Best of Both Worlds: How to Find a Part-Time, Work-From-Home Job
Wherever you are on your career path, a part-time job can be the perfect way to earn extra money and try out new industries and fields.
And when you combine the benefits of a part-time job with being able to work from home, you maximize your ability to bring in supplemental income while maintaining flexibility to balance work with family and other life responsibilities and goals. Now that’s a win-win!
Millennials, in particular, value flexible work and the ability to work from home or remotely while traveling. Finding a part-time, work-from-home job can put a healthy work-life balance within your reach if you know where and how to look.
Here’s how to achieve part-time, remote job search success.
6 Ways to Find a Part-Time, Work-From-Home Job
Before you start firing off applications, follow these six tips.
1. Hone Your Job Search Strategy
As you begin your search for a part-time, remote job, it’s important to know exactly what kind of role you’re looking for, beginning with how many hours you can work.
Though definitions vary based on the employer, part-time work is generally less than 35 hours per week. You’ll have to decide which (and how many) hours will best fit into your current schedule.
For example, do you want a set schedule with specific hours (such as 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.), or would you rather have a flexible schedule that allows you to work when you’re available? It all depends on what else you are working around.
“If you are working another full-time job and this part-time job is just supplemental, you want to make sure that you are looking for something that has a flexible schedule or hours so that you can ensure the work fits around your other job,” says FlexJobs Career Coach Cidnye Work.
To stay focused, it’s also important to explore which of your skills can best be used in a part-time job and base your search on those.
“You may have lots of skills you could potentially use,” says FlexJobs Career Development Manager and Coach Brie Reynolds, “but it’s more effective to choose between one and three specific types of jobs to target, rather than applying for any and every job you might qualify for.”
2. Prepare Your Resume
With online application portals, it’s easier than ever to apply for jobs, but that doesn’t mean your resume is a one-size-fits-all document that can be used as-is for each application. In fact, you should customize your resume for every job to give you the best shot at landing an interview.
“Employers want to know why you’re the right fit for their exact job listing, so customize your resume to reflect the skills and qualifications listed in that particular job listing,” says Reynolds. “Each time you send a resume, it should have a tailored summary and skills section that includes keywords and phrases from the job description that you match.”
Utilizing keywords from the job description in your resume is particularly important for making it past the applicant tracking systems (ATS) that scan resumes before they go to a human recruiter. If your resume contains relevant keywords the ATS is programmed to look for, your application will make it to the next stage. If not, it will go straight to the “no” pile.
It’s also critical to include a cover letter.
Writing a customized cover letter is often the most time-intensive part of preparing a job application — but it can be one of the most crucial factors in getting a hiring manager’s attention.
While resumes are fairly standard and may be similar from applicant to applicant, your cover letter is your chance to shine and really explain to the employer why you’re the perfect candidate for the job. A cover letter also gives you the space to explain why you are looking for a part-time job and how your particular skills and experience are a match.
3. Check Your Digital Presence
In our digital age, it’s increasingly important to make sure your digital footprint is professionally appropriate for any job you want to apply to. Why? The majority of employers are keeping tabs.
“It’s an overwhelming fact: About 90% of employers do a bit of online research on job candidates,” says Reynolds. “Wherever you can be found online, make sure you clean up your profiles so they’re professional.”
As you get ready to apply to part-time, work-from-home jobs, go through all your social media and online profiles to make sure they accurately portray your personal brand. Ideally, they should show you as the goal-oriented, experienced and professional job seeker that you are.
Your LinkedIn profile should get extra attention, as it can be pivotal in your job search.
“LinkedIn is also an important tool for job seekers because it helps reinforce your professionalism and abilities if an employer searches online to learn more about you,” says Reynolds.
Depending on your field, also consider building a personal website, or website portfolio, that highlights your work samples, testimonials and skills.
4. Look for Jobs in the Right Places
Scams are a real concern when looking for remote or work-from-home jobs. In fact, research suggests that for every legitimate work-from-home job out there, 60-70 others are scams — making it tough for job seekers to know what’s real and what isn’t.
A FlexJobs survey found that more than 80% of job seekers are very concerned about encountering scams on other job boards, and over 19% of job seekers have already been victims of job scams. So how do you protect yourself? Limit yourself to searching on job sites that verify and vet all their jobs.
“Unfortunately, when it comes to work-from-home jobs, there are many, many scams out there, especially for part-time jobs for making money on the side,” says Reynolds. “Not all job search websites prescreen jobs and companies, so if you’re searching elsewhere, make sure you do your own research before committing to any remote work arrangement.”
5. Reach Out to Your Network
Don’t forget to utilize your existing network. No matter why you’re looking for a job, reaching out to contacts to let them know you’re available for part-time work can get your name out there to employers who are hiring.
“People often have success in finding a part-time work-from-home job by going back to former employers and colleagues to let them know they’re open for part-time work,” says Reynolds. “If you have good relationships with any previous employers or colleagues who’ve moved to a new company, don’t hesitate to contact them and offer your services for any part-time or temporary projects they may need help with.”
6. Know Who’s Hiring
Half the battle in finding a work-from-job is knowing which employers are hiring for these types of roles. While it’s difficult to say who will continue to hire for part-time jobs in the future, the
companies below frequently post part-time, work-from-home positions on the FlexJobs database.
Achieve Test Prep is an academic support organization that provides college-education consulting and test preparation services to adults and college-bound students.
Recent openings:
- Recruiter
- Social Science Instructor
Appen is an international technology services company with more than 20 years of experience helping companies improve their products with high-quality, human-annotated data.
Recent openings:
- Social Media Evaluator
- Search Engine Evaluator
BELAY is a virtual assistance organization that provides clients with virtual administrative assistants, webmasters and bookkeepers.
Recent openings:
- Executive Assistant
- Social Media Strategist
Cactus Communications is a leading provider of communication solutions for academic, pharmaceutical and device companies and organizations.
Recent openings:
- Editor – Image Processing
- Editor – Physics
Edmentum provides educational, online learning solutions to 8,000 school districts and 14 million students nationwide.
Recent openings:
- Teacher, Spanish
- Health – Physical Education Teacher
K12 provides online educational programs and solutions for youth in kindergarten through 12th grade by combining in-person, online and blended instruction techniques.
Recent openings:
- Learning Solutions Special Programs Coordinator
- Curriculum Alignment Contractor – Health Career Readiness Education
Lionbridge provides localization and data services in over 350 languages to help brands connect with customers and employees all over the world.
Recent openings:
- US Rater
- Map Quality Analyst
Pearson is an international learning company that provides an extensive range of content, products, tools and services for educators and learners of all ages.
Recent openings:
- Theater Scorer
- Statistics Tutor
Rasmussen College is an institution of higher learning offering degrees in areas such as business, nursing, technology, design, health sciences and education.
Recent openings:
- Adjunct Instructor – Regulatory and Legal Compliance
- Subject Matter Expert – Advanced Image Editing
Supporting Strategies is an outsourced operational support and bookkeeping firm that specializes in on-demand, outsourced accounting services for small businesses.
Recent openings:
- Accountant
- Bookkeeper
Emily Courtney is a writer, editor, and Content Specialist at FlexJobs, the award-winning site for remote, flexible schedule, and freelance job listings. Having worked remotely in flexible jobs for more than 15 years, Emily is passionate about creating content that helps people find remote work success.
