7 mistakes made by 50+ job seekers

Just came across this interesting US article which covers some points that I have made before but adds some others and if you are job seeking is well worth a read.

Does this suggest it is time to retire ........

Saga divorces' on the rise as over-50s couples fall out of love

A third of men polled for Saga said their marriage ended as their partner was no longer interested in sex. Most women said their ex-husband was emotionally cold.

Nagging also scored highly, listed as a top reason for a split by 14 per cent of the 1900 divorcees aged 50 and over asked. In 10 per cent of cases, couples said they'd simply run out of things to talk about.

For the sake of research 1,900 people were questioned and the main reason for men wanting a divorce was that their partner was no longer interested in sex while women argued that their reason to head for a divorce was the emotional coldness of their husband. Emotional coldness contributed to 28% of those divorced in the over 50 category. The research revealed that 10% couples admitted that they no longer have anything to talk while 14% said that constant nagging was responsible for their divorce. The research also found that 27% admitted that they no longer are committed to their marriage while 5% were unhappy that their partner flirted with friends and colleagues. Another major factor among couples to divorce was the financial matter. Around 9% couples complained that their partner failed to contribute financially to their relationship that led to a divorce while 8% said that their partner spent too much.

Over half of Britons want to work beyond retirement age

More than half (51 per cent) of British adults are keen to carry on working beyond the retirement age in order to stay active, a new poll has found.

They survey by Friends Provident showed 47 per cent of respondents thought they would be bored once they leave their career behind and another 43 per cent said they value the social contact their job provides.
According to the company's Visions of Britain 2020 report, the country's ageing population are in better health and have more energy than any preceding generation.

It added that by the end of the decade, 51 per cent of those doing voluntary jobs are expected to be over 60 and, along with those choosing to extend their working lives, this group will make a vital contribution to society.
Friends Provident chief executive Trevor Matthews said: "People are living longer and this new breed of energetic and healthy individuals want to remain involved and not become economically inactive."

Less than one in five retired people think that it’s their responsibility to leave
an inheritance to their children. Instead retired people expect to help their
children and increasingly their grandchildren with education and housing
costs. Furthermore, 26% of grandparents expect to contribute to the cost of
tertiary education.

Unemployment: over-50s most likely to be out of work.

The number of over-50s out of work for 12 months or more remains the highest for any age group, while employment levels among the over 65s continue to rise, according to the latest official Labour Market Statistics released today.
According to the data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), despite 38,000 more over-50s finding work between June and August 2010, 387,000 still remain out of work.

Despite the gloomy figures, the number of over 65s in full- or part-time work rose by 0.4% to an all-time high of 846,000 in the three months from June to August 2010, up by 42,000 from the previous quarter, and a rise of 89,000 from the corresponding period in 2009.

Digital unite

This is the new initiative aimed at getting as many older people as possible connected up and using digital media as we all know what a difference it could make to their lives. Each of us can help in a variety of ways so do have a look at their website.


It is also Get Online Week from 18-24 October.  UK online centres have made grants available through Digital Unite. The grants scheme is now closed for new applications but you can still find out all about how it works in the Frequently Asked Questions.

Over 50 and humourless.....

Oh dear! A new study of 2000 people conducted for Dave - the TV channel suggests that we really do get more humourless as we age and that we spend more time moaning than when we were younger. You can see a fuller report in a Daily Mail article.
I would interpret the complaining as being more positive in that we are less prepared to put up with poor service, inadequate products and useless bureaucracy. There is of course no details as to how the study was carried out so maybe I might just complain about a newspaper reporting findings uncritically. So there!

Older men stay attractive for a decade longer

Well this is good news!  Thanks to Debenhams who surveyed 1,000 women and 1000 men aged between 18 and 60 on their attitudes to male appearance.

A greater emphasis on dressing well and keeping fit has dramatically improved the physical attractiveness of older men, according to the findings.

The trend towards women marrying and having children later in life has also extended the period for which a bachelor is considered eligible.

Baldness is no longer seen as a stigma, and even a slight paunch is unlikely to render a man unattractive to women.
Many women reported finding the greater financial security of older men reassuring because it represents a better life for their children.

Ruth Attridge, a spokeswoman for the department store, said: "Older men are now remaining more attractive to women for longer than ever before.They are increasingly seen as eligible, prospective partners rather than old bores with little energy left to catch the female eye".

So there you have it!