Take the Job or Keep Searching?

You are desperate to find work. An opportunity appears but it pays less than your previous job, and barely enough to cover your expenses. Do you take the job? Do you pass on it and keep looking? What should you do? This is a decision each of us must struggle with, but here are some observations that may help your decision.

If you take the lower-paying, available job you will have less time each week to look for the better job. Some job counselors say a job hunter should not take a lesser position, but should allocate all of their time looking for that "best" job. In my humble opinion that is a very reasonable strategy in a growing economy. But our economy is barely holding its own in some sectors, and you have to evaluate if having some money coming in is preferable in the short-term to having none coming in. If you can get income for 20-30 hours per week that will

• Give you income for those hours, and
• Allow you time for continuing your search for that "best" job.

How do you find 20 or 30 hours of work if the economy is bad? One answer is that the hiring of full-time workers is suffering but there are relatively more opportunities for part-time workers. So if you are approaching a company about part-time work you are not competing against full-time workers and you might find your goal more accessible.  Additionally, if you have specific skills you can look into contracting for those 20-30 hours. This might raise your anxiety if you have never followed a contracting model, but engaging with temporary employment agencies is an excellent scenario to consider. They do the marketing, find the clients you can provide services for, and handle all of the payroll issues. And these temp jobs often turn into long-term or permanent positions.

Unemployment Benefits?

But what if you are receiving unemployment assistance from your state government? If you take a job won't you lose that income, and possibly be no better off working than if you just stayed on unemployment? If you take a part-time job you will have to start paying for gasoline to travel to work, maybe buy lunch every day, and won't you have other expenses that will make working a losing proposition?

You have to make your own decisions: financial, moral and otherwise. But the reality is that it is easier to find a job if you already have a job, even a part-time job. Put simply the longer you are out of work, the harder it is to be offered a job.

And consider this scenario from a potential employer's perspective. You apply for a position and you are asked, "Where are you working now?" Scenario A: You reply, "I am working at XYX Company." Scenario B: You reply, "I am not working right now."  Big difference in how you might be perceived, don't you think?

In scenario A the employer's next question will be "Why are you looking to leave XYZ?" and you can be honest that you are looking for a more challenging position, more hours, more stability, and so forth.

In scenario B the employer's next question will be "How long have you been out of work?" There is really no way to build a win-win in this conversation. Perception is reality in job search, and if you are looking for work you will be best perceived if you are currently working, even part-time.

Be open to different models of employment. Something is better than nothing, even if your "lesser" choice is just to get by the next couple months. Think critically about what is best for you and your loved ones. Holding out for the "best" situation may not be the best choice right now. Do the math, and remind yourself that everything can change in the next two weeks, or two days.