Michelle was invited by Women’s Day magazine to share her tips, in this article, on how to find part-time work.
You may want to ease into retirement, or are seeking shorter working hours because you need to spend more time with children or ageing parents. Whatever the reason, if you’ve seeking part-time or more flexible work, here are some tips to get you on track.
Think ahead
It’s often easier to get flexible work in the organisation you are already working for. If you are keen to go part-time, give you boss plenty of notice so they have time to consider and plan.
If they are hesitant about how it may work, offer to go part-time on a trial basis so you can demonstrate to them that it can work. If you are doing this on a trial basis, be clean on the duration and how you are both going to assess whether it’s been effective.
Make the ask
The saying, “If you don’t ask, you won’t get it” often rings true in the workplace. You need to be willing to ask for flexible working and have your case spelt out as to why it benefits the organisation and how it can work.
As you do this, highlight what you bring to the role. If you have the skills, experience and attitude the organisation is looking for, they will be more willing to find ways to make it work.
Find the options
There are many forms of part-time work. It may be working fewer hours (traditional part-time), working the same hours but over fewer days (a compressed working week), or working to deliver a defined piece of work for a fixed rate (consulting or contract work).
Know what type of work you are looking for, as there are different conditions and stability options.
For example, moving from a short-term contract to another contract has higher levels of job insecurity. The upside is you can decided how much time you want off between each piece of work.
Be reasonable
The more flexible you are, the easier it will be to find part-time work. Strive to not be too rigid in what you are looking for. If you can accommodate your potential employer’s needs and make yourself highly valued in the workplace, it’s easier to negotiate what you want.
For example, you may want to consider being open to taking on more hours during peak periods for your organisation. If that’s that case, make that clean to your prospective employer during the hiring process.