With the current economy, finding a job can be incredibly difficult. To help tide you over this part of your life, it’s best to find profitable side gigs. They do not need to make you a lot of money since they are only meant to keep you afloat. Then again, if you do end up making bank on your side gig, you won’t need to job hunt anymore.
Thanks to the internet, there are hardly any side gigs that are not available to you. You can make and bottle fruit preserves to sell, for example. You can also do online freelancing if you prefer. The web lets you research, practice, and prepare as much as you need.
What Do You Want To Do?
The first step to finding a good side gig while job hunting is to ask yourself what you want to do. The internet lets you do pretty much anything. You can work, sell, rent, or serve in whatever capacity or field you like.
Just make sure that it is actually your passion and that you have access to everything you need. For those who want to sell artisanal juice, jams, or preserves, containers can be a big issue. Fortunately, there is such a thing as online shopping and delivery.
On that note, you do have to be careful. Not all glass bottle production methods are the same. In many cases, your bottles could end up too thin, brittle, or cloudy. This is neither desirable nor safe for selling homemade condiments or spreads. If you are thinking of venturing into the 200mL milk bottles manufacturing, for instance, you need to produce clear, durable, and well-made glass containers. You also want containers that are almost a work of art. In some affluent sectors, this alone can be a selling point.
What really matters, however, is that you choose a side gig that you actually want to do. It can be for any reason.
- Money
- Experience
- Self-satisfaction
- Etc.
You only need to make sure that you can profit from it and that you can keep doing it. If you choose something that is too hard and makes too little money, it would not be worth it.
Research Thoroughly and Study Carefully
Once you have chosen your side gig, you must make sure to research it as much as you can. Since this is just for supplemental income, there’s no need to do an in-depth market analysis. You would have neither the budget nor the time for it.
Focus on understanding what it is you will be doing or selling to the best of your ability. This will help you do the following:
- Truly make money.
- Avoid nasty surprises.
- Be able to adjust when necessary.
- Be ready to take advantage of additional opportunities.
After doing your research, it’s not enough that you collected all of the data. You need to familiarize yourself with them, if only on the basics.
You can’t make, sell, or offer something that you have no idea about. This can be a serious obstacle to making money from your side gig.
While you are technically trying to make a quick buck, remember that you’ll be dealing with actual customers. Trust will be a major currency between you and them. One that can be very hard to get back once lost.
Be Ruthlessly Organized
Juggling your job hunting with a side gig, or even several side gigs can be quite messy. This is where you are supposed to up your game in being organized.
Make your schedule as tight and as detailed as humanly possible. Once it’s done, do your best to stick to it.
Remember that your side gig will be helping to support you while you are finding a job. It might not make you rich, but whatever profit it generates will be very helpful.
You should also keep in mind that you might need to rely on your side gig for longer than ideal. It can be difficult to land a job that pays well, these days. So even if you do manage to get hired, you might keep your side gig anyway. It can help give you some breathing room with your finances.
To do this right, you’ll want to:
- Use a planner or desk calendar.
- Take full advantage of your phone’s smart assistant.
- Pay attention to notifications.
- Build a habit of sticking to schedules.
- Be flexible and willing to adapt.
It’s also worth pointing out that being organized would be good for your job hunting too. Being organized and disciplined are traits that companies value. You can show that you managed to turn a tidy profit from your side gig, as well. If nothing else, this can help give interviewers a better impression of your initiative and abilities.
Conclusion
The current market conditions have resulted in a harsh job-hunting environment. To help you pay the bills and buy food, doing side gigs would be a great idea. However, you have to do it right.
You need to choose the right side gig for you, be thorough when you research and be super organized. Those are all necessary to make real money that will keep you afloat for now.
