“What is overemployed /overemployment?“

Overemployed / Overemployment (OE) refers to the act of completing at least two full or part-time roles concurrently. It is not to be confused with moonlighting, which is the act of having separate jobs that cover different times of day. For example, if you work in an office during the day and work in a restaurant at night, that is an example of moonlighting. Overemployed is where you work two office-based roles simultaneously during the same hours. Done properly, being overemployed should not result in a lot of extra work for you as an employee. A common misconception about jobs is the idea that having two roles means double the work. This is not true. There are plenty of jobs that allow you to pretty much coast and do very little whilst collecting a fairly substantial sum of money. Your first task, and one that may take time, is to find such roles.

“Why become overemployed? Why not just get a higher paying job?”

There are many reasons why one might choose to go overemployed. Debt. Wanting to go on a fancy holiday or save for a house deposit. The list is endless. Me personally, I like having really nice stuff (think brand new cars). Rather than sacrifice my savings to make way for more extravagant purchases, overemployed allows me to meet my financial goals whilst still having a good chunk of disposable income to have fun with. Moreover, the EU is hurtling towards a severe cost of living crisis and a recession. Many people will end up losing their jobs. Becoming overemployed is a great way to insure yourself against the fallout of the recession and cost of living crisis. If you end up being culled from one of your roles, you will have another one (or several) to fall back on. That puts you in a much stronger position than most people, which leads onto my next point. Being overemployedmeans you can afford to be selective about where you work and how you enforce professional boundaries. Since you know your other Js will take care of your bills and lifestyle, you will know that you do not have to put up with whatever crap one of your employers is dishing out because you can just leave. Again, this puts you in a better position than most people because they cannot afford to leave their job even if it is absolutely terrible. This is why employers take advantage of their employees – they know that many of them cannot afford to leave.

In terms of getting a higher paying job, this is not always the best way to earn more money. Firstly, salary increases are currently lower than inflation. This means that most people are effectively taking a pay cut with their “salary increase”. Getting a second job, even if the job is paying £20,000, is a better option, because not many organisations will give you a £20,000+ pay rise in one fell swoop. The second issue with getting a higher paying job is that it often comes with more responsibility and accountability, something you ideally want to avoid when looking for your overemployed jobs. Being average is a key part of successful overemployed. In essence, you want to blend in with the crowd and get your work done to the required standard. No more, no less. Getting a higher paying job may also not be possible for some people, especially if they do not have the necessary experience. Overemployed allows such people to earn director level money whilst carrying having junior level responsibilities. Another unspoken perk of overemployed is that you will develop your professional skillset much quicker than having only one job at a time. Being exposed to new environments, new organisations and new people is a great way to expand your network in a meaningful way.

“I want to become Overemployed. Where do I start?”

If you are thinking about venturing into the world of overemployed, the first step is to look for suitable jobs. Remote working has become much more common (but not the norm) in the EU, so you should have plenty of options. When I am looking for overemployed jobs I tend to use sites like Indeed and LinkedIn. You can also make use of recruiters, although I would advise against telling them you already have a job. Read the job description thoroughly to ensure that a remote job is really a remote job. Hybrid and jobs that require you to be in the office during the working day in person should be avoided for obvious reasons. You also want to make sure that the companies you are considering have the right culture. Companies that utilise a lot of meetings and/or have a culture that encourages micromanaging should be avoided like the plague. Once you have found the overemployed job of your dreams that will set you on the path to financial freedom, you now need to secure it by putting in a successful application and interview.

“How do I interview for an overemployed job? Do I tell them I am working elsewhere? How do I handle references?”

Interviewing for an overemployed job is the same as any other job with a few omissions. Make sure you tailor your CV accordingly to each job. Use your judgement to determine if certain jobs, such as your current one, are better left off your CV. Do not tell your prospective employer that you are overemployed. That is the fastest way to get yourself cut from the running. Contrary to popular belief, there is not a database that exists that tells organisations about every place you have worked. 99% of companies (barring companies that require developed vetting) can only verify what you tell with the information you give them. In terms of references, many companies are now directing references to their HR department. HR tends to only confirm the dates of employment. This works in your favour if you are overemployed as it means that you do not need to get your manager to give you a reference. If the job you are asking for is wanting a reference for your current place of employment, you can give them the email address of a HR officer who will write you the standard version that just confirms your dates of employment. I have asked my managers to write my reference for overemployed jobs in the past, but this must be done carefully. I had an extremely solid relationship with these managers, and I often told them that the new J was a volunteering opportunity for personal and professional development that I was going to pursue in my own time.

“How do I handle onboarding/induction?”

All of your Js will give you annual leave, so use it strategically. If you know you have a lengthy induction period at a new J, cover it with annual leave from your other job/s. If you know you will not get the time off approved, then it is time to call in sick. The reason why I say you must be fully present at your induction, even if the work is remote, is because you want to start off on the right footing. First impressions count, and if you show up from day one ready to work, that will put you in good stead. A trick I often use when onboarding is to be more useful than required. Generally speaking, companies do not expect a lot from employees who are in their induction period, so people often use the time to get paid not doing much. I take a slightly different approach by volunteering for more challenging tasks from the jump. It sounds counter intuitive, but employers love it when you take initiative. Plus, they are more likely to trust that you will get the work done to the required standard if you show you capabilities early on. I will caveat this by saying that you should always be cognizant of ‘extra work for no reward’ creep. Which leads on to my next point.

“How can I manage multiple jobs? What happens if meetings conflict?”

Effective time management is an extremely important skill in the overemployed life. As you become more accustomed to the overemployed lifestyle, you should become more adept at managing your time effectively. However, below are some tips to get you started:

• Have one master calendar that has all the information from all your jobs on it. This should ideally be on a personal device such as a phone or your personal laptop.
• Proactively block out time in your work calendars to attend/do work for the other J. Outlook has a great feature that allows you to make appointments private so they cannot be viewed by others, which is perfect if you have to give others access to your calendar.
• Keep the work from all Js separate. Use separate devices and laptops for each. You do not want any cross-contamination.
• Learn how to push back on meeting times. They are often always negotiable. You do not have to give a reason as to why you cannot make a certain time – just say you are not available at that time and suggest a time when you are available.
• Have a bank of excuses ready. My current excuse for some of my Js is that I am a student so they know my availability will be limited (which is true, but it is online and part-time. My employers do not know that, though.) Other excuses can include caring responsibilities, medical appointments, feeling unwell, poor Wi-Fi (great one for getting away with not having your camera switched on), etc. Try to only deploy these excuses when you absolutely cannot avoid or get out of a meeting clash. Constantly making excuses about why you cannot show up even some of the time will arouse suspicion after some time.

“What sorts of jobs are good for overemployed?”

There is a common misconception that only certain jobs, such as tech, are good for overemployed. This is not necessarily true. As mentioned previously, jobs that are remote and/or have a certain working culture that values employee independence are great picks for overemployed roles. In-person jobs can also work quite well depending on the role. I am currently writing this piece whilst at one of my Js because I am able to lone work, which is great for overemployed because it means I can get on with work from my other Js in peace. It also means that I will have the next day all to myself because I would have completed the necessary work for my other Js during this shift. If your industry does not have many spare jobs going that are suitable for overemployed, do not be afraid to look outside your industry.

“I want to be overemployed, but it sounds highly unethical.”

It’s also unethical that employers are allowed to effectively pay us less at a time when the cost of living is increasing. In an ideal world, being overemployed would not be necessary because everyone would be paid fairly for their labour and have enough to live, not survive, off. But we do not live in an ideal world. The way I see it is this: you can either complain about not having enough money to pay the bills and live the lifestyle you want or you can tap into the many, many unfilled vacancies in this country and get yourself multiple pay cheques. I know which choice I prefer.

“I want to/am overemployed. Can I tell anyone?”

I would advise against telling anyone, including close friends and family, that you are overemployed. It’s none of their business and I do not see the point in telling everyone about your situation. The fact you are out-earning them by miles may also breed resentment which can lead to them trying to sabotage your efforts by reporting you to your employers (yes, this has happened to someone before). Loose lips sink ships. It is better to keep this to yourself. Overmployment is generally frowned upon in the EU. People still cling to the idea of being exclusive to one employer, even if that employer is barely paying them enough to cover their bills.

“How do people get caught?”

By making stupid mistakes. A common way people get caught doing overemployed is via social media. LinkedIn is notorious for this as your profile can be made visible to people from both organisations. I personally deleted my LinkedIn account when I started overemployed. I felt it was way too much of a risk. The professional world is much smaller than you think. People also get caught by allowing the standards at one of their Js to drop enough that they get fired or their employer begins to suspect they have a conflict of interest. Remember, the goal of overemployed is not to not do anything at all. The goal is to produce the bare minimum amount of work needed to keep your job. This is what makes it manageable. I always prioritise the job that pays me the most and/or the one I enjoy the most, but that does not mean I do not get work done at my other Js. You still need to keep the job at the end of the day.

So that sums up my introductory guide to overemployed! I hope this was useful. Overall, becoming overemployed has been one of the best decisions of my life. It puts you, the employee, in a position of tremendous power in addition to providing fantastic monetary and professional benefits.