Finding the Right Fit

There are thousands of types of jobs that people do. And they involve a nearly infinite variety of skills and interests. There’s got to be a job that’s appropriate for nearly everybody. If they take the time to get to know themselves and do their research. 

If you’re not sure what type of work you might be interested in, you should first check out CareerOneStop’s video library. It has hundreds of videos highlighting different kinds of jobs and the people who do them. My Next Move, another website you may wish to explore, has detailed information about more than 900 career options.

Temp jobs

Working for a temporary employment agency in what is known as temp jobs can be an excellent way to learn about different kinds of work, meet a variety of people and gain experience. Temp jobs can also sometimes lead to regular employment, if the company you’re placed at wants to make you a job offer. And some people may make a career of doing temp jobs, just moving from job to job and company to company, always having new experiences. 

This can be fine, if those jobs come with good pay and benefits and acceptable working conditions. However, most people look at temp jobs as something to do in the interim, as a way to get a regular position or something to do for extra income.  

There are temp jobs of every type, from clerical and data entry clerks to warehouse and factory assembly workers. There are also temp jobs for professionals like accountants and nurses. Some temporary agencies are global, with offices around the world. Others are national. And still others are local, with one office in a particular city or several offices in a specific geographical region. Some of them specialize in specific types of work, so check out the websites of your local employment agencies to get to know them better before you apply. You can find these agencies by searching the Internet using “temporary employment agencies near me.”

For more information about what it means to be a temp employee, visit:

How to find temp work and further your job prospects

Self-employment

If you are organized, motivated and entrepreneurial, starting your own business might be the way to go. Your own business could be anything from gardening or operating a food truck to website design, painting houses or tow truck driving. Consider your skills and interests, and come up with some ideas of your own.

Those who want to start their own businesses have many resources available to them. Don’t hesitate to ask for help. That’s what organizations like SCORE – a nonprofit organization of retired business owners and leaders who are dedicated to mentoring people who want to start their own businesses – have been created for. The U.S. Small Business Administration, a government agency that helps people develop small businesses, offers counseling, workshops and loans to qualified entrepreneurs. It’s services and programs are often, but not always, free of charge.

In addition to these national entities, many cities have small business incubators and nonprofits dedicated to helping entrepreneurs get established. Search the internet for “small business incubators” to find one near you. 

Other resources for entrepreneurs:

Want to start your own small business? Organizations offer free help to get you started

Part-time work

You may want to look at part-time work, because part-time jobs are usually not as competitive as full-time positions. In the beginning, you may have to piece together two or three part-time jobs to make enough money to get by. Hopefully one of the companies you are doing part-time work for will be able to offer you a full time position should one open up.

It’s a good idea to take an easier-to-get job (stepping stone or launch-pad job) even if you believe that you are overqualified for the position. 

Some part-time jobs even come with benefits. Safeway, Peet’s Coffee & Tea and Starbucks offer benefits to part-time workers. 

You can also check the Gigs section of Craigslist to find short-term jobs like yard work, labor, gardening, catering and serving, plumbing and handyman. These short-term jobs, however, can occasionally lead to more work. Other websites to look for part-time work include Flexjobs, snagajob, indeed, SimplyHired and allretailjobs.

Working for a nonprofit

Many nonprofit organizations are second chance employers, so you may want to consider applying to them.

According to the National Center for Charitable Statistics, there are more than 1.5 million nonprofits registered with the Internal Revenue Service. And most of them need to hire employees. In fact in 2016 there were nearly 12.3 million jobs in these organizations, based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

Nonprofits can be anything from animal shelters and organizations that support cancer patients to youth sports associations and organizations that help those leaving prison with reentry.

An excellent way to get your foot in the door of a nonprofit is to try to volunteer for one that has a cause you may be interested in. If they like your work, they may put you on the payroll.

There are also online job boards that specialize in nonprofit work. These are the two most popular ones:

Idealist.org – Idealist is an interactive site for non-profit organizations where people and organizations can exchange resources and ideas, locate opportunities and supporters, and take steps toward building a world where all people can lead free and dignified lives.

Work for Good – The Place to Find Non-Profit Jobs. Free Resume Builder and Job Search.