How to Find A Part Time Job

There are tons of ways to find out about part-time jobs that are available in your area. Here are just a few:

Word-of-mouth
Make connections with other seniors who have part-time jobs. Talk to them about their jobs and find out what types of businesses are hiring retirees. You can also make connections with other adults who could possibly let you know about job opportunities in their companies. If you’re lucky, they can put in a good word for you and get your foot in the door!

Check the newspapers
Look in the classified ads of your local newspaper. There you will find listings of local job openings in just about every field. You can also find phone numbers of businesses you can call for information on available jobs for retirees.

Visit local businesses
Stop in and talk to managers at local businesses. Tell them that you’re looking for a job and ask them what types of opportunities they have available in the near future.

Search the Internet
Many companies post job openings on the Internet. Use job search sites, such as www.monster.com, to locate part-time jobs in your area. Just type in a keyword for the kind of job you are looking for, such as, “cashier,” “waiter,” or “sales associate,” and listings for available jobs based on the criteria you select will be displayed.

Flip through the Yellow Pages
Looking through the Yellow Pages can give you a perfect idea of the types of businesses there are in your area. If something looks interesting, all you have to do is call the number and ask if they are hiring. They will be able to tell you what you should do to go about getting a job with their company.

Start your own business
Be creative and start a business of your own. That doesn’t mean going out and buying your own car factory. It just means finding a service that your community needs and using your talents and “smarts” to make it happen. This could be mowing lawns in the summer or even your own personal greeting card business. There is no better way to show your initiative and leadership skills than to create a business yourself!

How to Find A Job Fast Even if Retired

There are times when it's not a matter of finding the best job, but finding a job period, and finding it fast. Those types of times are upon us, and using the usual means of sending your cover letter and resume out don't work if you need something quickly. So here are some tips on what you can do when you need to land a job like yesterday.

The first secret to finding a job quickly is to understand that starting at the beginning doesn't work, we need to tap into already existing circumstances in order to do it quickly.

One way that works is to look at the networks you already have; whether professional or personal. Many times these networks aren't really tapped that often or even thought of as networks because they may be people you just hang out with in general, or professional ties you've connected with before you retired.

But when it comes to finding a job quickly, forget about anything but letting people know you're looking for a job and that you're willing to work at just about anything to get it.

Remember, you're trying to get a job in a very difficult market. That requires lowering expectations in order to survive until things turn around. When you are looking for jobs for retirees don't look for jobs that generally older people have. In the tough job market we are in today, people of all ages are fighting for the same jobs.

The key point it to identify networks you already have and don't assume they don't have any value in job hunting. Anyone has the potential to know about a job available somewhere. Just start asking and you'll be surprised at how many opportunities start to turn up.

If you're too fussy at a time like this, then in reality, you're really not trying to get hired quickly, you're acting like we're in a normal hiring environment, which we're not. So you must be flexible in this type of economic situation, and if you're not, you're going to end up having to be one way or the other. Better to do it right away than be brought to the place of having absolutely no option but to take the first thing that comes your way.

How about your neighbors

If you have had some contact with neighbors, they can make an excellent source of information for possible job openings. They also talk to one another a lot, so if you ask one about it, they can spread the word around the neighborhood and you're sure to get a hit quickly.

Local pals

We tend to put our net way too far at times we're looking for jobs, and if we have the time to do that, it works great, but when we need a job quick, local is probably the best place to spread the word.

So any of your friends can be sources for job opportunities, and don't fail to let them know you're looking. Almost all of this is about communication, and the more you communicate locally, the better chances at getting a job quick.

Organizational Ties

Most of us belong to some type of organization or another; whether church or what have you, and there are a lot of people you can let know that you are job hunting, and that can very quickly generate legitimate job possibilities in a hurry. Just get the word of mouth going and get out of the way.

Former managers or supervisors

Assuming you're on good terms with former bosses, they are a great source for job openings; not only for where they work, but they are always in contact with other businesses and managers that are looking for people. You never know, if you left on good terms with them, they offer you a job then and there.

This one almost always works

I've had to apply this strategy to my job searches in the past when I was getting desperate, and that's to go to a local mall and start applying.

Many times you don't have to go store to store, but can find an answer desk where any store in the mall that is looking for workers has that information available.

While that's what I would try first, I would still try individual stores if there's not much there, as many stores don't immediately post job opportunities, and so you could walk into one without any competition to battle for the job. This can be one of the fastest ways to get a job if you are getting right down to it.

Online job searches

You would have thought I would have listed this first, but with needing a job quickly, the Internet, in many cases, is much slower to respond, and you may have to go through many hoops to get something.

So because the parameters we're talking about is securing a job quickly, we can't rely on the Internet for that.

Now having said that, I would still put out my application, but I would it in conjunction with my local networks and searches. If you don't you'll find yourself getting deeper in financial trouble waiting for an online opening or response, which probably is the most competitive and time consuming out there.

Follow these numerous strategies and you should be able to get a job for retired quickly and start bringing in some much needed income.

(Source: Ellen Stevens)