Explain why I want PT workI recently came across a part-time position in my field that I am interested in applying for. In my most recent position, I was working at a senior level. In my current job search, I have been applying for full time senior level positions. However, based on the job description, this position is more along the lines of someone with only 2 or 3 years experience. Very similiar to my first job out of college. So, professionally, it would be a bit of a step back I guess. I am intersted in it, b/c my financial situation would allow me to work only part time, and the salary is actually quite good, I feel, for part time work. I feel that a PT position would give me a better work/life balance vs. going back full-time. I have been home with my son for the past year, and I am having doubts about leaving him to go back to work full-time. My question is, when applying, do I need to mention any of this reasoning in the cover letter? If I don't, I'm afraid they will see my resume and wonder why I want this type of position, maybe feel I am overqualified and pass me up. I appreciate any advice! You ARE going to have an issue going from a senior level to something entry-level. You're going to have to explain that and even if you do, odds are good they will pass you by in favor of someone closer to that level. The fear is that you're going to be bored to tears in a week and/or that you'll be telling the boss what to do. There's a lot to be said for that too. Although you can try to get this spot if you really want it, I'd look for something part-time that is more in line with what you were doing before, OR for something that is a total change from what you were doing before (so the backward step doesn't seem so odd). Professional part-time gigs are hard to find and it may take you a while to hit on just the right thing. All the best! Tess In your cover letter, include what you wrote here about balancing your work and professional life with a part time job. Also mention that a part time position of a less stressful nature than your previous position is what you are wanting at this juncture in your life. Something like this: Dear Whomsoever wants to read this missive: I read your advertiesment for an entry-level Hula Dancer and feel that the qualifications I would bring to your business are what you are looking for. During this past year I took off from the business world to spend time with my son and would now like to re-enter the work force. A part-time position would allow me to utilize my skills and balance my personal life and my professional life with less stress than a full-time position would. blah, blah, blah.... Sincerely, BB2307 Just keep in mind that unless you are committed to reigning in your opinions, it is going to be tough when the person who has a similar position to the one you left a year ago does something you would have done differently. I disagree with both Tess & Kelly on this one! As a professional who has also opted for part-time work so that I can spend time with my kids and have a better life/work balance, I have held two part-time positions in my field in the last several years. In between them I've worked freelance and done a variety of other things, but my experience is that this sort of arrangement can be very fulfilling, both work and life wise. As to this being more of an entry-level position, believe me, if you get the job they will figure out how to use your skill & experience level, and you likely will not be bored. The reason that part-time jobs are often posted as entry level is that few employers expect that a top-notch, experienced pro will want to work part time. But when they can find one, they are happier than pigs in poop--believe me. The job I have now "sounded" like they needed someone with far less experience than I have, but as it turns out, they are utilizing me in ways that an entry-level person simply couldn't handle. If the pay sounds good enough to you, go for it! Do not pay any attention whatsoever to people who think that taking step backward is foolish!!!! If it fits with your life goals, then it is very smart! My supervisors at these part-time jobs I've held have been delighted, absolutely ecstatic, as a matter of fact, to come across someone who had been at my level professionally and who only wanted part-time work. In my last job I literally was the marketing department for a small firm, and in my current one I am an assistant, but I work independently, with full charge for several projects. My boss loves the fact that she does not have to train or babysit me, as she doesn't have the time. However, do not say in your CL that you want part-time work because you want to have more time at home with your child or that you want less stress in your life (believe me, a part-time professional position can be just as stressful as a full-time one, just not for as many hours!). They don't want to hear that you don't want to deal with stress. Simply state, as I have in cover letters, "I am responding to your posting, blah, blah, blah, for a part-time whatever; enclosed is my resume for your review. Since I am specifically looking for a part-time position in my field, and have all the requirements as stated in the posting, this appears to be an excellent fit." Word this however you will, but be absolutely sure to make it clear you are looking for a part-time position. You do not need to say why or get into any detail about this. Just make it clear you want the job and you're qualified for it. Address the key points of the job and how well you meet them. You may want to condense your resume slightly so that you don't "scare 'em off," but do not feel you have to explain, apologize, dumb down, or anything else to apply for this job. If you get an interview and are asked why you want part-time work, you can simply say (while laughing) that you have plenty of things to keep you busy the rest of the time! Or that you have hobbies/interests, other things you are pursuing, but that will not prevent you from performing this job to your best. If this is a permanent p/t job and they are worried that you will leave them the minute you find full time, assure them that your long-range plan is to remain employed part time. I simply cannot understand why there is a perception out there that people "should" work full time, and that if they don't there is something "wrong" with them. We work to live, not the other way around. Hope this helps! Good luck! Anne Marie- I think there are two issues at play here, well three really if you include yourself. You have to recognize that you're very lucky to find a professional part-time job that is at an appropriate level. No one has said those don't exist, but they are VERY hard to find. I think working part-time is great for all kinds of people, I have nothing against part-timers at all, but positions that lend themselves to part-time and aren't retail sales or bank teller are not common. Specifically related to this poster, there are two big issues. I see the first as the drop. It is a big drop to go from Senior position to entry-level. Most employers won't even consider that. There are a LOT of reasons it is a bad idea. A senior level person may think they'll be fine, they'll certainly say they'll be fine, but truthfully, in a month 95% are going to be bored to tears, trying to run the place or posting for something else (internal or external). That's a serious reality for an employer. I think you've got to address that in your cover letter to even pass go to a screening interview, much less a face to face. Even then it is going to be a tough, tough sell. A better choice is to apply for things that are a lot closer to the right level or to look at something totally different so that such a drop seems to make more sense. The second issue is the part-time. Employers want to know that someone who is taking a part-time job really WANTS the part-time schedule. If they think you're just using it as a foot in the door to something else, then you're back to having problems because you're going to be gone in a month when something full time opens up. If they think you're going to be whining in a month about lack of benefits or not getting vacation days, that's going to be a problem for them. Therefore, I think you have to address that in a cover letter as well. It doesn't have to be a big thing, just that it allows you a better work/life balance is good, but you do need to let them know that you really do want the part-time. I would stay away from the word "stress" all together. That's only going to open a negative door. In this poster's case, I really think the drop in level issue is going to do her in. I think that once you go in saying that you essentially don't care what the job is as long as it lets you work part-time, you're done for. From an employer perspective, that's not good because of course once you get the job, that isn't going to work out for pretty much anyone a few months down the road.
Tess "The second issue is the part-time. Employers want to know that someone who is taking a part-time job really WANTS the part-time schedule. If they think you're just using it as a foot in the door to something else, then you're back to having problems because you're going to be gone in a month when something full time opens up. If they think you're going to be whining in a month about lack of benefits or not getting vacation days, that's going to be a problem for them. Therefore, I think you have to address that in a cover letter as well. It doesn't have to be a big thing, just that it allows you a better work/life balance is good, but you do need to let them know that you really do want the part-time. I would stay away from the word "stress" all together. That's only going to open a negative door." Tess, I understand your points, and in fact, if you read my post thoroughly, you'll see that I basically said everything you stated above regarding addressing the issue of part time and how do you convince an employer you aren't going to quit the minute a f/t position comes along. I especially pointed out that the OP should under no circumstances mention she wants less stress! Bad move.... As far as dropping down to entry level, I think we don't have quite enough information to judge whether the "drop" is as far down as assumed. Since the pay appeared to be very good for "entry level," perhaps the job isn't really entry level. Or, as I posted, I think that employers assume they won't get an upper-level pro for part-time professional work, and figure they'll only have entry-level or slightly above to choose from. They assume they'll have to train someone. If, on the other hand,they get someone who can function at a higher level and who can do "more" than what the job calls for, it's possible that the title can be changed or negotiated, and/or that the work will end up being challenging enough. The job I have right now, as described and as budgeted for, was slightly above entry level. However, when they found me, they not only upped the pay quite a bit (though I'm still underpaid by corporate standards), but the job is almost at the level I had when I was an Associate Director. So, bored & under challenged I am not (unfortunately!). The other thing about dropping drastically in level, if that's the case, is that not everybody wants the same level of challenge & responsibility when seeking p/t work as they had when. I think it's a big assumption that the OP will be so bored or unhappy in an entry-level position that she won't last. Many people find "enough" fulfillment in other parts of their lives, and if gaining that balance means being bored half to death for 20 or 25 hours a week, honestly, so what? And who knows, if our OP gets an interview, she may find that she would really enjoy the job, no matter what the title or level it is. I'm sure the other concern is "what will happen when she goes back to work full time?" She won't be able to resume her career at the same level, it'll be such a step backwards, she'll lose so much seniority, yada, yada, yada. And, to that, I also say, "so what?" Not being smart-####$ here, but I don't buy into this nonsense about what a devastating effect taking time off/time out/part-time work--whatever--will have on somebody's career. Yes, of course it will, but you know what? Our children are only young once, and only for a very short time. We have a limited amout of time to spend with them while they are little, yet we have our entire adult lives to spend working. So, if it's a setback for our OP, or for any of us, to take this time, it's well worth the trade off. I realize I'm lucky in that respect--I am at the end of my career life anyway, at the same time my kids are young. So I have no plans or desire to ever work full time in my profession again. Time for me to wind down, not up--I'm too darn old to deal with the crap that comes with it. I'll be quite happy next year to whittle away my hours, while my kids are in both school all day, photographing, writing about, and selling my collectibles... It's great--I utilize all my marketing skills and don't have the stress! Not to mention I can do my gardening (nothing like digging in the dirt to de-stress), decorate my home, raise a puppy (which nobody here has time to do now), etc. For me, anyway, there is no down side to working part time, except financially, and that's OK; my DH & I have accepted that we are willing to make that trade off as well. But, to each his or her own. Sorry, I'll get off my soapbox now, but if an entry-level position pays well enough and meets this poster's goals, the drop in level shouldn't, IMHO, be a hindrance. Yes, it might be better if she could find something a bit closer to her previous position, but if she was a "director" person, I am sure she, and most people looking for p/t work, would gladly have less stress & fewer responsibilities. I know I would--but I 'm not quite there yet! Next year....
Thanks everyone for your advice. I decided to write in my cover letter something to the effect that I was specifically interested in part-time work b/c it would allow me to achieve a good balance between my work and family life. I think it would be a great opportunity to work pt. I realize that when I return back to the workforce full time, I may not be able to find a job at a senior level again. It's ok with me if I have to start back at the staff level. I think the extra time I would get with my family by going pt would make it all worth it. So, hopefully I'll hear something. Though, the day after I applied I noticed that they took down the online posting. And, since I haven't received a call yet, that's probably not a good sign. Guess I'll wait and see what happens..... | |
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