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Remote part-time job ideas for older people with strong writing/editing skills?

Geneva152·Mar 15, 2023

Posted in:Advice Family & Relationships Job Hunting

Hi Elpha community!

I am seeking advice for my mom (~age 60) about finding a part-time remote job that leverages writing/editing skills, without requiring recent professional experience. Long story short, my mom was my grandmother's full-time caregiver for 7+ years while she battled dementia, and she has been a stay-at-home mom since I was born (I'm 27). Since my grandmother passed away last year, my mom has been trying to find purpose during her days and is interested in finding a remote gig that utilizes her strong communication skills.

Though she has no recent professional experience, she is a naturally gifted writer/editor and worked in newspaper advertising before becoming a stay-at-home mom. I was thinking she could help high school or college students with essay/paper editing, or do something clerical for a government organization, but am not sure how to advise on helping her get started doing something like that. Does anyone have suggestions as to where one can find job listings for this type of work remotely, either freelance or part-time? Thank you!

prettycold·Mar 16, 2023

Lovely to see you wanting to help your mom, and hats off to your mom on taking care of your grandmom. I came across the link, and it has a lot of gems in it. Lot of creative ways of finding writing gigs & tips. I'm sure you'll be able to find something for your mom from that. https://smartblogger.com/freelance-writing-jobs/

Geneva152·Mar 16, 2023

Thank you so much! I will certainly share this info with her. :)

dianaguberman·Mar 17, 2023

I think we can look at organizations that help people who want relaunch think we can look at organizations such as apres, irelaunch, reachire, Path forward.

karenay·Mar 18, 2023

If she's willing to up skill a bit, my initial thoughts are RFP writing or grant writing. Or maybe blog writing for an internal marketing team. I've worked for companies that would hire candidates without a lot of experience as long they can provide strong writing samples that follow the structure and tone of these technical documents.

rachelserwetz·Mar 22, 2023

Hey @Geneva152, given what you're writing, I'd recommend your mom to pursue the process of career exploration, which should be done in completion before any job search. It is a series of steps of practical learning and self-reflection in order to compare, contrast, and clarify which career path she is most confident in pursuing. Specifically, it will help her understand and prioritize which role, industry and environment is the best fit for her. While clarifying your ideal path can never be a quick answer resolved on a thread, it doesn't have to take forever either, or be as daunting as it seems. With 2-3 months, your mom can gain confidence in her direction by ensuring she learns enough about the options and reflect on what it means for her, to find the best possible fit.PS, I’m Rachel, a Career Coach. I’d be happy to discuss this further if you want to hop on a call -- check my profile for how to book time with me. I’m here to help! Talk soon!

GiselleRibeiro·Mar 24, 2023

I’d invite you both to look back at your mothers history as a caregiver, as professional experience. Break down what she did, use the Star method to capture stories of successes, and lessons learned. Caregiving experience, coupled with a writing a journalism background could be the niche market your mother would be a unicorn in.Also, doing some career exploration exercises to better understand her wants, needs etc. can help solidify how you framer her work experience in a sparkly new resume and prepared Q&A’s for interviews. Hope this helps and cheers to you fro helping your mama. Clearly the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.