Jo Ramirez, left, and Claudia Christa, right, participate in an Interview

Retirement isn’t for everyone.

About 100 seniors learned Thursday what job opportunities are available to them at Douglas County Senior Services’ first job fair.

“There are people who have retired, and they don’t like it,” said John Glassman, executive director. “I’ve heard that several times today and people are asking, ‘How do I begin looking at the world differently?'”

He said the days of retiring at 65 are over. Glassman said baby boomers like himself are living longer, need extra income and may have parents to care for.

Janet Ikenberry, community services manager, helped start the job fair that included a free lunch and music from the band New Horizons.

“Seniors would call and businesses would call, but it would never happen at the same time,” Ikenberry said.

She said the idea was sparked by a client who recently moved from Wichita, where such a fair took place.

About 16 businesses, including Lawrence Memorial Hospital, Midland Care Connection and Cottonwood Inc. were recruiting seniors.

Julie Mettenburg, owner and director of Home Helpers, said retirees might find her company attractive because they can work as little or as much as they want doing things such as cleaning, shopping or assisting with meals in someone’s home.

The fair also provided people the chance to learn some of the basic skills for entering or re-entering the work force.

Linda Lowman, 60, of Lawrence, took advantage of private sessions to learn interviewing skills and how to prepare a resume. Her medical career recently came to an end, and she is looking for another job.

“I’m just asking questions about what services are available,” she said.

Lowman said she also plans to take a computer class at the senior center to take advantage of its free legal counseling.

She said she’s learned that seniors are protected by more laws when it comes to a job, and she wants to know for herself what rights she has.

After a successful turnout, Glassman hopes the job fair will become an annual event.