Part-time Job resume examples & templates

Whether you’re a student or recent grad, looking for a second job, or reentering the workforce after some time away, a part-time job is a great way to gain valuable work experience and earn some money. Many part-time jobs are found in the hospitality, customer service, retail, and food and beverage industries, meaning you can transition into these roles without many specialized skills.

So what’s standing between you and a great part-time job? To get hired, you’ll need a convincing and thoughtful resume that shows you have the right traits to quickly transition into a part-time job and become a valuable member of the team. Luckily, you’ve come to the right place. This guide and the adaptable part-time job resume example it contains are designed to walk you through each step of writing a great application that impresses employers and has you at work in no time.

Resume guide for a part-time job resume

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This resume guide and corresponding part-time job resume example will cover the following:

• How to write a part-time job resume
• Choosing the right resume format for part-time jobs
• How to add your contact information
• Using summaries
• Adding your experience
• Listing education and relevant experience
• Picking the right resume design/layout
• What the part-time job market looks like, and what salary you can expect

How to write a part-time job resume

The very first step in writing your part-time job resume is understanding what sections to include. Your resume should contain the following elements:

• The resume header
• The resume summary (aka profile or personal statement)
• The employment history section
• The resume skills section
• The education section

Even if you have limited experience, your part-time job resume should be crafted to highlight your unique traits and the fresh perspective you can bring to the workplace. Personal traits like being a quick learner or a team player are also important to highlight on a resume for a part-time job. If you’re a student or recent grad, education-related activities like internships, clubs, or leadership positions can show that you’re a motivated candidate ready to take on the responsibilities of a part-time role. 

While writing a resume for a part-time job, consider this winning formula:

• The job description is a great window into the skills and traits that are important to the employer. Make sure to customize your resume with details from your experience that show why you’re the best candidate for the role based on the requirements listed. One great way to make a personal connection is to include the company name and job title in the resume summary, formerly known as a resume objective.
• Employers are now more interested in accomplishments than responsibilities. Whether it was a job, internship, or academic activity, make sure your resume mentions concrete achievements as opposed to simple duties.
• Many part-time jobs require you to submit your application via an online portal. When submitting online, optimize your resume with appropriate keywords so it won’t be filtered out by ATS screening software. Consider using an ATS resume template.

Choosing the right resume format for part-time jobs

Choosing the right resume format for part-time jobs depends on how much relevant experience you have to show. For example, if you’re a seasoned retail employee looking for your next position, then the standard reverse chronological resume structure will likely suit you best. This format focuses on your employment history section where you can list your previous jobs in reverse chronological order and expand on your duties and skills in the bullet points below. This is the format you will find in our adaptable part-time resume example because it’s the structure that most hiring managers expect to see from professional candidates.

If you’re still a student or have virtually no experience, you may opt for the functional format. This format focuses on skills right at the top of the page and may include a very short employment history section, or no employment history section at all. A combination, or hybrid resume format, allows you to emphasize your skills while still showing a bit of previous work experience.

Include your contact information

Your contact information is a vital component of your resume as it allows the hiring manager to easily contact you to set up an interview. Your personal details should always be placed at the top of your resume in an attractive and eye-catching header section. Here is some of the information to include:

• Full name & title. Add your first and last name and include the name of the role you’re applying to as your job title.
• Professional email address. Use a clean format like firstname.lastname@gmail.com. Don’t use a quirky, unprofessional email address or a .edu even if you are a student.
• Phone number. List a number where you can be easily contacted and make sure to set up a professional voicemail greeting.
• Location. Nowadays it is only necessary to list your city and state instead of a full home address.
• LinkedIn. While most part-time jobs won’t require you to have a LinkedIn profile, make sure to include the URL on your resume if you have one. You can also include a link to a professional portfolio or work-related social media account if relevant for your field.

If applying in the U.S., Canada, or the U.K., don’t include:

• Date of birth: Not necessary and could potentially lead to age discrimination.
• Personal details: Marital status, social security number, passport number, etc.

Don’t forget to adjust the look and feel of your header based on the job you’re applying to. Our adaptable part-time job resume sample can help you get started with creating an effective header.

Make use of a summary

What was once called a part-time job resume objective is now known as the summary. While an objective states the purpose of your resume—which is usually to find a job and thus not very helpful to an employer—your resume summary is a slightly longer introduction to your skills, experience, interests, and the reasons why you’re a great fit for the role. The summary should be about 3-4 lines long and include only your most impressive achievements. Other information can be included further down the page.

Here’s how to craft a great summary:

1. Start with a few adjectives that describe your most impressive personality traits or amount of experience.
2. Use action verbs in the simple past or present tense to talk about your accomplishments.
3. Add numbers and statistics to quantify your successes and provide concrete details where possible.
4. Mention key skills or educational requirements listed in the job description.
5. Include the company name and the job title you’re applying for to add a personal touch.

You can find three good objectives for part-time job resumes below.

Outline your previous work experience

Even for part-time positions, your work experience section will be a major focal point for hiring managers. If you have previous experience to show, list your current (or most recent) job or internship along with your title, dates worked, and location. Create separate subheadings for each previous role working your way back to your first professional job (up until the past 10 years or as much as you have to show.) As a general rule, don’t list jobs from your high school or college years unless you’re still a student or a recent grad.

Under each subheading, aim to add 3-5 bullet points that describe your key duties and accomplishments in concise statements, omitting “I.”  Be specific and use dynamic action verbs like led, initiated, orchestrated, developed, managed, or collaborated. Whenever possible, list concrete results instead of generic duties.

Take a look at these bland bullet points:

• Kept fitting rooms clean as a retail associate
• Greeted customers and helped them find products
• Handled register transactions

Now check out these results-based points:

• Organized fitting rooms and kept them tidy for guests in store with 400+ visitors per day
• Greeted customers and helped them find products in a store with more than 10,000 items
• Handled 100+ register transactions per shift with a 99 percent accuracy rate

Take a look at the part-time job employment history resume sample below:

How to write a part-time job resume with no experience

Part-time jobs are perfectly adapted to students, young people, and people with limited work experience! But that doesn’t mean you can simply waltz into a new job tomorrow. You’ll still need a great resume that shows why you’re a better choice than other candidates.

The secret to writing a part-time job resume with no experience is to focus on the limited accomplishments you do have and convince the hiring manager that you’re ready to learn and contribute to the team. While landing a part-time position without prior experience may require extra effort and persistence, it's certainly achievable if you follow these simple steps:

1. Highlight transferable skills. Emphasize skills gained through education, extracurricular activities, volunteer work, or personal projects that are relevant to the job you're applying for. Transferable skills such as communication, problem-solving, teamwork, and time management are valued by employers because they are hard to teach but can be applied across a wide variety of positions.
2. Tailor your resume and cover letter. Even if the same duties are found across a variety of part-time positions, you should never submit the same application to every job you are interested in. Spend a few minutes tailoring your resume and cover letter to show why you’re interested in the particular employer and how your background, skills, and interests align with the requirements of the position. A cover letter for a part-time job is especially useful to show why you’re the right fit; even if your experience is limited.
3. Make a personal connection. Although you’ll likely apply for part-time jobs online, showing up to the store or restaurant during a calm period and asking to meet the hiring manager or team lead can go a long way in proving that you’re a motivated and reliable candidate.

Include the relevant key skills that make you a great candidate for the part-time job

Earlier in this guide we mentioned the ATS as an obstacle when applying to jobs. One of the best ways to overcome this challenge is by tailoring your skill section. Your abilities can be divided into categories called hard and soft skills.

Hard skills are technical proficiencies that are often industry-specific and are learned in courses or on the job, while soft skills are personal traits like motivation, communication, collaboration, and adaptability. Make sure to combine hard and soft skills to show that you’re a well-rounded candidate. Refer to the job description to determine whether hard skills or soft skills are more important for the role you’re applying for.

Here’s what the skills box looks like in our part-time job resume template. 

Detail your education & relevant certifications

Whether you’re still in school or closed that chapter many years ago, the education section is an essential component of any resume for a part-time job. If you’re a student or a recent grad, you may want to place this section above your employment history, while more experienced professionals should do the opposite. List your degrees from most recent to oldest. If you’ve completed a college degree, there’s no need to include your high school diploma. Add the degree name, school, dates attended, and location. If you’re still in school, it’s a good idea to include 1-2 bullet points that showcase academic achievements like leadership positions, relevant coursework, or impressive grades.

Beyond formal education, this section is a great opportunity to list certifications or training relevant to your industry including awards, training, and certifications. Check out the education section from our part-time job resume example below.

Pick the right resume layout and design for a part-time job resume

For the vast majority of part-time jobs, a simple and clean layout will be a much better choice than a colorful or highly unique design. That’s because part-time jobs often revolve around your ability to perform basic duties with a positive attitude. Hiring managers are more interested in reading about your experience than evaluating the creativity of your layout.

That’s not to say, however, that your layout should be unattractive. It should be well-organized, easy to read, and feature clean dividing lines plus one accent color or a monochromatic color scheme. Your header is the place to add a touch of eye-catching formatting without going over the top.

Just as we recommend tailoring the content of your resume for each application, you should do the same with your layout. Reformatting your whole resume can be tedious, which is why expertly designed resume templates are a great way to test out different styles while ensuring a professional look. 

What type of salary you can expect in part-time roles

It likely comes as no surprise that the salary for part-time jobs varies widely based on industry, location, and employer. Here are a few examples of salary information for some of the most common part-time jobs in the U.S.:

• Part-time server: $21,576 per year via Salary.com
• Part-time sales associate: $14 to $18 per hour via Salary.com
• Part-time cashier: $29,378 per year via Salary.com

Part-time job resume (text only)

Key takeaways for building a part-time resume

When creating a resume for a part-time job, it’s important to focus on the right attitude and relevant skills. Employers look for candidates who can adapt quickly to new environments and responsibilities, as part-time roles often require versatility. Even if you have no experience, be sure to highlight your personal traits like attention to detail, reliability, and willingness to learn. Make sure to tailor your resume to the specific job you are applying for by using relevant keywords and emphasizing experiences that align with the job description.

A strong layout and presentation are key to showing a hiring manager that you take the opportunity seriously. Our online resume builder allows you to quickly create an attractive design that can be updated as your experience evolves.