Finding and choosing a compatible partner is the most important aspect of job sharing and should be done before you actually develop and present the proposal to share your existing position.

Identifying the specific person with whom you will share the position allows you to present a realistic, workable job sharing proposal filled with the details which you and your prospective partner will have discussed.

There are many ways to find a partner:

1. Your Current Workplace: A compatible coworker or temporary worker who replaced you or a coworker during a leave are both possibilities. A pairing of two currently valued employees whom your employer would rather not lose could be your most favorable approach.

2. Professional and Personal Networks: Start putting the word out about your partner search to contacts in your professional association, colleagues from previous jobs, people in your exercise class, etc., all of whom can be a direct or indirect source of referral.

3. Placement Offices: Those of nearby colleges and universities might be a good source for identifying leads as many students are past traditional college age, with families.

4. Employment Agencies: If there are nearby agencies that specialize in your field, you may want to let them know about your potential opening.

5. Advertisements: Classified ads in local professional publications may yield results when other avenues are less fruitful.

Time and persistence in pursuing these pathways should result in finding several prospective job-share partners. After that, the next step is to choose the 'right' one with whom to propose your job-sharing arrangement.

Pat Katepoo is the developer of the e-workbook, Flex Success: A Proposal Blueprint & Planning Guide for Getting a Family-Friendly Work Schedule. Click here for more info.