Many people look forward to retirement for years (or decades even), only to realize once they're in retirement that it's not as fantastic as expected.
Retirement can be a tough adjustment emotionally and logistically. Many retirees find that they feel bored, lonely, and just plain off in the absence of a structured schedule. So if that's the boat you're in, you may decide that you'd like to undo your retirement and go back to work.
Financial concerns might also fuel that type of decision. Many seniors find that retirement is more expensive than anticipated. If you're having to tap your savings more than expected, and you're now realizing what little buying power your monthly Social Security benefit gives you, then you may be gearing up to make a return to the workforce.
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A recent ResumeBuilder.com survey of older Americans found that 12% of retirees are likely to start working again in the new year. And the top reasons for making this choice are inflation and living costs that are higher than expected.
But there's one thing that might get in the way of your plan to un-retire -- age discrimination. And unfortunately, it's a factor that can be really hard to work around.
Will age discrimination ruin your plans?
It's absolutely illegal for employers to discriminate against job applicants on the basis of age, the same way it's illegal to do so on the basis of gender and religion. But unfortunately, it can also be hard to prove that age discrimination has taken place.
Let's say you decide to un-retire and start applying for jobs in your former field. You might walk in the door, and your interviewer might take one look at your laugh lines and gray hair and think "Nope, next." They may smile politely and go through the motions of that interview, but there's really no way to prove that your age was what stopped you from getting that job.
Of course, in some cases, you may not even make it to the interview process. All a hiring manager might have to do is look at your resume to get a sense of your age. And if they decide that they don't want to hire you on that basis alone, all they have to do is not respond to your application, or send a polite note that they've decided to go in another direction.
How to fight back against age discrimination
Age discrimination might stop you from reentering the workforce when you want to. And in the aforementioned survey, 66% of retirees who think they might return to work worry that age discrimination will limit their job prospects. But there are a few steps you can take to protect yourself in that regard.
First, don't give your age away on your resume by virtue of listing the year you graduated from college or started your first job. When you've been working for decades, you don't need to list every single experience you've ever had. Leave the year of your graduation date blank and eliminate your first decade or two of work experience if you have more valid, applicable experience to follow.
Also, make sure your email address doesn't give away needless details. If your email address is [email protected], you may want to create a new account that doesn't include what many would interpret to be a birth year.
It's unfortunate that age discrimination has the potential to get in the way of your plans to un-retire. But do remember that older workers -- and workers in general -- have more opportunity these days thanks to the gig economy. So if you're finding that it's a struggle to get through the interview process because you look your age, try landing a gig you can do on your own. You may find you like the flexibility the gig economy offers better than a standard work arrangement anyway.
