As far as an employee is concerned, there are several advantages in having a portion of the workforce employed in this way. If trade picks up, there is a pool of skilled labor able to help out by working a few extra hours during peak periods. It also means that there is a better chance of covering the work of staff who are absent because of illness or annual leave. Part-time staff, who work extra hours are often paid at their hourly rate whereas full-time staff would demand time and a half payment for overtime.
None of this should put you off applying for a part-time job. The arrangement you make with the boss may be ideal for both of you provided that, from the outset, you both clearly understand the hours of work and the days on which you are supposed to attend. You may need to explain the extent to which you can be flexible and your working limits. If your employer knows that you have to collect your child from school at half past three every afternoon, you won't be put in the embarrassing position of having to refuse to work beyond that time. For your part, you must accept that your employer needs you at work on the days and time you have agreed. When you are at work, you must give the same commitment and energy per hour as any full-time employee. Your hours of work may be part-time but your commitment to the job must be unquestionable.
When looking for part-time work, you often have to spread your net wide. Some employers don't bother to advertise. They rely on existing staff to suggest suitable candidates or they keep a file of letters from people who have written in asking about part-time opportunities. They are often able to recruit part-time staff from among their own workforce. Women, for example, sometimes prefer to take a part-time option for a few years while they bring up a family. If you are looking for part-time work, tell your friends to let you know if they hear of any. Check newsagents' notice boards, and the smaller classified ads in the local press. You might even think of putting in an advertisement yourself.
Finally, you could team up with another job hunter seeking part-time work and apply for full-time jobs on a job-share basis, which is becoming more common nowadays. It could be an intriguing possibility for an employer.
Permanent employment
Whether we like it or not the idea of permanent employment, as it was understood by our fathers and grandfathers, is gone for good. Whatever job you hope to get, it probably won't see you through your working life. The chances are that you'll change your company as well as your job but, even if you remain with the same firm, your work will be transformed during the course of the next 10 or 15 years. For many of us 'permanent employment' will be achieved only through our ability to move between jobs with the minimum of anxiety or unemployment.
Permanent jobs are becoming harder to find and short-term contracts are on the increase. They allow an organization to make rapid adjustments to the size, shape and scale of operation in response to the changing business environment. Think carefully if you are offered a short-term contract; don't dismiss it immediately. Short-term work can look good on a CV if it is with a prestigious company, and in a dynamic successful organization it could be a safer bet than a so-called permanent job in a company which has its back to the wall. In a world where change is the only permanent feature, getting a job has to be a little like playing chess; you need to think one or two moves ahead. What extra skills and experience will this job give me? What new doors will it open up? Does this job move me further towards my goals? If you are unemployed, a short-term contract of even just two months is worth considering.
Further information
Managing Your Career in a Changing Workplace, Jane Ballback and Jan Slater (Kogan Page, 1998)
Portfolio Working: A practical guide to thriving in a changing work-place, Joanna Grigg (Kogan Page, 1997)
