Does your company have one or more open positions for a part-time job? Statistics show that there were nearly 27 million part-time employees in 2019.  Defined as employees who work less than 40 hours per week, typically 30 hours or less per week, they are an essential component of the modern workforce.  Six quick tips will help you to recruit amazing part-time employees for your company.

#1) Create A Clear Role Description

A complete role description will express both the broad relationship with your company and the detailed responsibilities of the part time role.  Within the role description, the part-time structure of the role should be stated.  If key aspects of a part-time role are omitted you may receive inquiries and applications for full-time or contract work.  Clarity of roles is critical for all levels of employment and will ensure you can attract the right candidates.  Beyond the part-time work structure, a complete role description will clarify role responsibilities, relationships with team members, and behavioral norms or culture, to ensure candidates know what they are applying for, and what it will take to succeed in the role.  A successful part-time association starts here, as a well-defined and well-articulated role description.

#2) Emphasize Competitive Pay

Since part-time team members contribute fewer hours than their full-time counterparts, they typically seek positions that pay well and a pay structure corresponds to the designated responsibilities of the role.  Today, we recognize the myriad of life circumstances that drive interest in part-time work.  Individuals may be working part-time while in school, while care giving for a elderly or ill loved one, or caring for children.  Appropriate compensation structures are important for all levels of professional experience.  Every role should communicate evolving or increased responsibilities and potential opportunities toward a full-time or other role structure.   Professionals seeking part-time roles will be interested in compensation that is competitive in the marketplace.  All part-time positions are not created equal.  Assuming that part-time employees should be paid less per hour than full-time employees will result in loss of good people.  In most cases, a part-time-pay approach results in less motivated employees who underperform.  Turnover and performance setbacks become cyclical and costly.  By emphasizing compensation that is appropriate to the role and competitive in the marketplace you can attract highly motivated and productive part-time employees to your company.

#3) Communicate Benefits

Competitive pay isn’t the only thing that will attract amazing part-time employees.  Non monetary benefits can be just as enticing.  When designing total compensation for part-time employees, eligibility for benefits and required benefits should be considered, as they may be different for full-time and part-time employees.  Each U.S. state can have different laws regarding benefits a company is required to offer.
Think outside the part-time box.  Consider benefits that boost compensation.  For example, as part of total compensation your company may offer paid vacation or discounts on products or services.  When seeking part-time employees consider how these important benefits can increase your competitive advantage in the part time marketplace.  Understanding the full scope of compensation will make open positions more attractive to hardworking individuals.

#4) Offer Flexibility

Offering some form of role flexibility can be effective in your part-time recruitment efforts.  Research shows that three out of four employees stay longer at companies when they are offered job flexibility. Part-time employees can have more flexibility in their schedules than full-time employees because they work fewer hours.  Before COVID-19 hit the American workplace this year, work from home, WFH options were increasing for many roles. Today it has become the new normal for all levels of employment.  But what about 2021?  With a new vision of productivity from the full time WFH structure, flexibility is redesigned.  When employees are already at home instead of the office, flexibility looks different.  Flexibility in the WFH structure becomes essential for full-time employees that find themselves sitting at their computers all day, and need breaks from the screen and a chair to avoid fatigue and stress.  For part-time employees flexibility may mean that some work can be done after hours.  A flexible structure should be communicated within the role description.  Assuming that WFH means the same to everyone, especially in a part-time role, is risky.  With well-defined role flexibility you can fill open part-time positions more effectively.

#5) Reward Tenure

Rewarding tenure can help you find and recruit amazing part-time employees for your company.  Recognize that some individuals seeking a part-time role are interested in working for a specific, sometimes short-term period, such as a few months or a year.  After achieving their short-term financial goals, they aim to redirect their efforts to other professional or personal endeavors.  This creates turnover if you are not aware of the intended path and whether it is a match to your needs.  Including the length of engagement in the role description will prevent premature turnover and continual restart of recruiting and onboarding processes.  Turnover in key part-time roles will cause as much disruption to overall business performance as full-time roles.
To encourage your part-time members to stay, reward tenure with your company’s part-time employees. For example, you can offer part-time employees higher wages or a higher salary after one year.  If candidates know they can be paid more after one year they will consider a longer association.

#6) Conduct Meaningful Interviews

Interviews are an important step in the recruitment of new part time employees.  You will need to conduct meaningful interviews to determine which candidates are best suited for your company’s open part-time positions.  Don’t rely strictly on applications and resumes. Instead, conduct interviews with candidates who have the right skills and experience, and natural execution strengths necessary for success in a role.
Here are a few tips on how to conduct meaningful interviews when recruiting part-time employees:

• Prepare discussion points in advance.  They must correspond to the key aspects of the role design.
• Ask candidates why they want to work for your company, inquire about why they applied.
• Ask candidates how long they intend to stay at a company, their goals for a part time role.
• Try to strike a personal connection with candidates so that they feel more comfortable sharing.
• Be present, remove distractions during the interview such as phones and computers.
• Evaluate the candidate’s application and resume before interviewing him or her.
• Conduct interviews in person when possible, to provide additional input from video conferencing.
• Take notes about the candidates’ answers to your questions.

 
The right role design and effective communication will enable you to recruit the right part time team members. Keeping part-time members engaged and retaining their interest is the next essential part of the successful part time working relationship.