Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared on MyPerfectResume.com.
If creating a resume for a part-time job is giving you full-time stress, we’re here to help. A good part-time job resume must show your qualifications, even if this is your first job or you’re looking to reenter the workforce.
This professional document must present you as a desirable candidate — even for a role requiring fewer hours.
Whether you’re seeking your first job, additional income or looking to remain employed while managing life at home, this guide will help you craft a professional resume for a part-time job with tips for a smoother process.
Pick a resume format
Start your resume by choosing a format that fits your years of experience in the industry. This will first highlight your strongest qualifications, whether experience, skills or education.
Pick one of these three formats:
- Chronological resume format for experienced candidates
- Functional resume format for candidates with little or no experience
- Combination resume format for job seekers with three to nine years of experience
Once you’re set on the format, use the job description to create a resume tailored to your desired role.
Resume header
This is a simple section. Your name and contact information will be at the top of your resume. Remember to use your latest contact information and a professional email address.
You can also include a resume headline, which is like a tagline for your career, as an introduction to the hiring manager.
Resume objective
A resume objective is your official introduction to the hiring manager. It presents you as a candidate with your strongest job-relevant qualification, even if it is your first job.
If you do have experience, you can use a career summary instead and include that you’re seeking a part-time role. For example:
“Highly motivated and enthusiastic individual seeking a part-time position at a coffee shop to gain valuable hands-on experience in the hospitality industry. Committed to providing excellent customer service and contributing to the success of the coffee shop team with a strong work ethic and friendly demeanor.”
If you do have experience, you can use a career summary instead and include why you’re seeking a part-time role. For example:
“Results-driven sales professional with a track record of exceeding sales targets, increasing sales by 20%, and providing exceptional customer service. Seeking a part-time sales associate position to leverage my experience in driving revenue growth and fostering positive customer relationships.”
Skills
The specialized skills section of a resume for a part-time-job brings attention to your strongest and job-relevant skills. It will consist mainly of hard skills, but you should also include critical soft skills for your industry. For example:
- Branding
- Color theory
- UX design
- Typography
- Time management
- Collaboration
Specific subsets of skills
You can create categories to draw attention to a specific subset of skills. If you’re applying for a job in information technology, you can add a programming languages category. Take a look at this example for a project management candidate:
Risk Management Tools
- Risk Register+
- RiskyProject
Document Management
- Confluence
- Microsoft SharePoint
Reporting & Analytics
Languages
- Fluent in Mandarin for Business
- Conversational Spanish
Work history
The work history section goes beyond telling where you’ve worked. It shows what you can accomplish and how your career has grown. For an impactful section, include the employer’s name, the dates worked and your position. If you’ve held multiple positions within the same company, list them separately.
Under each role, add a bulleted list of your quantifiable accomplishments. Each bullet point can have more than one sentence. For example:
Receptionist
ABC Company, 2023 — current
- Greet visitors and direct them to the appropriate department, providing excellent customer service and a friendly atmosphere. Answer and transfer incoming phone calls, take messages and ensure prompt and accurate communication.
- Manage the company’s main email account, responding to inquiries and forwarding messages to the appropriate recipients. Handle incoming and outgoing mail, ensuring timely distribution and proper documentation.
- Schedule and coordinate meetings, conferences, and appointments for staff members. Assist with special projects, including event planning and coordination, as assigned by management.
Education
If this part-time role is your first job, the focus will be on your education section. Make it as robust as possible. Include the name of the school, the degree and the graduation year, accomplishments, awards, coursework relevant to the job, and any extracurricular activities.
For candidates with experience, you can limit the section to their name, degree and graduation year — if it’s under a decade.
Additional sections
If you’re writing a resume with no experience, these sections can help show your skills and non-traditional work experience. If you have experience, including these optional sections can help you stand out from other candidates.
- Internships: You can include internships under the work experience, including essential accomplishments, or as a separate section.
- Volunteer work: Volunteering shows your commitment and reliability but can also highlight valuable skills. Like internships, you can include it under your work section.
- Extracurricular activities: If you’re still in high school or pursuing a college degree, you can include your extracurricular activities, especially if they show skills relevant to the position.
- Certifications: Include any certifications relevant to the role or the industry. You can always include general ones, like a CPR certification.
Include a cover letter
Life happens. You could seek a part-time role for health reasons, family life or simply to complement your current salary.
While there is no need to include all this information, a cover letter is the perfect vehicle to take control of the narrative. For example, you could say, “I am seeking this part-time opportunity to maintain my lifestyle while contributing to the industry with my expertise and skills.”
Whether or not you decide to share why you’re seeking a part-time role, a cover letter is an excellent complement to your resume. You can expand your skills and qualifications and express your interest in the employer.
Tips for your resume for a part-time job
- Start the process by creating a resume outline. It’ll help you build a resume faster.
- Look at resume examples for your industry to find inspiration on what you like and what to include in your resume.
- Tailor your resume to the job description by matching as much information as possible.
- Choose a resume template that shows your personality and helps create a personal brand.
- Use a professional resume font to create an easy-to-read document.
- Include a resume heading to bring your strongest skill to the forefront.
- Proofread and grammar-check your entire resume.
- Check if your resume is ATS-ready with our Resume Checker.
