Survey Money Machine

New York Part Time Jobs - A Strategy to Find a Part Time Job in the Big City

The good news: your job is safe:

The bad news is you may need to take a 30% cut in your salary to keep it.

You need extra income.

You need a part-time job (or maybe even multiple part time jobs).

In a down market, part time job hunting is harder to do than when times are good. However there is a very good likelihood that with the right mindset, hard work, flexibility and a little creativity, you can find something that will help you make ends meet.

Attitude is Everything

If you believe you will fail, you will. But if you believe in yourself and that you can succeed, you might just do so. Before you get to "welcome aboard," lots of people and computers will reject you. Don't take it personally -- it will only slow you down in getting the job you want.

What You'll Need to Start Your Part Time Job Search

For your part-time job, you're going to need an up-to-date resume, a computer with a high-speed Internet connection, and a telephone. With a part-time job, your focus should be more on finding something that fits into your schedule and fits into your abilities, than job type preferences.

You're going to need a quiet place where you can conduct employment research, free from interference or interruption. Public libraries are great for this, especially if you have a laptop and can find a study carrel with good cellular reception.

Don't conduct your job search from a loud coffee shop because when you get a call from potential employer, you don't want to sound unprofessional. Similarly, you do not wish to lose your current job while searching for your part-time position, so it's a good idea to avoid any activities related to your job search from your current place of employment. Do not use your office phone number or your office e-mail for your job search activities.

A personal and private email address

It is highly advisable to set up a separate e-mail account for your job search activities. Some employers can and will monitor corporate email activity, so when you send a "private" email from work, chances are it's not really private.

Free accounts are available from any number of online service providers such as Google, Yahoo and Microsoft. Be very careful when using public computers: set up your account on a trusted machine and be sure to log out of your email account if you leave the machine even for a moment.

Armed with a carefully read over resume, inspected multiple times to make sure that there is not a single error, a solid polite letter of introduction that can be quickly customized to any particular position, it is now time to plan your search. Many job candidates do not get a position because their contact information had the wrong phone number or address.

Planning your search is as important, if not more important, than anything else you will do to find a new position. You can submit your resume to 1000 positions as a part-time welder, if there is no welding experience on your resume, you will not get a single call, because a computer search for welder, never saw your name. The only part-time jobs, to which you will get any response are for those requiring no experience. It follows that if you are seeking a position requiring a certain amount of experience; your well-crafted, well-written and typographically correct resume must actually contain something to indicate your ability to do a particular job.

Time to hit the job boards

There are literally hundreds of online job-search websites. Understanding how these sites work, what jobs they list, and what jobs they don't list is very important. Job search engine sites, such as monster.com and careerbuilder.com have millions of listings for positions. There are also websites like indeed.com and simplyhired.com that amalgamate jobs from multiple search engines, all in one place.

Find an online job board that works well for you and use it. They also have many listings for part-time positions. The key to success with these websites is to make sure your searches are extremely narrow in their geographical focus, as well as in the kinds and types of positions you're looking for. The hardest part and finding useful listings will stem from not having enough information about what times. The employer needs part-time help. Here, it helps to have a plan. If your current position requires you to work in an office during the day, a retail position on the weekends or restaurants in the evening will make the most sense for you. Target your search to jobs that fit your availability.

In addition to the general sites, there are a variety of vertically targeted job search engines that focused on particular markets, types kind of jobs, and compensation. Try searching Google for "your town job board" (e.g. "New York job board") or "your field job board" (e.g. "medical assistant job board").

Time to network

Your online search and submission on the job boards is only half the job. Networking is a critical part of any and every job hunt. Always have your resume with you and call everyone you know or have ever met to see if they know of any positions for you. Most jobs never appear on the job search engines. While you are networking with people, don't forget to ask the person for referrals to other people they know. Think of yourself as a salesman and the product you are selling is you.

The good thing about having a resume out there is a recruiter might see it and offer you a full-time position. Instead of having to juggle two jobs, you might find a new job better than the one where you just took a pay cut.

Warnings

The bad news is that posting to job boards releases an explosion of spam, dishonest offers, false offers, and offers for unneeded or unwanted services. The rule of thumb is: if is not an offer for a specific position with specified wages, treat it like toxic waste. If the person calling is offering you an "opportunity" or "help with your resume" it is an opportunity for them, not you.

Keep applying

Keep posting to job boards and keep networking; persistence and diligence are the keys to success. Just because you have three interviews is irrelevant. Keep going until you have a job you like that pays what want and fits your schedule. The best time to look for a job is when you have a job. Keep looking until you have a position that meets your needs and pays your bills.


-Martin Craigs for AllNY.com


Bookmark and Share

Resources