Resumes & Interviews >> Browse Articles >> Job Search Trouble Shooting

8 Do's and Don'ts to Landing a Temporary Job

If you’re a highly qualified professional who has been unemployed for a while, you may eventually have to find a “Plan B” job to pay your bills until the job market improves and you can return to your preferred type of work.

There’s no shame in that, but landing a temporary survival job can be harder than you think — there may be dozens of applicants for a retail job at your local mall, for example.

Career experts offer these eight dos and don’ts for finding and getting hired for a survival job.

1. Do Choose Your Survival Job Wisely

“A survival job should be something you enjoy,” says Lynn Taylor, a workplace expert who is CEO of Santa Monica, California-based Lynn Taylor Consulting and author of Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant. For example, if you’re a social animal with a passion for music, try getting a gig as a bartender in your favorite karaoke bar. “Your likelihood of landing even a survival job is greater if you demonstrate genuine enthusiasm, so don’t waste anyone’s time with a job you dislike from the start,” she says.

2. Don’t Give Up on Finding the Job You Really Want

Before turning to bartending, look for a survival job in your field — even if it means taking a major step down. Doing so will provide consistency and focus in your career and put you in the right place should opportunities arise within that company, Taylor says. If you must take a survival job outside your field, aim for evening or weekend hours so you can use your days to search and interview for your desired professional position, she says.