The application process for part-time jobs can be just as competitive as it is for full-time positions. Sometimes even more so! When companies hire part-time staff, they’re looking for flexibility, someone they can depend on, and a person who will really fit in with their company’s culture. So, don’t think for a second that your CV needs to be any less professional than an application for an equivalent full-time role.

Whether you’re looking to earn money on the side of your studies (hello, weekend jobs!), need income to support your other responsibilities or are getting back into work after a break, use our CV writing tips so that you catch the eye of the people who matter. And make sure you download our free CV template to get you started.

In most ways, your CV for part-time work is no different than any other CV. You still need to factually describe your experience, qualifications and skills. That said, you may wish to tweak your personal statement and some other aspects of your CV to mirror the fact you’re looking for part-time work. It’s also worth mentioning how many hours you’re available, too. Here are our top tips.

Your personal statement is a paragraph, somewhere in the region of 100 words, at the top of your CV briefly outlining who you are, what your background is and summing up your experience and skills. In some cases, you may want to use the personal statement to explain your motives for looking for part-time work.

A common case will be for students looking for part-time jobs. You may well want to mention in the opening line of your statement that you are currently studying.

Try something like:

This kind of introduction will immediately help employers understand your situation and how you will fit into their rotas.

Sometimes you’ll be looking for part-time work for personal reasons such as an illness or the need to care for someone. It’s completely up to whether you mention this or not, but in many cases it will not be relevant. Instead, focus on your abilities and skills that match with those required for the job.

Or, if you’re keen to have parallel careers, doing two different jobs in different industries, it can also be helpful to explain this up-front so your potential new employer can make an informed decision. You might be working as a receptionist at one business part-time and be applying for a job as a personal trainer somewhere else. As long as the jobs don’t clash in terms of available hours or involve you working for competing businesses, this should be fine.

All too often, job hunters fill their CVs with lists of duties and responsibilities, forgetting that this doesn’t really tell the reader if you were actually any good at those tasks. We therefore strongly recommend that, in addition to your key responsibilities, you list your most impressive achievements.

Think about it like this: no one will be particularly impressed if you list something like ’organised stock’ in your responsibilities. On the other hand, including an achievement like ‘won employee of the month award’ or ‘was commended for strong organisational skills’ will show potential employers that you can really bring value to their company.

It’s a good idea to do some tailoring of your CV to the job description where appropriate. You should, of course, write a cover letter that goes into more detail about why you’d be the perfect hire, but making some tweaks to your CV for each position will only help.

A good way to do this is to write a ‘master CV’ which lists all the responsibilities you’ve ever had and all your key skills. You can then tweak this as appropriate for the job you’re applying for.

Perhaps you’re a student and are applying for two different jobs you’ve seen advertised – one at a stationery shop in the student’s union and another in a pub near your house. Say your previous work experience was as a customer service assistant in a burger joint while you were at sixth form college. You may well want to tweak the way you describe that experience on each CV so the most transferable skills are highlighted:

Last of all, make sure you’ve taken the time to edit and proofread your CV. Employers will immediately be turned off by any big typos or grammatical and formatting errors, so don’t let a silly mistake damage your chances of getting the role you want.

Your Name [email protected] 07712 345 678 Example Street, Example Town, Example City, EX4 3PL

~~~~~~~~~~ PERSONAL STATEMENT ~~~~~~~~~~

I am an enthusiastic, flexible and friendly second-year University of Example Town student looking for part-time positions to fit around my studies. I have three years’ experience in customer service roles where I have excelled thanks to my teamwork skills and positive approach to helping customers solve their problems. I am available for up to 20 hours per week on top of my studies and have a flexible schedule.

CORE SKILLS

~~~~~~~~~~ EMPLOYMENT HISTORY ~~~~~~~~~~

Sales Assistant

Normus Department Store | Homeville | www.monster.co.uk

MM.YY > MM.YY

A large department store where I worked full time on the homewares floor prior to travelling during my gap year

Achievements

Waitress

Yummi Wok | Homeville | www.monster.co.uk

MM.YY > MM.YY

Saturday job while studying for my A-Levels as a waitress at a popular Chinese food chain

Achievements

~~~~~~~~~~EDUCATION & QUALIFICATIONS~~~~~~~~~~

Sociology Degree

Example Town University (currently studying)

A Levels: Sociology (A), French (B), Geography (B)

Homeville Sixth Form College

GCSEs: 10, including Maths (C) and English (A)

~~~~~~~~~~PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~ADDITIONAL SKILLS AND PROFICIENCIES ~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~PERSONAL INTERESTS~~~~~~~~~~

References available on request ---------------------------------------------

Download this CV for part-time jobs for free in Word.

When your CV for part-time jobs is ready, upload it to Monster for free and make it visible so that employers can reach out to you with jobs that might interest you. It's just one of many ways Monster can help you find a great job quickly and simply.