Making Part-Time Jobs Work: Stay On Track with These Simple Tips

Whether you are a full-time employee or a student looking to make some extra bucks, it's fairly easy to find a part-time job. Many small business owners and professionals are looking for people who can work on hourly wages. Some even make a living by having part-time jobs and full-time jobs with flexible working hours. As a Harvard professor and author observed, this is the rise of the "gig economy".

But how do you make part-time work and manage it with a full-time job or a full class load?

Here are tips from professionals:

Don't be afraid to ask

One of the things Katie McQuaid asked before having an interview with Amazon UK, where she works as fulfillment head, is that she can't work on Fridays and the company agreed.

Sometimes, you just need to be straightforward in telling a prospective employers what you need so you can find out if it's something they are amenable to.

Impeccable track record

Anita Waters of Virgin Management said that in order for you to be able to negotiate special working hours with a company, you need to build a track record of reliability and deliver on the work you committed to.

Whether you're a professional or still in school, people will hire you even if you prefer to work on different hours if they can trust you to get the job done.

Impact over hours

Most companies are going to look at your performance. The productivity number that represents performance will matter more to a manager or company than the number of hours you work.

Getting the job done at a shorter period of time weighs more than sitting all day in the office yet having accomplished nothing at all.

Flexibility works both ways

If you want an employer that will be flexible with you, you have to be a flexible employee. When something urgent comes up, be willing to work on days or times you specifically asked not to be working. It doesn't have to be all the time, just at times you know that work really needs to get done.

Put your phone down

Be firm with working arrangements. It doesn't mean disinterest on the job but rather commitment to devote your attention to what you should be doing at a specific time.