NYC where to find work immediately

October 24, 2019 1:16 AM

Hi all, My family is in a tough situation. We have a 5 year old and both me and my husband are in between jobs at the same time. We need to find both jobs in our fields but also something that could be started immediately to get money coming in. So my question is two part- where to go to get temp work in our fields, and also where to go to get temp work for anything.

Where would a person go these days (temp agency???) to get temporary or contract work in project management, front end programming, or product management? The person looking for work is essentially a director of product with an engineering background.

Is there a place to go to get immediate work in a creative field such as prop design, 3D fabrication, or even teaching art to kids? The person looking for work has a background in sculpture and has worked in art fabrication.

Also, is there a place to just get immediate work (not important what it is?) Craigslist doesn't seem to be the place to get replies to job postings.

posted by anonymous to Work & Money (6 answers total)

For the project management and front end web stuff, meetups. Every tech meetup that is anywhere near relevant. Network the hell out of them. Also, free food (pizza) and usually leftovers. Bring the pizza home to eat for breakfast. Not healthy, but it is filling.

Feel free to memail me for NYC meetup guidance.
posted by bilabial at 3:14 AM on October 24, 2019

It's been a few years but the last time I got temp work in NYC it was by applying for temp jobs online, mostly via indeed, rather than going to a specific temp agency.
posted by bunderful at 5:41 AM on October 24, 2019

The Census is hiring.
posted by entropone at 6:28 AM on October 24, 2019

Seasonal retail and hospitality jobs are hiring now! Not a ton of money but you could be working in a week.
posted by mskyle at 10:02 AM on October 24, 2019

When I last did this in 2014, showing up in person was still a big part of the temp job hunt. Atrium is one big agency and there are a lot of others in Midtown. Go first thing in the AM and take all their tests (MS Office, etc.). Then you wait for a quick chat with a recruiter. Then (this is important) you call them first thing every morning to ask if they have anything for you. Maybe someone who has done the Midtown thing more recently can comment on any changes to the in-person routine.
posted by 8603 at 10:52 AM on October 24, 2019

My SO has had luck with programming jobs at Upwork. These are generally smaller projects with a variety of hourly rates. Often the first project will lead to additional projects for the same customer.

As for teaching art, I don't know if substitutes are needed for that specifically, but maybe check out the requirements for substitute teachers in your area?
posted by Glinn at 11:47 AM on October 24, 2019