Applying for a full-time job when I only want to work part-time

[digitalgirl]

Should I do it or is it a big waste of everyone's time?

DS is 6 months, hoping to return to work in a couple of months and then only 3 days a week.

However, work have relocated further away so my commute has gone from 45 minutes to 2 hours. I'm still negotiating whether I can work 3 days a week with them. But in the meantime I'm keeping an eye on jobs closer to home and hopefully in the public sector (currently in private sector). A job has come up in my local council that I want to apply for but it's not advertised as part-time...should I apply and then attempt to negotiate the job as part-time only if they offer it to me?

I've applied for full time jobs in the past, then told them if they invite me to interview, but before I go to interview. My current job was like this.

Would you be asking them to find a job share partner for you or would you be making a case that the job could be done in 3 days rather than 5?

The trouble is if it's been defined and advertised as a full time job, and you only want to do 3 days, that's a 40% reduction in hours you are looking for. It's difficult if you're not in the job to credibly propose how the other 40% of work will get done, or to identify different/more efficient ways it can be done. Applying for a full time job, getting an interview, wowing them at first interview then requesting doing compressed hours or 4 days or something is a bit more likely, but it's a hefty reduction you are after, which may be better suited to a job share or similar, depending on the job.

I'd still apply, put in a good application, get an interview, do a good interview and get them really interested in you, then explore the possibility with them.

thanks Mary and Flowery

The point about requesting a job-share is a good one, although I suppose it relies on a second person already being available to share it with.

The 4 day week would be the next best option. As long as it was local and could eventually become flexible.

This whole returning to work lark is a world of pain, especially given that I don't have any rights. Are there any agencies that specialise in placing people from the private sector into public sector roles??

i would phone the council and ask what their policy is generally about requests for jobs-share, part-time etc. the council i work for is very flexible and i have employed people who have come to interview and then asked to work less than f/t hours as a j/s arrangement.

You also need to bear in mind that if there's no flexibility, you will have wasted your own as well as their time at interview..worth bearing in mind

Have just called them and asked if what their policy is on jobshare/flexible hours requests. Lady was very helpful and said I should put on my application that I'm 'open to jobshare/flexible hours' rather than I'll only do it if it's jobshare. So make it sound like a plus point rather than a limiting factor.

Fingers crossed.