How to Find a Part Time Job – Guide for Dads

Around 8 million people in the UK work part time – that’s almost a quarter of the working population. So there are obviously lots of roles out there. But as a dad looking for a new part-time role to give you more time with the family, how do you go about finding a suitable job?

Play to your strengths

If you already have desirable job skills, such as a background in one industry sector (e.g. retail or healthcare), management experience, or familiarity with various software packages, you’ll want to build on those strengths as you launch your job hunting effort.

But even with a work history that’s a bit short on killer skills, you can still stand out. The basic rule is to paint a picture of how your previous work has taught you valuable lessons that will be useful in the jobs you’re applying for.

Look in the right places

A quick search on a job site will give you a sense of where most of the part-time roles are in your local area. They are often customer adviser roles, retail positions, warehouse workers and drivers. Finding more specialist positions is a case of using the search filters effectively.

But if you’re looking for a more specific role in a field where you’ve previously worked full time, you might need to be more creative in your search. A lot of positions just aren’t advertised on the major job sites.

Check the trade media

A lot of roles are listed on the websites of magazines and news publications that focus on a specific industry sector. In the UK there are publications for most jobs, from catering to insurance, HR to logistics. Many companies will advertise their roles on these sites. You can also try niche jobsites which specialise in advertising flexible and part time jobs – such as Workingdads.co.uk

Register with a recruitment agency

Recruitment companies are there to match candidates with jobs, and they will be the first to know of roles coming up. Once you’re on their books, they will also seek out potential vacancies for you – helping you with the search. Try WMRecruit who specialise in flexible and contract roles.

Use your network

There are more dads than ever taking part-time roles to have more time at home. Seek them out at nursery pick-up, school playground and in your social circle to find out what they do and how they found the job. Talking to old colleagues and friends is often very fruitful in turning up vacancies or opportunities you hadn’t considered.

Ask the question

If the job you want to do is more commonly full-time, it costs you nothing to enquire about whether there are any options for part-time working. The role could work equally well as a job share. It might be something the employer hasn’t even considered.

It’s better to enquire in advance rather than bring it up in an interview, though. A recruitment agent or an in-house HR person can ask the job owner whether part-time is an option. If so, great, and if not, then there’s no interview time wasted.

Think broadly

Working part time isn’t the only option if you want a better work-life balance. There are a lot of homeworking options out there, including part time and family-friendly franchise opportunities, and self-employment opportunities that might be the perfect solution for you.

We wish you all the best with the search!

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