websites like Upwork or PeoplePerHour in UK, Toptal or Freelancer.com in USA, Guru.com or Airtasker in Australia, and 99designs or Behance in Canada. Again just use your search engine.

APPLYING FOR JOBS

This is another big topic.

All I will say here is that an updated version of your old CV, LinkedIn profile and application letter probably won’t get you that job.

The use of Artificial Intelligence means that, unless you are specifically prepared to deal with the current screening processes, you are unlikely to get an interview. You need help!

PERSONAL DISCLOSURE

I always intended to do some work in retirement. My main reasons being a/ I want to top up my pension, b/ work gives me a feeling of achievement, c/ I like to meet new people and d/ it keeps my brain sharp.

Here are some of the steps that I’ve taken and their outcomes:

CONSIDERED PART TIME WORK – I abandoned this idea since the weekly commitment would stifle my future travel plans.

FREELANCE CONSULTANT – I’ve set myself up as a consultant and have received lots of reassuring words that projects are coming my way. However this venture has been a very slow starter.

‘INTERNSHIP’- I worked a few trade shows for a business (totally unconnected to my specialism) and was offered a 1 day per week sales and marketing role. Importantly, the role offers me great flexibility in when I deliver this work.

FREELANCE TRAINER- I love training and am currently in the process of becoming an associate for a training company. This means that I can pick and choose when I work, as well as generating some income.

CV – I’ve decided to seek professional help for a update.

LINKEDIN POSTS – I post most weeks as it generates more profile views.

SUMMARY

If you are looking to return to the arena of work, whether paid or not, you need to sit down and decide what you want from the job. You can then use the resources discussed above to find what you are looking for BUT your CV etc should ideally be professionally updated.

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What kind of work would you consider in retirement? Let me know in the Comments section or reach out to me – I’d love to include your story in the blog.

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TIPS & QUESTIONS

TIPS & SUGGESTIONS

1. BEWARE ‘RABBIT HOLES’ – Now that you have the luxury of spending more time researching things you can often spend the whole day going from one article to the next. Give yourself a time limit to ensure that you at least get out of the house once per day.
2. GET UP WITH YOUR PARTNER – If your partner still works, try and get into the habit of getting up with them in the morning (and maybe make them breakfast). This means that you get more of the day to spend on doing what you want to do.
3. HORRIBLE JOBS – If there is a job that you really don’t want to do, do it first thing in the morning. Otherwise you won’t get around to it until it becomes urgent.

What things have you found helpful in navigating your retirement journey?

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Following the last blog I received the following questions:

1. KEEPING PHYSICALLY & MENTALLY ACTIVE: Question – When are you going to cover this subject? Answer – I plan to cover this in Part 7 (probably August).
2. HOBBIES: Question – What are my main hobbies? Answer – I like travel (especially long haul), photography (you’ll find portfolios of my work on Shutterstock & Adobe Stock, as well as doing my 365 challenge), I organise Whisky Tasting evenings, watch motorsport and am a Duke of Edinburgh Award Supervisor.
3. 365 DAYS OF PHOTOS: Question – Why do you choose a monthly theme? Answer – Hopefully it delivers more interesting content, it helps to show each month in a different light and it’s more of a challenge. I’ve provided the link (below) to the gallery of weekly winners so that you can make up your own mind.

https://rookieretiree.com/365-days-of-photos/

If you have a question write it in the comments section below or reach out to me direct.

FUTURE BLOG CONTENTS

The next blog is going to be different.

I’ve asked a few friends and old colleagues to share their journey into retirement with us. So Part 6 will be all about their journey so far, experience and tips.

If you would also like to share your experiences then please let me know.

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Links to previous (Part 4) & next post (Part 6) are provided below.

Link to PRIOR POST

Link to NEXT POST

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💡 Want more stories and insights on the Rookie Retirement journey?

Every chapter explores a different side of life after full-time work — from personal stories to health, purpose, and travel.

👉 Browse the full series here: [Contents Page]

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Regards