How My Side Hustle Helped Me Find My New Job

Over the past couple of months, a lot has changed for me. First, I found a job! And the amazing thing is that it wasn’t my previous day job that helped prepare me for this position, but my “side hustle” work. Today, I thought I’d go over how my side hustle helped me, and how you can get yours to help you.

What is a side hustle?

The word side hustle means that you are doing work on top of your regular full-time job. Side hustle jobs are usually flexible in hours, how often you need to work it, and in what you do. A few side hustles include:

• Writing
• Proofreading
• Dog walking
• Selling on eBay
• Social media management
• Virtual assistant
• Tutoring
• Doing online surveys

What was my side hustle?

Starting in 2011, and especially picking up speed in 2013, I did a lot of product reviews, blogging, and freelance writing. What made these types of side hustles so appealing to me is that I could hop around and change it up however I wanted. Sometimes I was doing product reviews on the blogs of others, and sometimes I was doing them on my own. As for freelance writing, I wrote a lot of articles for a lot of other people, usually SEO companies. When it came to blogging, I have always kept up my own and sought to grow them in some way or another.

In 2017, I started putting together blog tours for a writing website, and that really taught me a lot. I developed the skill of pitching to websites, finding suitable websites for the particular niche the author was in, and staying in touch with what was going on in the blogging and publishing world.

How did my side-hustle help me find my job?

When I lost my job in 2018, I actively looked for work, but had the hardest time finding something. I attempted to pursue freelance writing, and did it somewhat actively, but it never caught on for me. Personally, I wanted something permanent.

So, a few months ago, I reached out to a company that had purchased a blog tour, as well as some other advertising services, and asked if they were hiring. Turns out, they were. I interviewed with the owners and they liked me. Not too long after that, I was hired!

It sounds simple, but in fact, it was far from it. I’ve done my share of asking people if they were hiring before, and many, many times I have been told no, or heard the famous lines, “We’ll keep you in mind.” In the last couple of years, I have applied to job after job, and many times been ignored. I’ve had interviews that went well, only to hear I wasn’t a good fit.

The timing with this job was perfect, and I know God led me to this job. And I can only say that the Lord’s timing is perfect.

How can your side hustle help you find a job?

Many times, people pursue a side hustle because they need the extra money. That’s where I was many times. However, I have a few tips to share if you are pursuing side hustles:

• Consider your strengths.

Writing is one of my strengths, and I have pursued side-hustles that utilized this strength. Luckily, as a result, my writing skills improved! So, as you look for a side hustle, keep your personal strengths in mind. You will want to work to your advantage when adding anything on top of your full-time job.

• Enjoy it.

A side-hustle will not work unless you are enjoying it in some way. Day jobs are a challenge all on their own, even if you like what you do, so when you take on a side-hustle, make sure you it’s something you enjoy. I’ve enjoyed product reviews, blogging, and even article writing. Not to mention, taking on extra work is stressful, so if you hate your extra work, you will get drained fast.

• Work for a smaller company.

If you can, try to work for a smaller company. There are a lot of side hustles where you are working for a major conglomerate that hires people out to do contract jobs. I’m thinking of being a shopper for Instacart, or being a driver for Uber, or being a dog walker for Rover. Now there isn’t anything wrong with these jobs, and if you can do these and enjoy them, then go for it! But if you can, try to work for a smaller company. The reason is a smaller company can be a great reference. They aren’t as easy to find and you may have to do a lot of asking around, but it’s one of the best ways to turn a side-hustle into a career.

• Adapt and grow.

This may reveal a restless part of my personality but I kind of hopped around a lot when doing my side-hustles. Now, I have a strong work record. I stayed 6 years at my previous job, and have been doing blog tours for over 3 now, so I have longevity on my side. Yet, when it came to side hustles, I kept looking around. The first reason is that many of mine just went away because there wasn’t a need for my services. Also, many times these types of jobs paid too low for my effort. The good thing is it helped me grow, learn, and adapt.

How can your side-hustle turn into a career?

Thanks to my experience with blogging, getting to know the freelance writing world, and putting together blog tours, I have been prepared for the world of public relations! I thank the Lord for this, and I’m really enjoying what I do.

• Don’t be afraid to try new things.

As you pursue side hustles, pay close attention to what you are sticking with, and what you are enjoying. The fun thing about side-hustles is that it lets you explore other areas without the demand of a full-time job.

• Also, don’t stretch yourself too thin.

The last thing you want to do is burn a professional bridge because you got so stressed out you revealed an ugly side of your nature (yeah, I’ve done that before).

• Be patient.

It took me a long time to get to this point and I really wasn’t starting out with the intention of turning any kind of side hustle into my career.

• Be realistic.

Not many people find a career with a side-hustle, and it’s not a direct route to success.

A lot of people are out of work right now, and a lot of people aren’t making ends meet easily, so side-hustles seem to be an undeniable part of our future. But with that said, you’d be surprised how a side-hustle can transform into something you really like.

Do you have a side-hustle? If so, what do you do? And how has that helped you in your career?