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U.S. Work World’s Job Hunt Tips
How to Find a Part-Time Job
Job Placement Office
Find out if your school has a job placement office and a "job board" listing part-time job openings.  If 
there are no desirable part-time openings listed in this office, talk to the staf f person and ask:  "Can you 
provide me with a list of employers who have advertised part-time job openings in the past?   Also, for 
what type of job opening was each employer looking to fill?"  Then, select three or four employers that 
appeal to you and visit these employers to ask about a job opening.   These employers may be looking to 
fill a job opening but have not called the school job placement office yet.  It is not unusual to be asked to 
fill out an application, get an interview, and be hired on the spot.  Important: To be prepared, read the Job 
Hunt Tips sheet on "Asking for a Job" before visiting the employer. 
 
Job-Training Classes
You may need work experience before an employer will hire you; but, 
you cannot get work experience until you are hired.  How do you get out 
of this circle?  Ask your counselor if your school (or nearby school) 
offers any job-training classes where you work for school credits (or 
units) instead of pay.  Job-training classes first provide classroom 
instruction, then place you in a local business — retail stores, hospitals, 
business offices, construction sites, or medical offices — to learn skills and gain experience.   After 
completing the class, you may add to your resume and applications:  a) Certificate of Completion for the 
class,  b) work experience from the job placement; b) skills learned; d) names of the job placement site 
supervisor (and name of the teacher who taught the class).  Also, you may ask the job placement site 
supervisor and class teacher for a letter of recommendation to show to future employers.   The site 
supervisor may offer you a paying job after the class is completed.  
Friends and Family
Ask your friends and family members to let you know if there is a part-time job opening where they work 
so that you may apply for the job.  You may also ask them to recommend you to their employer for a job 
opening that may occur in the future.  Many employers ask current employees if they know of any good 
workers who need a job.  In fact, studies show that over 30% of newly hired workers found out about job 
openings from friends or family members.
Internet Job Search
To find a part-time jobs, visit internet sites such as www.snagajob.com or www.monster.com.  Most of 
the jobs are full time, but you will find some part-time jobs listed for your city .  To apply for jobs on the 
internet, you must have your resume available as a Word document so that you can include your resume in 
an email or as an attachment to the internet job application.  Do not apply for any job on the internet until 
you are prepared with complete information about you, your work 
history, references, and a picture-perfect resume.  If you submit an 
internet application with incomplete information or no resume (when 
it asks for a resume), you will appear to be a lazy, inaccurate worker.  
Your application will be ignored.  Do not provide your social security 
or driver's licence numbers until hired.  Some jobs that are listed on 
the internet will be offered by temporary employment agencies.  Read 
about temporary employment agencies on the next page.

Also, use the internet to read the help-wanted ads in your community's newspaper.  
Normally, part-time jobs are not advertised in the paper, but a part-time job might be 
advertised so it is good to check this source.  Not all newspaper ads are honest job 
offers.  If a job offer seems too good to be real, it may be a scam (illegal or deceptive 
practice).  Scams may advertise:  "Earn $2,000 per month working at home."   These 
ads usually ask you to send them money before they will give you any information.   The information 
they send is worthless since money cannot be earned as promised.  Do not answer help-wanted ads that 
ask you to send personal information or resume to a post office box.  Legitimate (legal) companies will 
list their name, address, and phone number in the help-wanted ad so that you know who they are. 
Temporary Employment Agency Jobs
Use the internet to search for "temporary employment agencies, your city , your state."  Temporary jobs 
are those that last anywhere from one day to one month or more.  Employers hire temporary workers to 
fill in for regular workers; to help with busy times (such as Christmas); and to help with projects.  
Temporary workers do not receive benefits such as vacation days and medical insurance.  But, there are 
some benefits to temporary employment: 1) Get work experience to put on your application and resume; 
2) Learn new skills; 3) Meet people you may use as references and who may know of job openings; 
4) Test different types of jobs to discover which job you like; and 4) Practice adjusting to new situations 
as you are assigned to jobs at different employment sites.
Self-Employment
Is there a small business you can start in your community such as a lawn service, pet sitting service, 
house cleaning service, or window washing service?  Starting your own business will teach you many 
skills:  advertising, sales, organization, scheduling, money management, and customer relations.  If you 
plan on owning a business someday, it might be beneficial to develop the skills needed today. 
Cold Calls
When a sales person walks into a company to sell products 
without an appointment, it is called a "cold call."  A good way to 
find a part-time job opening is to do cold calls:  1) Look around 
your city for stores or businesses that appeal to you for a job; 
2) Walk in and ask to speak to the manager or assistant manager, 
3) You may say, "I plan to complete an application for a job 
at your store.  I wanted to meet you and give you my resume.  
Where may I get the application for a job?"  Then give the person 
your resume and smile.  When making cold calls, be sure you have: a) accurate information to fill out an 
application; b) picture-perfect resume; and c) proper dress for a job interview that may occur .  If the 
manager tells you that there are no job openings, you say, "May I return in two weeks to check if there 
are any job openings at that time?"  If the manager says "Yes," be sure to mark your calendar so that you 
check back when you told the manager you would do so.  Some managers, such as grocery store 
managers, have a policy of hiring job applicants who check back since this proves that they want the job.
Local Community College
Your local community college has a part-tune job placement office for students.  Visit this office to read 
about job openings.  Do you think it might benefit you to become a student so that you can use the job 
placement office to find a job?  If so, visit the counseling office to see which classes are desirable to you 
and fit into your schedule.  Enroll for a class, and then start using  the job placement office to find a 
part-time job.	
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