One of the truly disheartening things for Boomers is finding yourself out of a job for a long time and looking for another one. The sad truth is that, even with expertise and experience, Boomers are largely discriminated against by American companies. Their short-sighted view is that Boomers cost too much; they can hire younger, less experienced workers at lower wages. Some subtle and some not-so-subtle age discrimination is levied against over 50 job seekers and there is little that can be done about it.

So what productive action can you take if you're over 50, you want a job, and you've been out of work for some time? Career counselor Marc Miller has some good advice.

Marc says anyone over 50 who has been unemployed for over six months should seriously consider becoming self-employed. He points out that we are rapidly moving toward a "contractor based economy." Depending on your skills and interests, you are likely to find some type of work that you can do on a contract basis. Considering contract, temporary, or part-time work makes sense and will be easier to find, in Marc's view.

Another good suggestion of Marc's is to volunteer when you are unemployed for a long time. He says volunteering can be valuable in a number of ways, including:

• Build your self esteem
• Build on your brand image
• Create a portfolio of your life work
• Improve your marketable skills.

Marc shares several other sound ideas in his article, which you can read here: 
https://careerpivot.com/2013/you-are-over-50-and-long-term-unemployed-what-do-you-do/