Resume for a Part-Time Job: Template and How to Write

Whether you’re a working mother, a college student, or a retiree, it all boils down to the fact that you’re looking for a part-time revenue stream. So you send out your resume like you usually do and somehow no one calls back. Or they’re asking you to come in full-time.

Why?

Because your resume isn’t underlining the fact that you’re looking for a part-time job. So how do you do that without just sounding lazy or less valuable than a full-time employee? It’s not hard and we’ll show you exactly how.

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Sample resume made with our builder—See more resume examples here.

Interested in a few specific cases and more examples? We’ve got you covered:

• Resume Examples for Teens
• Entry-Level Resume
• Resume Without Experience
• Cashier Resume
• Barista Resume
• Fast Food Resume
• Retail Resume
• Construction Resume
• Resume for Internship
• Resume For Scholarship
• Career Change Resume
• Self Employed Resume
• Stay-at-Home Mom Resume
• Professional Resume Examples for Any Job

If you're a student, you might want to check out these:

• Student Resume
• High School Student Resume
• Resume Templates for High School Students
• High School Graduate Resume
• Student Resume Templates
• College Application Resume
• College Student Resume
• College Freshman Resume
• College Graduate Resume
• Undergraduate Resume

Resume for a Part-Time Job (Example for a College Student)

This is how to write a job-winning resume for a part-time job:

1. Use the Best Format for Your Resume For a Part-Time Job

No matter what part-time position you’re looking for, you’ll always be one in a sea of thousands. And just because you’re working part-time, doesn’t mean you can cut corners and still expect to get hired. Treat just as if you were applying for a full-time job.

In fact, employers want part-time workers to hit the ground running as much as full-time employees. 

To get the recruiter to see a pro waiting in the gates, follow these resume formatting rules:

• Make sure your resume contact information is up to date. Optimize your LinkedIn profile and if you don’t have one, make sure to set one up. Double and triple check your social media footprint—keg parties and half nudes don't inspire respect and confidence that you can do the job.
• Of all resume styles, the best format for part-timers is the chronological layout. It lets your professional experience go first and get the most attention. It’s also the format that most hiring managers recognize. An added bonus is it’s a super ATS-compliant resume format which recruiting systems will love.
• Use a resume font that is modern and legible. Leave plenty of white space on the page to make your text pop. Nice and clean is how recruiters like resumes.
• Save your part-time resume in PDF to make sure that your resume layout doesn’t look like a dorm room after opening.

If you don’t know how long your resume should be, the answer is that a one-page resume template will probably be more than enough for you.

2. Write a Part-Time Job Resume Objective or Resume Summary

Begin your resume with your resume profile, or to be specific, a career objective or summary.

It’s a short, concise paragraph at the beginning of your part-time job resume that explains why you’re the person for the job. 

If you’re a student and writing an entry level resume or looking for another part-time gig to tie you over during summer or your weekends, write a career objective:

• Highlight the knowledge and skills you’ve gathered to date and how well you’d fit in the offered position.
• Think of transferable skills and quantifiable achievements from other gigs you’ve had that are relevant to the open position and vouch for you. 

A career summary is a good idea for those who work in professions in which part-time gigs can be standard (nursing, mechanics, etc) or who can only work part-time due to external circumstances (health reasons, caring for a loved one, etc). Use it if you already have a couple of years of experience though. Here’s how:

• Think about key points in your job experience and skills as well as achievements.
• Choose 3-4 top points from that list that make you stand out and add them into your part-time resume summary section.

Your resume profile shouldn’t be longer than 3-4 sentences and tailor it to the job description of the position you’re applying for.

Use resume keywords to pass the ATS scan. Check: What are Resume Keywords?

3. Create the Perfect Part-Time Resume Job Description

Your resume experience section is your workplace wizardry in a nutshell. This is especially true for part-time workers where you can demonstrate how much positive influence you’ve had on your job despite working fewer hours.

It needs to be spotless. So:

• Begin with your current position and then just go back in time with previous positions.
• Each entry should include: your job title, “part-time” put next to the title if you worked there part-time, company name, dates of employment, and up to 6 bullet points.
• Add fewer bullet points in your job experience the further you go back. Three bullet points are perfect for positions far in the past.
• Use an action verb to start off each bullet point.
• Sprinkle in some quantifiable achievements that will really wow the recruiter.
• Tailor your job experience section to reflect the position you’re applying for.

More is not more here. If the information is irrelevant, cut it out. Period.

4. Make Your Part-Time Resume Education Section Shine

Especially if you don’t have much job experience to speak of, your education section is one of the strongest points of your resume. Use that to your advantage and show recruiters that you have both know-how and knowledge.

Here’s how to make your education section a winner:

• If you have little experience, make your education resume section more appealing with achievements from your school days. Only include those that are relevant to the job opening. Four to six items is more than enough.
• If you have several years of job experience, just add a shortened version of your education, so: high school/college/university name and location, years you studied, degree, major and minors.

If you’re just starting out your career, put your work experience below your education section. It’ll help you focus your resume on your strong points.

Keep things simple. Use Simple Resume Templates

5. Highlight Your Part-Time Job Skills

Working part-time means that you need to do the same as any full-time worker. You need to show the hiring manager that you’ve already got the skill set to do just that.

Here’s how to make your skills in your resume for a part-time job raise some eyebrows:

• Brainstorm all the job skills you have, so: soft skills and hard skills, technical skills, and any other relevant job skills. Put them together into a master list.
• Pick the most relevant part-time skills by using the job ad as a guide. Include them in the skills section of your part-time resume. Mentioning skills that both your education and experience sections can prove is a great bonus.

Part-Time Resume Skills

• Interpersonal skills
• Organizational skills
• Computer skills
• Problem-solving skills
• Time management skills
• Communication skills
• Multitasking
• Analytical skills
• Collaboration skills
• Microsoft Office skills
• Creative thinking skills

Looking for more skills to flaunt? See: Soft Skills List for a Resume & Hard Skills List for a Resume

Creating a resume with our builder is incredibly simple. Follow our step-by-step guide and use content from Certified Professional Resume Writers to have a resume ready in minutes.

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When you’re done, our easy resume builder will score your resume and our resume scanner will tell you exactly how to make it better.

6. Add Extra Sections to Your Resume For a Part-Time Job

You’ve added everything that’s absolutely essential to your part-time job resume, but you’re still basically a shell in a sea of shells. Turn your resume for a part-time job into a diamond in the rough with these tips:

• Always add your foreign language skills. It’s a globalized world and knowledge of foreign languages is worth its weight in gold in almost any job.
• Add volunteering, achievements and awards, projects, and hobbies and interests if they’re relevant and can help prove your skills and experience. You never know what the hiring manager might be interested in.

Read more: What Should a Resume Look Like?

7. Attach a Cover Letter to Your Resume For a Part-Time Resume

Writing a part-time job resume takes a lot of effort, but have you thought about whether you should include a cover letter? If you really want that part-time job, then you really should. Our HR statistics show that almost 50% of recruiters will reject a resume with no cover letter attached.

Write a part-time cover letter that’ll get hiring managers calling you back with the following tips:

• Use a professional cover letter format that matches the industry you’re applying to.
• Create a “hook” to start your cover letter and grab the recruiter’s attention.
• Demonstrate that your experience and job skills are what the company needs right now.
• Include a call to action to end your cover letter with some oomph.
• Make sure your cover letter has a professional cover letter title to avoid any potential confusion.

Don’t forget that the ideal length of an effective cover letter is no longer than one page.

Read more: How to Write a Cover Letter

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:

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See more cover letter templates and start writing.

Once you send your cover letter and resume for a part-time job, follow up on your job application! 

Those are the ins and outs of a great part-time resume.

Thanks for reading. Have any insider tips or tricks to share about creating the perfect resume for a part-time job? Share them in the comments below!

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