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Perhaps it’s to help cover your bills. Or maybe it’s to seek fulfillment not experienced at your day job. Whatever the reason, if you are looking to get a second job, you’re not alone. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 7 million Americans hold more than one profession.

Bing: Best-paid part time jobs

Here, experts and job seekers weigh in on what they consider to be the best moonlighting gigs. The suggestions run the gamut from child care to cosmetic procedures but all provide a means for pulling in some extra income.

1. Second job: bartender
Details: “I am an attorney who moonlights as a bartender,” says Brianna Sadler, partner at a law firm in Minnesota. “It’s actually a great way to meet future clients without violating theModel Rules of Professional Conduct, as I am able to have a personal relationship with the guests/clients and help fulfill both their need for a drink and possibly legal advice. As I am a plaintiff’s attorney, it’s also a great way to pay my rent until I have my ‘one big case’ we all dream about.”
Potential pay: Bartenders earn a mean hourly wage of $10.25, according to the BLS.

2. Second job: freelancer
Details: “I recently started my own consulting business in August, and while I was getting that up and running, I was actively seeking freelance writing work,” says Sophia Habl Mitchell, principal at Sophia Mitchell & Associates, LLC. “Taking small gigs through freelance sites … can be a great way to supplement income. The best part is that this work can be done at home, before or after a ‘regular job.’”
Potential pay: While pay varies based on type of freelance assignment, Mitchell says she earned $3,000 in four months by doing a variety of freelance work, including writing for a travel website and ghostwriting blog content.

3. Second job: cosmetic laser technician
Details: “Cosmetic laser technician is a career some people do part time while holding down another full-time job,” says Louis Silberman, president of National Laser Institute. “Cosmetic laser technicians work mostly in med spas and doctors’ offices as independent contractors. They perform procedures like laser hair removal and laser skin resurfacing. Some RNs have received their laser certification to increase their earning potential by performing cosmetic procedures.”
Potential pay: According to the NLI, the most common scenario is a blend of an hourly rate plus commission. The hourly rates usually range from $15-25 per hour, in addition to a commission ranging from 3-20 percent. At med spas, technicians typically receive gratuity.

4. Second job: child-care provider
Details: My husband and I have two small children, and we juggle going back and forth to the office and staying home with the kids,” says Brina Bujkovsky, owner and CEO of The Younique Boutique, Inc. “We decided to start a home day care to take advantage of the tax deductions, earn extra income … and provide playmates for our kids. We are helping the community by providing affordable care for children six weeks and up, and we are earning a nice second income.”
Potential pay: Bujkovsky says she makes more than $2,500 a month through her home day-care gig.

5. Second job: Futures trader
Details: A recent survey conducted by TopStepTrader, an international scouting agency that recruits and trains futures traders, found that more than half of the workers surveyed conduct futures trading as a second job. “With the markets open 23-24 hours a day, there is a lot of flexibility and profitability in this career as a second alternative job,” says Michael Patak, president and CEO of TopStepTrader.
Potential pay: According to TopStepTrader, part-time traders that trade lightly can earn an estimated $2,000 a month, while active part-time traders can average up to an estimated $4,000 a month.

6. Second job: Container/organization sales consultant
Details: If you’re outgoing and like organization, consider being a sales consultant for a container company. In this role, you’ll help plan or host fun parties — often held at people’s homes — where guests will have the opportunity to try out and buy your products. Some companies now offer e-commerce options too.
Potential pay: Earning potential can vary based on company and role. According to Lee Padgett of Clever Container, their starting consultants make 20 percent on their retail sales, and after they reach $1,000 worth of product sales, they make 25 percent on their retail sales.

7. Second job: mystery shopper
Details: Bethany Mooradian, author of “The Mystery Shopper Training Program,” suggests mystery shopping as a great way to earn extra cash. “To be a successful mystery shopper, a person needs to be reliable [and] honest, have basic Internet skills, decent writing, spelling and observation skills and live in a fairly metropolitan area,” Mooradian says. “Any time I’ve needed money, I just jump right back into mystery shopping … It’s perfect for anyone who wants a flexible way of earning extra income, has basic skills and doesn’t want to stay trapped behind a desk.”
Potential pay: Mystery shoppers can make up to $38,520 in annual salary, according to CBSalary.com.

Debra Auerbach is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com and its job blog, The Work Buzz. She researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues.

Job seekers often communicate a first impression through their résumés. In the newly updated edition of “Expert Résumés for Managers and Executives,” authors Wendy Enelow and Louise Kursmark stress the importance of a strong résumé all applicants.

“A vital component of your career management plan is your résumé, which must instantly position you as a well-qualified and highly competitive candidate,” the authors say. “The easiest way to accomplish that objective is by developing a powerful, performance-based résumé.”

In their book, Enelow and Kursmark provide numerous résumé samples, divided by career field, that are aimed at people at all levels of management, from front-line supervisors to top-level executives. They also offer nine strategies for writing effective résumés:

1.     Write for the job you want: “You cannot write an effective résumé without knowing, at least to some degree, what type or types of positions you will be seeking.”

2.     Sell it to me, don’t tell it to me: “If you ‘tell it,’ you simply state facts. If you ‘sell it,’ you promote it, advertise it, and draw attention to it.”

3.     Use keywords: “Keywords are … specific to a particular industry or profession. … When you use these words and phrases, you are communicating a specific message.”

4.     Use the “big” and save the “little”: “Try to focus on the ‘big’ things — revenue and profit growth, new initiatives and ventures, special projects, cost savings … then save the ‘little’ stuff — the details — for the interview.”

5.     Make your résumé “interviewable”: After “you are contacted for a telephone or in-person interview, your résumé becomes all-important in leading and prompting your interviewer during your conversation.”

6.     Eliminate confusion with structure and context: “Be consistent, make information easy to find and define the context in which you worked.”

7.     Use function to demonstrate achievement: “A résumé that focuses on your job functions can be dry and uninteresting and says little about your unique activities and contributions.”

8.     Remain in the realm of reality: “Do not push your skills and qualifications outside the bounds of what is truthful.”

9.     Be confident: “There is only one individual with the specific combination of employment experience, qualifications, achievements, education and technical skills that you have.”

“Your résumé can have tremendous power and a phenomenal impact on your job search. So don’t take it lightly,” Enelow and Kursmark say. “Rather, devote the time, energy and resources that are essential to developing a résumé that is well-written, visually attractive and effective in communicating who you are and how you want to be perceived.”

Lori Michelle Ryan is the marketing communications specialist at JIST Publishing, America’s Career Publisher. In this role, she helps job seekers, career changers, students and working professionals develop the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in the job market and world of work.
Copyright 2012 CareerBuilder.com

In today’s ever changing job market, not only have the types of jobs offered changed, but so have the individuals who make up the current workforce. Many older workers are opting to continue working instead of retiring. If you’re one of these seasoned professionals, how do you keep your edge and stay fresh and vibrant in today’s fast paced employment atmosphere?

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by Amy Chulik

“What words come to mind when I say Gen Y?” Aaron Kesher asked the many attendees at 2011′s Society for Human Resources Management conference who were packed into the room. ”Entitled!” shouted one person. “Job hoppers,” chimed in another. Soon, many in the room (many of them non-Gen Yers, with some Gen Y members sprinkled in) were shouting things like “smart,” “résumé builders,” “technically savvy,” “stereotype,” “comfortable with change,” and “creative.”

Obviously, we all have specific words and phrases and ideas that match how we perceive Gen Y to think and behave in the workplace. Gen Y, made up of those born between 1980 and 2000, have their own notions of themselves, too. In Aaron Kesher’s, “Why Y? Plugging Into a Generational Powerhouse” session, Kesher encouraged all of us in the room to rethink our notions of what we think Gen Y is all about, to consider the strengths they bring to today’s dynamic workplace and to use this knowledge and understanding to more successfully recruit and retain Gen Y workers.

“Do not doubt that this generation will change the face of the American workplace as their parents did,” Kesher said. “In the next five to 10 years, the number of Gen Yers in the workforce will increase dramatically.”

As the number of Gen Y workers is only getting larger, it’s about time we as a collective workplace learn more about Gen Y so that we can understand them, appreciate their unique strengths, and more successfully integrate them with other generations in the workplace.

What is work from a Gen Y Perspective?

·         Work ethic: Job loyalty, for a long time, was shown by how long you stuck around and paid your dues — and older generations still think in line with this. Gen Y, on the other hand, says, “I show you love by how hard I work, not how long I stick around.”

·         Tech savvy: It’s not so much that Gen Yers are tech savvy, Kesher pointed out — they’re tech dependent. They’re the generation that’s come of age with the explosion of technology, so it’s natural that they would be comfortable with it.

·         Communication and teamwork: Gen Y is not necessarily entitled; they just feel comfortable asking for what they want. When it comes to communication, you can often count on Gen Yers to spread out the message fast and often. We need to realize, Kesher said, that throughout Gen Y’s public education, the majority of the work was done in groups, and that their role wasn’t usually as the leader of a group — instead, many were “equal” team members. Therefore, many Gen Y members function fairly well as a group and as “team players,” but some struggle in standing out as individual, assertive leaders.

·         Money: Employers, listen up: Gen Y is talking to each other about the money they are (or aren’t) making at your organization. They are comparing how competitive your salary is with your competitors — and they’re not afraid to share their findings. One audience member mentioned recently hearing Gen Yers discussing openly the job offers and bonuses they were getting — and she was shocked.  After all, discussing how much money you make is one of the last great American taboos — yet Gen Y seems more comfortable with discussing this sort of information.

·         Recognition: Gen Y is a generation of the “there are no losers — everyone’s a winner” mentality. “But they didn’t make that up (boomer parents),” Kesher pointed out, to a round of laughter. Gen Yers don’t care how it gets done –they just want to get it done. And they want to be told they did a good job once they do it; recognition is very important.

·         Diversity: “Why do only white people work here?” might be something a Gen Y worker thinks while viewing a company site or sitting in the lobby while waiting to be interviewed and noticing the lack of diverse employees. Gen Y doesn’t embrace diversity — they expect it — and if your company says you believe in diversity, but then a Gen Y worker shows up and all workers look the same — they will think you’re not living up to your diversity message. This generation has grown up with a greater awareness of and comfort with diversity of all kinds. From home lives, to school experiences, to messages absorbed from pop culture, they often don’t see what all the fuss is. This can manifest as difficulty in understanding why others struggle with issues around differences. A question of whether gay marriage should be legalized, for example, is a non-issue for many Gen Y individuals — and this shift ties into a larger cultural shift in general.

·         Work versus life: “I love my job, but I love my life more” — that’s something you may hear a lot of Gen Yers say. One of the critical issues that will need to be ironed out at work in the future, Kesher said, will revolve around workplace flexibility. We’re increasingly seeing workplace flexibility issues evolving in the workplace, and Gen Y workers in particular (though they’re not alone) want to know how they can maintain their relationship with work while still having the flexibility to live the life they envision. As mentioned above, Gen Y has no problem with work or with the idea of working hard — it’s just that their job will never be the whole of their identity. They were raised with the imperative to “follow your dreams!”, and their job and life may intersect in new ways than we’ve seen in past generations. “Gen Y,” Kesher stressed, “doesn’t want a job — they want a life that hopefully includes a job.”

·         Being green: This is the generation that’s leading the green movement — so give them the power to build, make changes, and become leaders in your organization’s (existing or non-existing) green movement.

Why worry about Gen Y?

Ensuring that the different generations working together under one roof actually work well together is a big concern for many employers. After all, if knowledge isn’t able to be sufficiently shared from generation to generation, older generations will eventually retire — taking with them decades of experience. In addition, workers who work well together are likely to be happier, more productive and better brand ambassadors for companies.

There’s no question that job searching gets harder after the age of 50. Although age discrimination is illegal, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Many employers have preconceived notions about older workers. Among the most common: Their salaries are high, their energy is low and they’re not up-to-date on the latest technologies.

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