Part-time jobs: Take two, they’re small

Have you noticed that you don’t always know what you’re thinking until you say it out loud?

In a radio interview last week, Minnesota Public Radio’s “Midmorning” host, Kerri Miller, asked me what job seekers should do to survive in this economy.

My answer surprised me. I replied that job seekers need to take the first thing they can lay their hands on, including part-time jobs. For me, the surprise was that I had slipped into “recession mode.”

My experience with bad job markets has been both personal and vicarious. Coming out of college in the early 1980s — in what has been dubbed one of the country’s worst employment eras — I patched together a comical array of jobs, from selling barter club memberships to serving breakfast at a restaurant to working the night shift on a college security team.

I also cleaned houses, painted apartments and tiled bathrooms. Until I started my career counseling service in 1985 (a comical choice, given my own career), there was no job or shift I wouldn’t consider.

AMY LINDGREN

WORKING STRATEGIES

My company wasn’t an instant success, however, and I found myself supplementing receivables with a new batch of jobs. The overnight shift loading trucks at UPS was a mixed bag — it didn’t interfere with client meetings, but it left me exhausted. I discovered that a paper route served my needs better. I even stocked pantyhose in stores one night a week, for two long years. The bonus? A decent supply of a product I never wear. Sigh.

I didn’t realize during those years that I was being shaped by my experiences. But these days nearly every counseling session or workshop I conduct is underpinned by my deep belief that we can find work, if we remove some of our self-imposed restrictions. When people tell me they can’t work the night shift, or can’t pick up a weekend job, I understand. No one wants to be on a survival plan, and nearly everyone would prefer one full-time job over two or three part-time positions.

But what we want to do and what we need to do? Not always the same. For me the question is this: What do you have that you want to keep? Is it your house, or your annual vacation? Or something more heart-wrenching, like your health insurance? Whatever your list contains, the next question is straightforward: What is your plan to keep (or achieve) these things? Because without a plan, you will not succeed.

While you’re building that plan, here are a few ideas to consider:

1. Take a part-time job, whether you’re already working or not. Remember, though, that these jobs are the least likely to be advertised. To find them, go to the businesses you have chosen and speak with the manager.

2. Watch for “micro” jobs. These are the two-hours-a-week gigs that can really add up. For example, maybe the local coffee shop could use you just once a week when things are busiest.

3. Leverage your assets. If you have a spare room, you have a potential money-maker in terms of a housemate.

4. Look for extra money in your current job. If you’re working now, the simplest way to boost income might be to take on more hours, pick up overtime or add new duties.

You can do this. We can do this. Make your plan and plan for success. Things will turn around and you want to hold your position until that happens.

- Amy Lindgren owns Prototype Career Service, a career consulting firm in St. Paul, Minn. She can be reached at alindgren@prototypecaree rservice.com or at 1071 W. Seventh St., St. Paul, MN 55102.