Part-Time Job Guide

Assalamu'alaikum wa rahmatullah

I have still got no idea about what kind of "part-time" job that I should do. Now, I think I should also think about myself next-time instead of others especially when I am not yet established. I bet that everybody hates to go again and again for interviews and having to change the resume all the time looking for new job. The employers do not like to see over-qualified employees because they are afraid of the commitment of the job-seeker. And the job-seeker needs quick money to move on.

I get to know that there is an advertisement for part-time jobs everywhere but I am thinking on how should I apply the job? Should I give out my resume? It is frustrating to change over and over and I did the resume for serious job and I end up having to give up the job to be a companion for my depressed mother. I quit to give way for her to join her old citizen activities either at the mosque or in the neighborhood society while I have a paralyzed "stroke" father to be taken care. My sisters refuse to give up their life and I have to be the "Jesus" for them... "Crucified" in trade for their life. This is real life facts. I tried to do researches before getting any job to avoid losses in term of time and doing things in vanity.  I have no one to refer to so I have to do the research and trial an error.

My mother had introduced me to a Quranic society which is an NGO but I cannot go on with the society because I do not take tithe as my sustenance and I need financial support to keep the maintenance of our house, to pay for the national loan because my parents did not help me to pay for my undergraduate fees like my younger sister's, to move on to the next level of my life while I am reaching 30 years old and for my parents. I had explained many times to my mother that our paternal clan could not receive anything related to tithe as not to commit the sins of the "priests" but my mother do not understand it. She introduced me to the job because she think that I would be close to her while my sisters are off with their life. I have to live in disguise as a public as according to our vows and not to appear in public as "religious" figure in order to be equal with the laymen. It is not easy to live in a women-dominated space and most of the times people do not understand the "functions" of different genders! Male and female function differently... Many of our people fail to frame the explanations of the technical terms such as the "fitrah" and the "sunnatullah" that makes the world go haywire. These involves mystical explanations as well as the technical ones.  

Questions for Part-Time Job

Examples roughly look like these....

Q: What days/hours are you available to work?

• I am available during school hours while my children are at school, maybe at 9:00-15:00, Monday through Friday and I can work some weekends.
• If you are a student, you will need to share the class schedule, any labs, to avoid confusion for supervisor, "I have classes Tuesday and Thursday until 16:00 and a lab that meets every other Wednesday from 17:00-19:00, but I am flexible about working any other hours you have available".
• I am flexible and available just about any time you need me to work.
• I have another commitment each Monday, but I am available the rest of the week.
• I am available after school and evenings and weekends.

Q: Do you have any activities that would prevent you from working your schedule?

Employers want to know, especially with part time employees who have other commitments, whether you will be able to work your scheduled hours. The interview question "Do you have any activities that would prevent you from working your schedule?" A way to verify that you have the time to commit.

It's important to be be honest about what your availability is. If you have activities what come up suddenly - a commitment as a substitute teacher or bus driver for example, you should be honest about that. Otherwise, this is an opportunity to show that you plan things well in advance.

• I participate every year in a 10K run to raise money for my favorite charity, but I will know the date well in advance, and would let you know I need that day off.
• I am on the crew team at school, but our practices are typically early in the morning or later in the day, so they should not impact my schedule.
• I spend a week during the winter vacationing with my family in Florida every year, but I can schedule that based on the busy times at work.
• I volunteer at the hospital every Saturday morning from 9:00 - noon, other than that my schedule is flexible.

Q: Would you prefer full-time employment to part-time if a job were available?

Would you prefer full-time employment to part-time if a job were available? Can be a tricky interview question. 

On the one hand, if you are hoping that the job will turn into a full-time position, you want your prospective employer to consider you first should the opportunity arise.

On the other hand, you do not want to raise the doubt that should a full-time position present itself, you would walk out of your part-time commitment.

Be cautious when you respond and keep your answer general, so you are not committing to one type of employment or the other.

• Right now, my education/family/children prevent me from considering full-time employment, but I would not rule it out at some point in the future.
• What is important to me is that I enjoy the work and the people I am working with. I have many interests, and having a part-time job allows me the time to pursue them.

Continued....