Part time workers

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I think it depends on the industry.

I purposely picked my major because I knew it was an almost guarantee that I’d be hired full time.

I was hired, full time, almost 2 months before graduation.

It depends on what you are looking to do. I didn’t have much issue because my career field is fairly small and everyone knows everyone.
One of my professors was a former manager in the lab I was hired in and another worked my exact position before he became a professor. My clinical liaison worked part time for the lab I was hired in. It was really easy to be hired because my manager felt like she knew me just from talking to the people I mentioned.

This is an aspect I’m teaching my children. If you want to go to college find a major you can get a job in. Do the research on the major and not necessarily the school. Will you find a job? What is the employment rate in your field of study? Do you need further education with a masters? What is the projected salary? How conducive is it for part time/per diem work when it comes to starting a family or are the hours family friendly?

My salary is pretty good for a new graduate. It’s not phenomenal but it’s something I will live with in order to take advantage of the shorter commute.

For a new graduate I would ask the advice of their professors or do some job fairs if they are looking for a professional position
 
Advice may vary according to what industry you are applying for. I do not do hiring at my company and I don’t have experience in that area but I have given the interview process some thought.

The two major questions are, What does the potential employer want?, and What does the potential employer not want?

They want qualifications. Knowledge or the ability to be trained, physical demands, and organizational skills are examples. Look at their advertisement closely and take each word into account. If it says, “ability to plan”, for example, be prepared to show that you can do this. As a college student, you may have had to plan your curriculum over a multi-year period. If there is not an advertisement, do some thinking or research and compile a list of qualifications.

Things that an employer doesn’t want are attributes like untrustworthiness, tardiness or unreliability, people who gossip and waste time talking, and much more. Managers need predictability and efficiency. Time is a precious commodity that is in short supply. They don’t want anything that eats up the time they have to accomplish their goals.

Managers have to solve problems and problems develop continually. If you are a problem solver and do not require a great deal of managerial aid and support, it could be worth mentioning that you have a higher than normal ability to be autonomous and solve problems which require intelligence but not additional, unavailable resources.

Managers usually carry some skepticism of all potential new employees. They have usually been lied to a lot. Your task is to overcome that skepticism but remember that even poor employees are attempting to do the same by lying. Back up your claims with any evidence. A problem your interviewer is trying to solve is whether they can trust you.

There is lot’s more advice to be found. Good luck.
 
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Then came also publicans to be baptized,
and said unto him, Master, what shall we do?
And John said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you.

And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying,
And what shall we do?
And he said unto them, Do violence to no man,
neither accuse any falsely;
and be content with your wages.

And as the people were in expectation,
and all men mused in their hearts of John,
whether he were the Christ, or not.
 
My take on working part time:

It depends on the reasons the workers are there for part time as well as their age. In my experience, I’ve never run into someone who is working part time b/c they couldn’t find a full time job. Usually they are part time b/c they want to be. The industry I’m in (massage) is often considered a part time field. Physically it’s almost impossible to do 40 hrs of massage a week anyway…25-30 is even stretching it. It’s a hard sweaty job really. It works for me right now b/c I have kids and I don’t want to be out of the house that much. Benefits are pretty much non-existent. Luckily my husband has good benefits so we’re ok there. If I were single there is NO WAY I would waste my time with massage therapy. No sick days, no PTO or vacation…no way. Those are essential. There are some companies out there who do provide benefits for their part time employees…I think if more companies were to do that, they might get people who worked harder. High school kids often don’t need sick days or PTO but for a part time working mom it’s useful. I’m a homebody though and I hate having to be away from my home alot…so even when my kids are all moved out of the house I’ll continue to work part time unless absolutely necessary.

I’ve had mostly part time jobs since I started working at 16. Most of the kids I know who worked in high school did so b/c they wanted their own money. Yes maybe their families weren’t rich but they also weren’t helping to feed them or pay the bills. They used their money how they wanted. So , yes it did help out the parents b/c they didn’t have to buy the kids all these added expenses. However these expenses were often unessential…designer clothes for example. My kids will also get limited part time jobs when they are old enough. I think it’s crucial for them to learn how to manage their money.
 
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See in my experience it was the opposite. I’d say about 75% of part time workers were there because they couldn’t find a full time job. Others had a full time job, but it didn’t pay much and they took on part time work as well. A few were older or retired working part time to supplement retirement income. Actual minors working were very rare, and there was a large proportion of adults with kids or older adults.
 
KCmedtech said:
This is an aspect I’m teaching my children. If you want to go to college find a major you can get a job in. Do the research on the major and not necessarily the school. Will you find a job? What is the employment rate in your field of study? Do you need further education with a masters? What is the projected salary? How conducive is it for part time/per diem work when it comes to starting a family or are the hours family friendly?
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I think this is good advice, but it also saddens me that it is. We’re creating a world where pursuing fields that aren’t “practical” is risky and stupid, because there’s little fall back if you don’t get a job in your field of study. But some of those impractical fields are very good, even if the goods they produce are less tangible.
 
I think it depends on the industry you’re in too. Now that I think about it, I guess I have run across people who work full time jobs but who also part time for extra income . There are therapists who massage a few clients on the side and work a full time job for the benefits and stability…those therapists are more likely to stick with it b/c they feel like massage is a “calling” . I’m pretty cynical about the field anymore and I certainly don’t’ view it as a “calling”…nor am I a “healer” of any sort. There were older people in the retail jobs I worked who were there part time in the evening for various reasons…they often had full time jobs during the day. There was one person who worked 2 full time jobs…about 60 hrs a week total…

Personally I think that trying to get a full time job in a field that pays somewhat well is luck of the draw…a combo of being in the right place at the right time, who you know and the right amount of education AND experience. That’s one of the reasons I stick with massage therapy …it’s a good paying part time job…I’d have to work a lot more hrs if I were to go get a retail or desk job. Right now I think that would compound the stress in my life.
 
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Yes…I have found that a lot of people are in careers b/c of the demand, not b/c they were good at them or liked them. Nursing is in BIG demand but I’d wager that I know a lot of nurses who are in it b/c it’s stable…it’s a stressful field too so there is constant turnover. But you’re almost guaranteed a job at one of hospitals if you have an RN…right out of school. That’s pretty attractive for people.
 
Yes. I studied philosophy. It didn’t give me a job, but it gave me my faith. How much is that worth?

I like living in a society with artists and musicians and philosophers and writers. I want people to have these things, even though I know they don’t tend to lead to a stable job.
 
Or the adjuncts doing the lion’s share of the work at colleges.
 
Get experience. Find a part time job today or volunteer starting on Monday.

Network, join professional groups. Join community organizations. If you are a Catholic man, join the men’s club and the Knights of Columbus. The more people you know, the larger your network.
 
JamesATyler said:
. I have seen a range of tactics used to motivate hourly associates from near concentration camp style and reminding employees that they are easily replaceable, to trying to make the employees feel essential and valuable.
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I once read a Management book where it taught exactly these techniques to potential managers. It’s a trick, it’s not an American thing. Happens in all large companies who send their managers to the same courses where they are being taught this is the right way to manage people “for the well being of the firm”, or even small firms where bosses know how to apply this.
The thing is in most cases, this “replacement” threat they say is a lie. To hire someone new and spend time again to teach them the company’s system of doing things is not cost effective for the company. On the contrary. So the threat is pure lying.
But you can try to find a company who is not so diligent in following this satanic schemes of controlling workers. They all use it but not all abuse of it.
I pray for you that you find a good job where you also are appreciated.
God bless.
 
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If you don’t have much experience, it’s helpful to consult with career services people at your college, and also to go to job fairs, fill out applications and network.
A friend of mine was told by his college student son (now graduated, married and doing well in his career ) that most of the other students at the son’s regional college were completely incapable of presenting themselves decently at a career fair, or of planning for a career at all in the son’s opinion. So a prepared person with some idea what they want to do, good personality and professional really stood out.
 
That’s a Marxist error (economically speaking). Yes, technology does put some people out of work, but in turn, it creates new jobs as demand emerges for things that didn’t exist before. Consider, the most valuable publicly-traded company in the world, Amazon, is dependent on a technology that didn’t exist 30 years ago (i.e. internet).
 
What worries me most is we’re creating a situation where you need either a degree or experience in order to get a job that you can live off of. Especially when combined with the way aid is set up, it’s almost impossible to go to college if your parents don’t want to help.
 
Well, let’s hope that remains true because I don’t think they are going stop automating what can be automated.
 
Experts predict fully immersive virtual reality within ten years.
 
Good. That will make life a lot less physically demanding for everyone and cut out the commute to work.
 
DarkLight said:
See in my experience it was the opposite. I’d say about 75% of part time workers were there because they couldn’t find a full time job
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If that’s the case then, how can we promote enough good full-time employment opportunities for those who want to pursue them? Opportunities for those who wish to grab them?
 
The problem is whether the economy will support enough “good” jobs that everyone who wants one and is willing to work for one (within reason) can get one. I think it might be better to encourage having benefits available to part-time workers, thus removing the incentive to keep them part time. The way it works now, if you have 2 employers in town who each need 120 hours worth of labor per week, it’s cheaper for each of them to employ the same 6 people for 20 hours a week each, than for each to employ 3 at 40 hours a week.
 
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