5 Ways for Retirees to Get a Job

The current economic climate may have forced many retirees back into the workforce, but not all of them are headed for greeter jobs at the local Wal-Mart (Stock Quote: WMT). 

Although it can be difficult to get work in your golden years, particularly if you spent most of your career in management or financial services, many older workers can create a niche for themselves. However, the compensation may not be as great as it was when you were at the top of your game.

Kathy Pasquino, a secretary in North Versalles, Penn., considered getting back to work almost immediately after she retired in 2008. Although she was able to get a job doing secretarial work again, she is still adjusting to a smaller paycheck.

“I just make it,” says Pasquino. “I have a big pension check but, even with the work that I do now, I only make half of what I used to.”

Pasquino is not the only retiree who has to make do with less. According to Alan Kufeld, a principle at Rothstein, Kass & Company’s Family Office Group who specializes in income and estate tax planning, leaving your business can mean saying goodbye to a fat paycheck, unless you have the skill and the name recognition to command it.

“If you were a practice leader or leading a nationwide group, you could command the same salary as when you left,” says Kufeld. “But if you were just a practitioner those earnings can be tied to a commission.”

Retired workers can have an uphill battle finding work if their connections or experience are outdated. However, there are some things that you can do to make yourself marketable in this economy.