Quick Tip: Fill The Gap With a Relevant Part-Time Job While Unemployed

A friend from college sent me an interesting Facebook message the other day.  She wanted to fill me in on a cool strategy she used while unemployed to help fill the gap, but also make herself more valuable to her next employer.

Here’s a direct quote from my friend, Jana:

I had a temp position is advertising that ended in May. I wanted to switch fields but wasn’t sure where to go and my hubby was looking for jobs out-of-state, so I did not want to over commit to a new profession and then move. What I chose to do was take a retail job in sales, which i had never done until this time. So at 28, I learned that my experience in advertising and marketing made me a great sales woman.

Now that I have moved and am looking to get back into a professional field, there is no gap on my resume because I was doing something. I can now also add sales to my skill set.

Just thought this idea could be a refreshing way of looking at the advantages of taking a part-time job while you’re looking for a real job. I’ve found a lot of people who are doing the same thing.

What Jana did was find a part-time job that would be relevant to her career.  Filling the gap is easy, even though we sometimes make it harder.  There are a billion and one freelance, contract, and part-time gigs to fill up that empty space.  The difficult part is landing a position that is somewhat related and can be seen as valuable experience to the next employer.

Have you ever tried something like this while in a period of unemployment?