How to Find Part-Time Employees

As you work to build a team on which you can rely, you probably have a lot of priorities to manage. After all, not only do you have to keep consumer demand in mind but also the cost of employment and your overall organizational structure. Part-time employees can be the solution to managing all of these demands simultaneously, and they can provide a number of benefits to your business. They tend to be more economical as they cost your business less. They make it easier for your business to scale to size, and they often provide higher quality work because you’re selecting team members who can be trained to specialize in a specific task. Wondering how to find part-time employees who can meet the needs of your business? This quick guide can help. 

• • Define the Job Carefully: What does the job you’re advertising actually look like? Many employers struggle when they decide to start hiring part-time employees, as they don’t always understand how to craft a good job description, thus a good job posting. Create a description that highlights it’s a part-time job as well as the critical nature of the role. You don’t want potential employees to feel like they’re less important just because they work part-time. You’ll want to discuss the expected time on the job. If it’s a flexible position, highlight that. If, for example, you just need them to work twenty hours a week remotely, that’s one thing. If, on the other hand, you need someone who can report to the office between eight and noon on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, that’s quite another thing. Be sure to list the expected skills, experience, and education of a potential applicant. Clearly define the potential employee’s duties as well as the benefits and compensation involved. Once you know what you want, craft an eye-catching advertisement to post. 

• Don’t Post Just Anywhere: You want the job posting you’ve spent so much time creating to be seen by the right people, but putting it in all the wrong places will just cost you time and money. Those looking for part-time work aren’t always going to look in the same spots as those looking for full-time jobs might be. Focus on places that cater to part-time workers. There are niche websites for freelancers who can code, write, and create, too, so those may be a space you target as well. Don’t overlook the power of your own staff and your personal connections to find the right hire. Referrals are often more trustworthy candidates for the job than anyone you’ll find online. 
• Shape the Selection Process: Once you have a pool of candidates, it’s time to begin choosing who might make the right hire to meet your needs. An innovative interview process is often the best way to select the right new team member. Many companies make the mistake of not focusing as carefully on the interview process when it comes to part-time hires, but the reality is that your process here should be just as careful as it is when you hire a full-time employee. Look at your current selection procedure to get started. Is there anything that has to be discarded? If so, eliminate that, then use the rest of the current procedure to shape your selection procedure here. If you’re not sure where to begin, you may want to do a virtual interview, then a one-on-one interview. From there, you could invite the candidate to lunch with a few of the team members to get a good sense of how they might fit with your current staff members. As you shape this process, don’t forget that interview questions should be directly related to how they might perform in your setting. Ask about times they’ve solved similar problems to that they will encounter in your own organization. Ask about what they might do if this situation or that one arises. That will give you a better sense of whether the candidate is truly ready to join your organization. 

 
Keep in mind that should you choose to go with a part-time employee, it’s important to understand that the legal definition of a part-time worker differs from that of a full-time employee. You must carefully define what his or her work hours might be (it should be less than forty hours per week), and you should make clear what benefits they’re entitled to during the interview process. You should also define what overtime looks like for part-timers, as all of these concerns are the ones that are likely to land you in legal trouble with part-time employees.

Selecting key team members – whether full-time or part-time employees – can be a complicated process. When it comes to how to find part-time employees, let us help you fully develop your candidate search process. Contact us today!