The Benefits of Working Part Time

Want more money?

Retired and want to keep busy?

Already have a job but want another to help pay the bills or for those little extras?

Think about working part-time.

Doing what?

What do you want to do?

What can you do?

How much time do you have?

How much energy?

Here’s a suggestion: Sit down with a piece of paper and a pencil, or at your computer keyboard. Write this question at the top of the page: “Why I Want to Work Part-Time.”

If you can, write the answer in one, or at most two, sentences. “Make more money.” Perfectly good. “Get out of the house.” Also good, especially for active retirees. If you can’t answer this in a few words, you need to think about it some more. This is your motivation-the place to start.

Next, start listing everything you can do. What experience do you have? At anything.

Flipping burgers?
Writing poetry?
Digging holes?
Pounding nails?
Selling things?
Managing multimillion dollar projects?
It doesn’t matter what you put down because you never know what will turn up that fits you.

Then, when you have exhausted all your experience, start thinking about what you’d like to do. Go ahead-be ambitious! Notice I said “âÂ?¦what you’d like to doâÂ?¦” Not what you’d like to be (which could be “rich and famous”), but what you can see yourself doing. Now write down these things. Could be that there are things on this list that you have no experience with; maybe never even thought of before. Great! This is especially true if you have worked for years at one job and just want to try something new-something that looks interesting.

(Note: This next part is for “retirees,” so if you don’t qualify, skip this and go on to the next one.)

For “Retirees”

Notice that “Retirees” is in quotes. Why?

Because many people choose to “retire” early, like around age 62 or so. With our life expectancy continually rising, this is early. We are still healthy, active, and generally not content to, as the saying goes, “Sit around drinking beer and watching TV.” We all have friends and relatives well into their 70s or even 80s who are active, healthy, vigorous, and fully engaged with life.

A friend of mine was an avid golfer. Six months after he “retired” I asked him how his golf game was. “I don’t know,” he replied, “I haven’t had time to play!”

Is this you?

You’ve spent a good part of your life doing one thing, so maybe “retirement” only means that now you have a stable income from your retirement plan and Social Security, and you can do something else. Upon his retirement, I asked a co-worker what he planned to do. “Whatever I want to!” was his answer. Some take up a new sport, probably not skateboarding, but who knows?

Others find they now have the time to do some things they just didn’t have time for when working full time outside the home. Hobbies like gardening, photography, even reading are now possible.

But others need some outside interaction, not to mention some extra income. Think about it this way: If you have a stable retirement income from whatever sources, you can afford to work at something that doesn’t pay as much as you used to make, just because it looks interesting. Or maybe you really do need the extra income. Working part-time may be just the thing.

Me?

I “retired” after 30 years of working in California civil service. It wasn’t long until I wanted something more to do outside the home, so I started by looking in the newspaper classified advertisements for things that looked interesting. In eight years, here’s what I have done:

> Real estate photography-took those pictures you see in the real estate tabloids.

> Shoe sales in a department store.

> Security guard at a gated community and a hospital.

> Inventory taker for a market research firm.

> Hardware store associate.

> Community college instructor.

> Support staff (typing, filing, answering phones, going to meetings) for a community development agency.

> Civil Grand Jury foreman.

> Furniture salesman.

And the best one of all:

> Winery tasting room host!

What experience did I have for these jobs?

None! Why did I take them?

Simply because at the time they looked interesting, maybe fun, and to make a few dollars to boot. Let’s be realistic: Most part time jobs won’t pay much, probably around minimum wage. Maybe just enough to pay for transportation, but that’s not why I took them.

The key words here are “interesting,” “fun” and “make a few dollarsâÂ?¦” Notice where I found these jobs: in the newspaper. In one case we had gone furniture shopping and I saw the “Help Wanted” notice on the front door of the store. “Why not?
” I asked. I applied and got the job. You might well ask, “What’s the matter?

Couldn’t hold a job? ” In all cases I left each job either because the contract term was over, we had moved, or I had learned what I wanted to know about that particular job.

The point is that anyone can continue working outside the home-you can do it if you want to.

For Anyone

Now that we’ve discussed retirees by whatever term we want to use, let’s talk about everyone else. By “everyone else” I mean “everyone else.” What a concept! Let’s list a few situations just to prime the pump:

> A high school student looking for your first job-or maybe a better one than you have.

> A full-time parent whose children are all in school most of the day.

> Someone with a full time job, but who needs the extra income.

> Someone who wants to make some extra money during a holiday season.

> One household member who wants to supplement the family income.

> You’ve been out of the workforce for a while and want to catch up.

> You’re independently wealthy, but want to see what “working” is all about.

You get the point. Now let’s look at some things you need to consider.

First, now that you’ve listed what you can do and what you want to do, start looking at the “help wanted” ads in your local newspaper, but don’t be limited by your lists, look at all the ads. Often something catches your eye and you say “I could do that!” Go for it.

Second, be skeptical. Be aware of the old saying, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!” Ads promising lots of money for little or no work may be just the opposite-lots of hours but not much money. “Appointment setters-no selling!” sounds like fun, but be careful. One cartoon character put it this way: “If I could make $50,000 in my spare time, why don’t I do it full time? “

Third, when you decide to apply for part time work, be fully prepared. Have a resume, even if you haven’t much to report. Your prospective employer will be impressed with your businesslike approach. Even though you might be applying for work loading boxes on a dock, go for the job interview dressed well-“shoes shined and a fresh haircut.” You want the boss to see a person who will be a credit to his/her business. And don’t forget-part time sometimes works into full time! With pay and benefits yet!

Fourth, and I don’t know why you’d need to be told this, but if you have an appointment, SHOW UP ON TIME! Show your prospective employer that you are dependable, reliable, and want to work. So what if it’s just part time?
Employers don’t advertise for people if they don’t need the help, and they will hire the person who gives out the impression that they will provide the help they need. Stumbling in wearing a torn T-shirt & ragged jeans mumbling “I need a job” just won’t get it.

Working from home

With nearly everyone having a computer with Internet connections, working from home is a very real possibility. As you scan the want ads, some will even say things like “Work from homeâÂ?¦”

The key here is your own discipline. If you want to stumble down the stairs in your PJs, pour a cup of coffee, and light up your computer, fine. You can do that. If you want to work from 11:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m., you can do that. You must be prepared to produce the work product you signed up for. But this is a subject for a whole other discussion. Some people are well suited for producing a work product without the hovering presence of a “boss,” others are not. Only you can tell which you are.

Getting Paid

Now we’re almost at “the bottom line.” This is one of the major reasons why you’re even considering part time work. If you go to work for an employer with regular hours at or from a single location, you can expect to receive a regular pay check-deductions and all. If you work from home, you may have to submit a detailed accounting of the hours you worked and what you produced. You may be considered an “independent contractor,” which means you are responsible for all of your own expenses. You are not an “employee,” and thus not covered by many of the protections of paid employees. However, you do have the freedom to negotiate your compensation, hours of work, product, and so on.

The pay?

Be prepared to accept minimum wage, or even below that if your job allows tipping from your customers. At any rate, you might not think you’re getting what you’re worth, but then whatever you get is more than you were getting, right?
Minimum wage laws are set by Federal government regulations and change from time to time, and state and local laws also apply. Your local market area will also affect your wages-some areas pay more (or less) than others, so you will have to find out for yourself what applies in your area.

The Bottom Line

This one is easy-you have listed the reason or reasons why you want to work part time, and you have listed all of your knowledge, skills, and experience.

You know what you’d like to do. You’ve prepared a resume, or at least something that describes who you are, what you have done, and what you can contribute to a prospective employer. You’ve started scanning the classified ads in the newspaper and looking for “Help Wanted” signs. What’s left?

Go for it! Good luck in your job hunting!