How to Recoup Lost Wages From Going From Full Time to Part Time

In April of 2010, more than nine million workers were working part-time when they wanted to work full-time, according to Jamie Smith Hopkins of RISMedia. If you are one of these millions of part-time employees, you may not be able to fully recover the amount of wages you earned in the past as a full-time worker. However, you can certainly help close the gap by doing contractual work, or working another part-time job. Depending on the type of work and how much of it you get, you may be able to make as much as you did previously.

• 1

  Write down your current part-time schedule. Then write down the days and times you are available to work. You will need to be able to provide this information quickly and accurately when you apply for jobs. Employers need to know if you can work their stated schedules.

• 2

  Get another part-time job. Some part-time job websites include SnagaJob and GrooveJob. (See Resources.) Check your local newspaper's ads for jobs as well.

• 3

  Do odd jobs. Tell friends, family and neighbors you are available for hire. Babysitting, cleaning out basements, mowing lawns, handyman services, helping a family out by running errands, or doing some cleaning or cooking, are examples of odd jobs for which people are gladly willing to pay.

• 4

  Get some freelancing work at a work-at-home website, such as Work at Home Mom, ELance or ODesk. Writers, graphic artists, web designers, programmers, virtual assistants, transcriptionists and other types of freelance positions are available. The last two sites listed are bidding sites, so you may need to bid low for awhile, until your reputation for good work increases. Find work-at-home job leads on Work at Home Mom and other similar sites. Many of these jobs can be done part-time, which will allow you to keep working your regular part-time job.