Finding Part-Time Admin/Clerical Work: Reader Advice

Lydia Wickham’s daughter writes:

Hi everyone, I’m looking for help finding an admin/clerical part-time job. I’m employed as a graphic designer with some admin work at my current job. I used to be full-time but got reduced to 55% (22 hours per week) due to funding difficulties. The reduced hours were supposed to be temporary until my current employer picked up more contracts, but it’s now been like this for a year and a half, so I need to find other part-time work to supplement my current job (my current employer is okay with this).

I’m applying for other full-time graphic design jobs but haven’t had any luck, and I’m hoping it will be easier to find part-time work, though maybe it’s as bad right now finding part-time jobs as it is for full-time jobs? I don’t want to do freelance design work (I’ve done it before and the marketing/networking/finding clients part would eat up most of my available time). I’m hoping to find something in the office/clerical/admin sphere. My skills are Adobe Creative Cloud, Microsoft Office, and some HTML/CSS. What kind of part-time jobs could I look for, and where? Do these even exist? Should I sign up with a temp agency like Manpower? Flexible hours and remote work would be ideal but I understand if that’s like asking for a gold-plated, diamond-encrusted unicorn. Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated, thanks!

Job Titles to Consider

CanadaGoose suggests casting a wide net with job titles, especially if you have soft skills like dealing with people and the ability to write in business language:

  • Administrative Assistant
  • Marketing Coordinator
  • Communications Officer
  • Clerk
  • Customer Service Representative
  • Municipal or government office clerk (processing licenses, permits, etc.)
  • Social Media Coordinator
  • Production Assistant (in a print environment)

She also recommends applying for full-time admin positions rather than restricting your search only to roles that fit your current part-time schedule, and reviewing job listings to see if there are skills you have that you haven’t been highlighting in your application materials.

My cat was prettier than me notes she is in a similar search and has found a number of part-time positions posted by smaller businesses and churches. She recommends searching specifically for “Administrative Assistant” roles and uses Indeed, LinkedIn, and occasionally Craigslist.

Ama recommends targeting smaller nonprofits, schools, and churches that may need someone who can handle both admin tasks and light graphic design work such as flyers and small newsletters. She suggests Idealist.org as a strong starting point, as it is set up to handle both full-time and part-time nonprofit job listings. WoodswomanWrites seconded this recommendation.

tgis suggests checking local community college and university job boards.

Truedeeda recommends locating your county or state employment services office, which can offer resume and interviewing help in addition to job listings.

Liz shares that when she needed to fill a part-time position, posting on a local community Facebook page was far more effective than going through her company’s HR. She received five responses, interviewed three candidates, and hired two outstanding part-time employees — a reminder that informal local networks can surface opportunities that never make it to the major job boards.

Temp and Staffing Agencies

Both CanadaGoose and hi there recommend temp and staffing agencies as a practical route for local, on-site part-time work. Agencies can match your skillset to available roles, and just because an agency offers you an assignment doesn’t mean you have to take it if it isn’t a good fit. One commenter noted that a friend landed several interesting short-term roles covering staff on FMLA leave, and that a nonprofit they know hired a part-time admin assistant directly through a temp agency.

The consensus is that part-time admin work does exist, particularly at smaller organizations and nonprofits, and that combining job boards like Indeed, LinkedIn, and Idealist with temp agencies and local networks gives you the broadest chance of finding a good fit.