How to Land Your First 4-Day Workweek Job? Actionable Tips from Someone Who Did.

In this guest post, Phil McParlane from 4 Day Week shares actionable tips for securing a 4-day workweek job. He outlines practical strategies and innovative approaches for navigating the job market to find positions that offer more flexibility and a better work-life balance.

The Covid-19 lockdown showed us we can do more while working less. If that sounds like a myth, then check out these statistics:

• 62% of workers took fewer sick leaves than when they worked 5 days a week.
• A New Zealand trust management company adopted the 4-day workweek model and saw over 20% increase in employees’ productivity.
• UK businesses using the 4-day workweek approach have saved over £104 billion.

The list goes on and on, and you can see this is a win-win situation for both companies and their employees. But here comes the problem. While brands like Amazon and Basecamp have joined the wagon of implementation, there are still millions of companies sitting on the fence — stuck between adopting lesser work days or sticking to the usual 40 hours daily. This also means you might find it tricky to get your dream job. To help you, we’ve compiled a few actionable tips from someone who has landed multiple 4-day workweek jobs.

1. Research Companies Known for Offering Flexible Work Schedules

If you’ve been in the workforce for quite a while, searching for job postings shouldn’t be new. You just have to visit social media platforms like LinkedIn and look at their job boards, right? That’s great, but most of these offers usually have extremely strict demands, including 5–8+ hours daily, 5 days weekly routine. It should improve over time as companies begin to roll out different perks.

However, for now, you need to go beyond the generic job-hunting method. To do that, you can do the following:

Ask Google: There are many compilation articles on companies offering remote roles and flexible work. Of course, these lists are often non-specific, but you can be lucky to find your potential employer.

Visit career pages: You want to work with Apple? Head over to their website and check the career page. That page contains all the possible information about the role you want to apply for, including work hours and schedules.

Check culture pages: Amazon has a workplace culture page where applicants get to see a brief picture of the environment they’re going into. Usually, companies offering a flexible working model, such as the 4-day model, will also include it there.

Create a spider list: Do you know one or two employers offering a 4-day workweek benefit? Research their competitors. There’s a likely possibility these competitors will also offer lesser work time perks to attract talent.

2. Leverage Social Media Job Boards with Trigger Keywords

Over 84% of businesses use social media as their go-to recruitment channel. Some contact candidates directly, while a larger number prefer rolling out job postings, which usually number in hundreds or thousands daily. For instance, there are dozens of new job postings on LinkedIn daily. Imagine having to sort through everything in search of one that offers a four-day workweek benefit. That’s precisely why social media job boards aren’t always your best bet.

3. Optimize Social Media Profile for Proper Visibility

Social media profiles are the next-gen resumes and cover letters. In fact, 40% of recruiters have hired talents based on their social media profiles alone. You already know the drill — include your expertise, add reputable samples, show your experience, and illustrate your past results. There’s no doubt that these steps are effective, but they’re not enough to land a 4-day week job.

To ensure you’re in a good position, you must indicate on your profile that you’re actively looking for a job with less work time. This includes putting the 4-day workweek keyword in your profile description, bio, experience section, and contact page. First, the keyword helps your profile rank high on the search and showcases you to recruiters faster. Second, you can filter out job requests that do not align with your demand for flexible work hours.

4. Tailor Your Cover Letter to Highlight Your Desire for a 4-day Workweek

Resumes and cover letters are not out of date. At least for now, most recruiters still prefer to review resumes to get a clear picture of what you can do. Moreover, they’re a good tool for deciding who gets interviewed. But beyond including your hard skills, niche-specific competencies, and work experience in your resumes and cover letters, you should also let employers know your desire for a 4-day workweek culture.

An excellent way to do that is by emphasizing how productive you have been in the past under compressed workdays. Sometimes, you might need to quantify your words. For instance, you could mention how you helped scale your previous client’s return on investment (ROI) by 25% despite working fewer days a week. Or discuss how you have applied techniques like the Scrum framework in the past.

Other ways include adding the soft skills that prove you can work under a compressed workweek. This includes your ability to manage time, adaptability, problem-solving skills, and openness to feedback with subsequent quick implementation.

5. Network With Professionals Who Already Have 4-Day Workweeks for Insights and Referrals

We all have a network of people in the same niche seeking the same role. If you don’t, then it means you haven’t been building your circle in communities and on social media. So, start doing that now and connect with relevant people.
If you already have a network of professionals in the same industry, reach out to those working with companies offering a 4-day workweek benefit. Most of the time, people post their hits, including how they secured a four-day workweek job. Connect and send a message.
Express your desire for similar opportunities without sounding cringy. Ask them to share how they did it — not the generic methods, but something impactful. You might also need to share what you’ve done so they know where to start.
If you’ve built quite a good relationship with people in your network, you can just ask them for a referral whenever available. Note that you shouldn’t do this with a new network until you build a good relationship; otherwise, you might sound unprofessional.
Lastly, create a digital business card that includes your openness to flexible roles and share it with industry leaders when you connect.

6. Negotiate Your Work Schedule During the Offer Stage

Your dream company rolled out a job post, but you couldn’t find the 4-day workweek benefit there? Not a problem. Apply if you feel you can’t let go of the opportunity. When you get to the interview or offer phase, negotiate with them and explain why you can excel better despite working less. Some recruiters might be generous to give it a trial. Some might not.

Let’s assume recruiters directly contacted you instead. You can negotiate your working schedule with them before proceeding to the next stage. Of course, ensure your portfolio and expertise position you as an authority and talent worth making an exception for.

7. Suggest the Idea at Your Current Workplace

If you’re already working with your dream employer and would love to stay instead of looking for a new job, the best thing is to suggest it to your employer. Yes, it takes a truckload of courage to do that sometimes — because you’re unsure whether your suggestion will be welcomed or trashed. But that shouldn’t deter you from seeking the best work flexibility if it will improve your productivity. Still, the deciding factor is your track record. The sturdier it is, the more likely your suggestion will be welcomed. Of course, you have to be systematic with your approach to your presentation. 

First, research and gather enough materials to support your suggestions.
Engage colleagues to hear their views on a 4-day workweek. But don’t rally them against your employer, as that could boomerang.
Then, compile your reasons and benefits for the company and employees, and inform your employer.

Possible outcomes include a trial period for your suggestions or the possibility of implementation later. And who knows, your suggestion might be entirely sidelined — or it could be enthusiastically accepted!

8. Consider Freelancing or Consulting Roles that May Offer More Flexibility in Work Hours

Freelance gigs are usually flexible. While you won’t totally be free from deadlines, you can still decide on the day you work or not. In fact, you can take care of your tasks on the weekend if that works best for you. Moreso, you can juggle between different clients simultaneously so long as you have the essential management skills. In this case, you should use platforms like Virtual Vocations, Upwork, Fiverr, LinkedIn, and Indeed. You can also propose to switch from a full-time to a freelance role in your current workplace. 

Securing a 4-Day Workweek: Strategies to Stand Out and Succeed

There’s an increasing demand for a healthier work culture due to several reasons, such as less burnout and higher productivity. But you’ll need more than a generic resume to land a 4-day workweek job that fits your needs. The first step is to search online for companies offering 4-day workweek benefits. Then, optimize your social media profile, tailor your resume and proposal letter, and network with professionals who have already gotten a role. Lastly, negotiate the idea during interviews, propose it to your current employer, or consult freelancing roles as an alternative.

As you venture into the pursuit of a 4-day workweek job, remember that it’s not just about finding a job with fewer hours, but about aligning with a company that values work-life balance and innovative work cultures. Equipped with a tailored approach — from your resume to your interview tactics — you enhance your chances of landing a role that not only meets your career goals but also improves your overall quality of life. By being proactive and prepared, you can turn the growing trend of reduced workweeks into a personal and professional advantage.

Author Bio

Phil McParlane, founder and CEO of the world’s largest 4-day week job board, 4dayweek.io, a job board connecting companies offering roles with shortened workweeks to people who are looking for them.