Taking the Temporary Job or Part-Time Position

Always be networking

I am always looking for work and looking to build my business. The commonality with these activities is networking. To be successful in job search and growing a services business I ALWAYS need to be networking – building new relationships with people. At the last part-time role I had, I was able to parlay 5 interviews with 5 companies simply by networking with the customers I served. You too need to be networking and these roles are perfect for accessing people you don’t already know!

Income generation 

But such short-term positions can go beyond just the simple answer of “networking.” The other obvious reason to seek what can be loosely defined as under-employment – either working fewer hours or for less money or in a lower-level position – is cashflow or income. If given the choice between such a position or not having food on the table, I think most of you would be willing to take any job for the money. Generating even a small income can help maintain financial stability by covering living expenses and reducing financial stress.

Flexibility

Usually, these types of positions by their nature come with greater flexibility for your time. In the case of retail positions, you can work evenings or weekends leaving much of the business week to job search. Often these roles do not require your presence or full attention 5 days per week, 8 hours per day allowing time to conduct your job search. Employers can, at times, be more forgiving of unscheduled time off because they recognize you are not necessarily with them for the long-term.

Skills and experience enhancing

I usually do not lightly advocate taking “any job.” Let’s be strategic about the jobs we consider. Often, these jobs are great for maintaining or enhancing skills. Seek out opportunities within your chosen field and industry.  It may be by working in a lesser role for a brief period or part-time, you will learn the missing skill needed for the full-time role or gain the added experience employer’s desire. These jobs can help you keep up with or learn industry trends and knowledge.

Maintaining a work ethic

Having a job is great for your mental health. Just getting up to go to work, getting out of the house and interacting with people can be motivating. Continuing to work helps you stay mentally and professionally active. A side benefit is the lack of stress and corporate politicking. Imagine being able to go to work simply to work without caring about all the issues of stepping on someone’s toes or insulting the wrong person or needing to make friends with people you don’t really like anyway? This is not to say we act unprofessionally, but there is something freeing and de-stressing about not needing to be concerned about such things. Which leads me to … many employers will want to hire you because you are already demonstrating a strong, positive, and professional work ethic simply by engaging in such employment.

Employment Gaps and desired roles

These jobs can do more than just be time fillers for your resume, though that can be important too. So often these jobs lead to other full-time roles. About 40% of my clients who take short-term contract roles wind up with a full-time position at the company. Consider these as long interview processes where the employer is trying you out before hiring you. Plus, you become the inside candidate with more knowledge of the company and can learn of coming openings before they are advertised, giving you the inside track into the role.

Exploring new career paths

For many of my clients, these jobs are their opportunity to “try before they buy.” That is, it can be a great way to experience a new career direction without jumping all in to find you hate the work. Sometimes these jobs will even open your eyes to new options you had not considered as you learn more about the industry or field. Further, you will likely learn more about your employment strengths and weaknesses.

I see contract, part-time, and temporary roles as opportunities to grow, often fulfilling two goals. It helps with cashflow, and income needs while still allowing time dedicated to finding a better solution to your situation. Usually, my clients using this solution work the job between 50%-80% of their business day and spend the remainder doing job search activities. And be honest with yourself, are you REALLY spending 40 hours per week productively seeking employment?

Not forever positions

Make no mistake, I am in no way suggesting that these become forever or even long-term jobs. This is a stop-gap measure to help get through a rough patch. I have done this each of the 3 times I was long-term unemployed. I chose to work in retail – at Macy’s in a commissioned sales role. The advertised pay was minimum wage with the opportunity to earn more for high sales. While I know sales may not be your thing, I am pretty good at it; and my income was typically 2 to 3 times the minimum wage for the role each pay period. It was a no-stress job – I went in, I did my job, I kept my head down and nose clean, and I worked hard. As a result, I was hired back without an interview. While there, I gained numerous new networking connections, garnered interviews for jobs I wanted, and benefited from the emotional and financial value of working. All while still conducting a professional job search for my ideal role.

Give it a try. You just may be surprised by what it does for you. If you need some resources to help find these roles, let me know. I have them for you!