Show New Job Frontiers for Women How two million “temporaries” help their families and themselves By T K IRWIN ore and more American housewives are taking temporary jobs Already about two million of them go to work a few hours a day or a few days a week Their reasons vary Some families need the extra income to cope with the high cost of living Other families may require money to meet financial emergencies such as extraordinary medical expenses or urgent home repairs Still others find they want a second car or a new kitchen appliance or must pay a college tuition bill And there are some housewives who seek temporary work not only for the additional money but because a job offers them a change from their household routine Temporary work has thus many appeals A job schedule can be mapped to fit irio a family’s schedule For example a mother can arrange to be home from work when her children return from school Or she can plan to work just on the two days each week when her youngsters have activities that keep them out late (By the way in the employment market a “temporary worker" differs from a “part-tim- e worker" in that the latter is usually on a regular basis) after-scho- One ol housewife with two children found she had to help carry 38-year-- old the burden of high mortgage payments on a new house Working for an opinion researcher she probed public tastes in coffee gasoline and razor blades After five months though her husband raise she continued got his hoped-fo- r to work as a “temp” this time to pay for straightening her daughter's teeth “The time is particularly ripe now for temporaries" says Elmer Winter a pioneer in the field and president of a leading organization providing temporary employees “More and more economy-minde-d businessmen are relying on short-teremployees during peak periods emergencies and for such special projects as big mailings or inventory-taking- " With this new emphasis on flexibility in hiring housewives can readily make their spare time pay off Job opportunities range from convention hostesses to substitute teachers from bank tellers to “mystery shoppers" who see how a product is faring About three out of five temporaries are hired as typists receptionists and m 4 t Family Weekly January J 1971 temporary worker Phone or visit the personnel office of department stores Watch community bulletin boards such as those in large supermarkets small companies sometimes use them O If you’re interested in a specific trade or industry look in the classified phone book for appropriate companies Then call or write the personnel manager Some firms keep lists of “extras” to be summoned when necessary To avoid making the rounds of prospective employers apply at a temporary-hel- p employment agency that does not charge a placement fee The pay scale for temporaries which is usually based on an hourly ate varies from city to city Generally it is comparable to wages paid permanent workers of equal skill in the same job category To be realistic about that extra income however expenses and hidden costs of working should not be overlooked Eating lunch out may average a few dollars a week There's the cost of transportation to work care for preschoolers or youngsters after school clothes to wear on the job bigger launbills more visits dry and to the beauty parlor Many a working wife with less time to cook splurges on convenience foods or the family dines out more often time-consumi- for various clerical tasks Selling in de- partment stores especially before Easter and Christmas has long been a standby With the constant influx of new products erch year store demonstrators are in demand in one recent merchandising campaign they were used in 3000 stores For women who must stay home most of the time but still want to work there are jobs as phone solicitors for merchants and as pollsters in surveys How do you go about finding tempo-- 1 rary job openings or learning about the sometimes unexpected factors involved? Here are some suggestions: public-opinio- n To get started experts advise first assess your native and learned skills to see what jobs you’re qualified for If you were a teacher nurse secretary or bookkeeper or had almost any kind of professional training you have an open-sesato temporary jobs in your field' Analyze your aptitudes and personal endowments Do you speak or read a foreign language? Are you good in mathematics? Is your appearance particularly personable? Are you a fluent public speaker (for a demonstrator job for example)? Women without formal training should consider the volunteer work g at a they've done such as civic association or church Hobbies talents and recreational interests may help point to the right job training is sometimes given by department stores telephone me fund-raisin- On-the-j- ob companies and certain factories Prior work experience is also not essential for a job as comparison shopper file clerk or survey taker If your skill is rusty a brushing-u- p may be called for Stenographers for example are expected to have a shorthand speed of at least 90 words a minute typists a minimum of 50 Whatever the talent local public schools university extension and business schools should be checked for refresher courses Dictation records can be bought to help you regain shorthand speed Some temporary-employmeagencies give their own short refresher courses for office jobs “I just don't know what I have to offer” you may say To steer you in the right direction vocational counseling is offered at every state employment service many YWCA's and other community service agencies nt Having determined the kinds of jobs fill can where and how should you you look for those y openings? Based on a consensus of authorities here's a checklist of possible resources: O Broadcast your availability to friends relatives anyone who may give you a lead and keep extending the grapevine O Of course check the “Help Wanted" columns in your newspaper or run a “Situation Wanted" ad O The State Employment Office though primarily for permanent jobs may suggest possible openings for a extra-mone- dry-cleani- Rom ng ng his 22 years' experience with women temporaries Elmer Winter cautions that 'The husband’s full consent to his wife's working is essential to marital harmony To minimize the strain on the family — and the housewife— she should organize her schedule of housecleaning cooking and laundering so that she doesn’t have to rush home to chaos Sure it takes planning But if for instance she knows she'll be working late a casserole dish and salads can be prepared in advance or youngsters can be assigned helpful chores according to their maturity" What are the disadvantages of having a temporary job? Some women may feel bad about having their children come home to an empty house Some may resent the pressure of having to catch up on housework during evenings and weekends But once the right arrangements have been made and the home is managed efficiently any woman can go to work with a dear conscience Inevitably she experiences the warm satisfaction that comes from helping her family in a time of need |