In-between jobs jobs

How frustrating is it not to have a job? Very. You’re worried about the future, your present is affected by all the worrying, you can’t find anything even though you look everywhere. Hundreds of people apply for the same position you want. Or there aren’t even any positions open in your field. It’s the proverbial vicious circle. In the meantime, you still need to pay bills and live somewhere and if you’ve a family, they need to be supported as well. If you only had some kind of a plan…

Well, we don’t necessarily have a plan for you (since everyone is different and has different qualifications) but we’ve come up with five in-between-jobs that can keep you afloat until you finally hit the employment jackpot.

Temp jobs
As the Toronto Temp Agencies article puts it, temp jobs (via temp agencies) are great places to look into if you want to get some extra income or keep your skills up-to-date, and, in some cases, if you want to get some short-term training. When you register with a temp agency, you will most likely go through some testing (such as typing) to figure out what jobs you’d be good at and/or where you could use some employment. Once registered, you may be getting last-minute calls for job assignments, so your availability is key.

Serving jobs
Whether it’s bussing tables, serving or bartending (for the last two you will need Smart Serve certification), jobs in the food industry are usually easy to get and there’s a high turnover so your chances of finding something right away are relatively high. Check out our Last call article to learn more about working in the service industry.

Retail
Like service jobs, retail positions are easy to come by because of high turnover. One walk through a busy mall with a stack of resumés can often lead to at least one call back for an interview. Many stores will hang “Help Wanted” posters in the window, don’t be shy about coming inside and asking to speak to the manager about available positions. The salary may not be great but there are many perks such as getting a store discount – I know of a woman who worked at Smart Set so that she’d be able to get the right interview clothes for when was job hunting on her days off. Check out our Two ways of making retail work article for the good and the bad about retail.

Babysitting
As a mom of a three-year-old in Toronto, I can tell you that finding a babysitter in this city is quite a challenge. I don’t need a nanny or even a part-time nanny because my son is in daycare but to get that Friday night off once in a while is often impossible. I have two babysitters now and even with that, I still can’t often get that night off (my babysitters have other jobs/babysitting commitments). If you’re easily available and like children and want to make some extra cash, I can almost guarantee you’ll find a babysitting gig. There are services like nanny.ca that don’t charge service providers any fees and that allow you to create a profile with your qualifications, availability, and so on. Your chances of finding work are higher if you undergo a criminal record check, and I can tell you that as a mom I’d be very interested in hiring someone who could present a clean one.

Odd jobs
Moving houses. Cleaning and Housekeeping. House sitting. Pet sitting. With websites such as Craigslist or Kijiji you can advertise your services for free. You can make posters as well and distribute these in community places (local coffee shops, bulletin boards at libraries, parks, daycares). These are the kinds of jobs that you won’t need special training for but you certainly need to be reliable, trustworthy and you might be asked for references.

Honourable mention
Let’s face it, telemarketing jobs have a bad rap. They can be stressful and humiliating (try getting hung up on 50 times in a row). At the same time, it’s a job that will definitely tide you over (usually, you work on salary, and in some cases, salary plus commission) and that will help you develop sales and communication skills. It’s a good gig for newcomers too as it allows you to practise a new language and learn some Canadian work practices. And in some cases, you might discover yourself to be so natural at it, that you end up staying and making a career out of it.