Finding a new job after a layoff, long periods between jobs, or during the transition to a new career is overwhelming.
You may feel that your age puts you at a disadvantage compared to younger workers, and you may have experienced ageism firsthand. If so, you’re happy to know that many companies are willing to hire older workers. It’s just about finding the right company.
First, we’ll give you a list of age-friendly companies to explore. Next, we’ll also discuss resources that will help you find work as an older worker, as well as some useful tips for finding a job.
While searching for a senior or a company that hires older people, age-friendly labs are a great starting point. The organization has a non-profit certification known as Cafe, which identifies the organization that is the best place for seniors to work.
Below we’ll explain the 15 best companies for remote work, but you can find the complete list here.
Also, when you’re on the company’s “career” page, you’ll notice that many companies have a “remote” option that you can check when selecting search criteria.
15 companies employing elderly workers
1. American Heart Association
The American Heart Association works to combat heart disease and stroke. Here you will find exclusively remote locations, other jobs that may require some travel, or jobs that require you to be in a certain state. You must read each job description to make sure the job matches the remote option you are looking for.
American Heart Association Open Positions.
2. American Red Cross
The American Red Cross helps people prepare for emergencies and provides help even in times of crisis. Near the main location there is a fully remote location and partially and completely remote location.
Payment positions and volunteer positions for the American Red Cross.
3. Carrots
Carrots provide fertility treatment and services from pre-pregnancy to menopause. The goal of carrots is to make care more accessible worldwide. With a fully distributed team, Carrot has employees in 40 states across the United States and many countries around the world.
Open position of carrots.
4. Humana
Humana is an insurance company whose goal is to help people live well. They focus on supporting the community. Each job posting says “Remote Job: Yes/No”, so you can quickly see which job is remote.
Humana Open Positions.
5. Home Depot
With over 2,300 stores, Home Depot is the largest home improvement retailer in North America. At Home Depot, we focus on putting our customers and associates first. Both remote and hybrid work options are available.
Open position at Home Depot.
6. Kelly Service
Kelly Services is located in the staffing industry and works to recruit people from many industries and professions, from finance to human resources. Kelly Services offers full-time, part-time, temporary, permanent, face-to-face, and remote positions.
Kelly Service Open Position.
7. La Quinta Hotel
Laquinta is a hotel chain owned by Wyndham, with over 900 hotels around the world. The company is known for its breakfast and pet-friendly rooms. Here you can find face-to-face and remote positions on the business side of your business.
Laquinta Hotels is in an open position.
8. Merck & Co.
Merck & Co. is a pharmaceutical company focusing on vaccines, medicines, animal health products and more. You will see that there are a variety of remote roles available at Merck.
Merck & Co. Open position.
9. New York Life
New York Life offers insurance, investment, retirement and advisory services. Employees can serve their customers through personalized advice, education and tools.
New York Life Open Position.
10. Staples
Staples is a leading retailer of office supplies, furniture, technology and cleaning products. Since 2013, Staples has donated more than $6 million to support its employees. Staples are available in both face-to-face and remote positions.
Staples open position.
11. UnitedHealthGroup
UnitedHealth Group is affiliated with the healthcare business and operates two businesses, UnitedHealthCare and Optum. The Careers page displays a box on the left side that you can check to search for remote jobs.
UnitedHealth Group open position.
12. Verizon
Verizon is one of the largest telecommunications companies in the world. Most of their remote roles are completely remote, but some in-person meetings may be required.
Verizon open position.
13. Walgreens
Walgreens is one of the US leaders in the retail pharmacy business. In addition to prescriptions, you can also find a variety of health and wellness related products. Walgreens has in-store positions and home-based corporate and clinical roles.
Walgreens open position.
14. Working from home vintage expert
Wahve offers two services: The first is to serve as a liaison between insurance companies and experienced professionals who are retiring or are approaching retirement. The second service is to simplify the recruitment process with a platform that provides the best candidates for businesses.
Warb open position.
15. Xerox
Xerox offers a wide range of printing services and products, as well as other solutions to help your organization. Xerox has a virtual office program with over 8,000 home-based employees working.
Xerox open position.
Resources for elderly workers
aarp
AARP has some great career resources you may not know. If you are over 50, you can sign up for free workshops and coaching to help you with your resume, interviews, and job search. You can also use the AARP Job Board tool to search for part-time and full-time positions.
You can also search for companies that have signed AARP employer pledges. AARP Employer Pledge Program is for businesses that value older Americans in the workforce. You can find the complete list of companies here.
CareerOnestop
CareerOnestop has the resources to help people over 55, especially interviews, negotiations, skills initiatives, and consider new career areas.
You can also find suggestions for navigating the common stereotypes you may face as an older worker.
Another useful resource is information about using social media as a job seeker.
5 other useful tips
1. Hire a career coach
If you feel overwhelmed or don’t know how to find the right job or workplace, consider hiring a career coach or consultant. Find a company or coach that works with experts of your age range, such as Midlife Unstuck. A coach or consultant can help you narrow down what you want and provide advice that will help you in your job search and interview process.
2. An information interview will be conducted
Information interviews are a great way to build relationships and discover more about the company’s culture. If you have never heard of the term information interview, you will have an informal discussion with someone in the job, company, or industry that interests you. You don’t want that person to work. You are simply asking a few questions to see if their job or career is right for you.
LinkedIn is a great way to find people to interview. You can do anything that is convenient for the person you are talking to, in person, by phone, email or talking to. You can also ask if your company has a diverse age range.
3. Improve your technical or software skills
Young employment managers may unfairly assume that older workers lack the necessary technical skills. Emphasizing your skills in cover letters, resumes and interviews will help you prove them wrong. You can also take courses and classes to improve your knowledge.
4. Call the elephant in the room
You may think your age is putting you at a disadvantage, but focus on positive things. Call the elephants in the room with your cover letter and interview.
- Be open about the time you want to stay with the organization.
- Share that you are looking for a place to complete your career and not a job hopper.
- Emphasise your flexibility with your schedule and the ability to do full-time or part-time work.
It becomes more common for people to change jobs and businesses every 2-4 years, so sharing what they want to stay for more than five years may be what interviewers might want to hear from job seekers.
5. Sign up for job alerts
Once you find a company you like, sign up for a job alert so you can be notified when a new position becomes available. Sometimes you can do this directly on the “Career” page of the company that searches for open jobs. You could also do this in LinkedIn, FlexJobs, or actually.
Companies hiring wrap-ups for elderly workers
Hopefully you will cherish the skills and experience you bring to your next job and feel more confident back in your job hunt.
Age discrimination is very realistic, but many companies employ older workers, and that’s just about being patient and finding the right one for you.
