Dunnan on Dollars

  Personal Finance Tips from Nancy Dunnan

Part-Time Work

Six Tips to Find a Job

October 24, 2008 - Recent economic events may mean you need to make money -- perhaps to catch up on losses in your IRA or 401(k). Or perhaps you've lost your job.

Six simple suggestions...

(1) Want ads

Begin by looking at the help wanted ads in your local newspaper, checking under categories of interest and/or those in which you've had previous experience. Some papers also have a "Part-Time" category.

(2) Local businesses

Then contact businesses in your area that traditionally hire part-time workers, such as fast food stores, hotels, motels, restaurants. Schools use part-timers as crossing guards, bus drivers, in cafeterias and as substitute teachers. Perhaps you qualify to be a part-time instructor at a community college or YMCA/YWCA.

The health care field continually needs workers for hospitals, clinics, doctor's office, laboratories and in patients' homes.

If you have a good driving record, think about using your skill. Drivers are needed for limousines, school buses, medical transport vehicles. Check with www.RetirementJobs.com. Type in your ZIP code and the word "driver" to see listings.

(3) Think seasonally

As we approach the holidays, retail stores need extra workers; so do museum gift shops. Resorts hire additional workers during ski season and again during the summer to work in their restaurants, hotels, spas and to give ski, tennis, swimming and sailing instructions.

Come January, tax preparers need people with accounting skills or simply to answer the phone and undertake secretarial work.

(4) Turn to a temp agency

Get in touch with the temp agencies listed in your yellow pages. Temps often become part- or full-time employees. Manpower, for example, which has offices around the world, handles part-time positions. Find the telephone number for your local office in your phone book or at www.manpower.com. The web site supplies the address, telephone and fax numbers, email address and office hours for each branch.

(5) Go online

Online services can be very helpful. For example, AARP and RetirementJobs.com have joined forces to help people 50+ find part-time work. At www.aarp.org/jobs searching by type of work and location is free.

The national franchise 10 til 2 (877-999-1022, www.tentiltwo.com) helps college educated people find part-time positions, also for free.

Mom Corps (888-438-8122, www.momcorps.com) assists women in finding part-time work and contract-based assignments. There's no charge for posting your resume.

If you have been an executive or have marketing or accounting skills, get in touch with Flexible Executives (800-864-2612, www.flexibleexecutives.com). There's a one-time fee of $300.

(6) Volunteer

Finally, consider volunteering at a non-profit, making it known that if a part-time position opens up, you wish to be considered.

- Nancy Dunnan

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If you want to suggest a column topic for Nancy, drop her a line.

Like what Nancy has to say? you might be interested in the new edition of her book:
How To Invest $50 To $5,000: The Small Investor's Step By Step Plan for Low-Risk, High-Value Investing