Difficulty in Finding part time work..Any Advice please?

newbie2012

Hi There.

Have worked for the same employer for 6 years and now need to seek part time employment due to care of my child.

HOWEVER I am finding the following difficult! I have had some interviews in retail as I am happy to do anything but care work.

In an interview for Dorothy Perkins I was asked if I was so 'great' why would my employer not offer p/t..I'm starting to think everyone has the same opinion. Problem is employer won't due to them being small and finanically unstable, in addition they recently declined another woman working p/t so it would be 'backtracking'

I was also asked if i had a bad credit history in my dorothy perkins interview when I said I wouldn't want the staff store card??!!

Any tips for where to seek work, I cannot lie about my previous employment history but don't wish to appear over qualified.

All I want is a basic job!

x

dawyldthing

some work isn't all care work. i'm a support worker and while some is care side other times it is attending appointments, taking them shopping and banking etc. It is one of the fields that can have shifts at any times of the day though so can be flexible in some ways but not in others.

I think the problem is is that the sheer amount of people applying for jobs outstrips demand so many require flexibility etc and its difficult to get a job just for school hours as then other people will need to work around you for the remaining hours

dandelionclock30

That comment was very snidey and !!!!!y from Dorothy Perkins, I think I would have said as such.
All you can do is keeping looking really. Have you tried looking in the local papers? or what about doing Avon or something like that?

newbie2012

What comment was snidey? Yes have tried papers and Avon no as i'm not very confident nor know many people so wouldn't be any good for me. Thanks for letting me know about support work as didn't realise so will look into that too

Beachview_2

newbie2012 wrote: »

What comment was snidey? Yes have tried papers and Avon no as i'm not very confident nor know many people so wouldn't be any good for me. Thanks for letting me know about support work as didn't realise so will look into that too

Don't bother with the Avon. Its not worth the hassle for the tiny amount of money you would get out of it.
Customers could give you fake money and you wouldn't know. A lot of books that you have to buy get wasted as many people don't return them, or leave them out in pouring rain. Then some customers mess you about when the products arrive, saying they can only pay for some of it, or saying they don't want it, or didn't order it. One person even tried to pay by cheque for about £20. And they expect you to be a walking till with loads of change for them.

Avon themselves aren't too organised. Almost every box of stuff they send you will have items missing, or things you didn't order. They just throw the things in the box, with no bubble wrap/shredded paper, so things get broken. And they don't even tape over lids so sometimes things leak.

All that gets Avon their reps is people doing it because they are desperate for work.

dandelionclock30

newbie2012 wrote: »

What comment was snidey? Yes have tried papers and Avon no as i'm not very confident nor know many people so wouldn't be any good for me. Thanks for letting me know about support work as didn't realise so will look into that too

This comment,

In an interview for Dorothy Perkins I was asked if I was so 'great' why would my employer not offer p/t....

What about doing private cleaning and or Ironing? I know people who have done o.k with this.

scooby088

OP look in shop windows they often advertise in them.

National_Careers_Service

Hi there Newbie 2012

I can see you’re looking for part time work so you can care for your child. It sounds like you’re current employer isn’t able to help you with this and I can understand why you’re feeling you have to look elsewhere. The positive thing is you’ve got skills and experience that employers value and it’s great to hear you’re getting interviews.

I’m guessing you’re looking at retail work because it offers the most part time opportunities, but I’m thinking there might be other roles out there for you.

I know there are some websites that list part time job vacancies and so I’ve included a couple of links for you to check out.

http://www.workingmums.co.uk/

http://www.netmums.com/back-to-work/jobs-and-back-to-work/finding-part-time-work

Just to say these sites could be helpful for Dads and carers as well as Mums.

Have you tried using recruitment agencies at all? You can find details of these on the Recruitment and Employment Confederation website https://www.rec.uk.com/membersarea/directory/default.asp?dir=1 …I’m wondering if they might be able to find you something suitable for your needs and your skills and qualifications.

It sounds like you’re worried about being over-qualified for the jobs you might be going for. Do you think this might be an issue for employers? If you think it’d help to talk about your options and how you can overcome any hurdles why not contact the National Careers Service on 0800 100 900. Our service is free and impartial and our advisers can help you to look at your potential job options and offer support as you apply for jobs and prepare for interviews. Why not have a look at our website as a starting point! https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/advice/getajob/Pages/default.aspx


Thanks,

Penny