Adding Part-Time or Contract Work to Your Resume (+ Examples)
11 min read
Many people question whether the inclusion of part-time employment or contract work on their resume is going to offer any value to future employers. The big question that comes up centers around whether those types of roles impress hiring managers who are filling full-time positions.
The main thing to think about is relevancy. Since today’s job market is increasingly competitive and the workforce is embracing remote work and the gig economy, the lines between traditional and non-traditional employment start to blur. Because of these major changes in how people work, adding part-time or contract work to your resume can benefit you when applying for a new job.
In this article, we’ll dive into the instances where you’ll want to include part-time work and give you some insight on when to leave it off. It’s all about being strategic in how you present your skills and accomplishments to prospective employers.
Part-Time Work: When Should You Include It?
The first question that you need to answer is the most basic: 'Do you even need to include your previous experience with part-time work?’ There are several factors that you should consider before making that decision:
Is part-time work the only type of work you’ve ever done?
If so, then it’s vital that you include those jobs since they are the only work history the employer or hiring employer can review.
Is the job you’re seeking a part-time position?
If the answer to that question is yes, then chances are that your prior part-time employment will be a real asset to your chances of landing an interview.
Does your part-time work history sell the narrative that you can work remotely?
When you are applying for remote or contract-type work, part-time positions allow you to emphasize important soft skills like versatility, adaptability, and time management.
Did that part-time job involve relevant experience and skills relevant to the job you’re trying to land?
One of the main things you’re trying to do when you write your resume is to incorporate relevant keywords from the job description so that you can prove you have what it takes to get the job done. Those keywords help your resume get past the applicant tracking system, or ATS, and impress hiring managers. If your part-time or contract experiences allowed you to gain relevant skills that will help you inject the right keywords into your resume, then you should definitely include those roles.
Were you at that part-time job for a significant amount of time?
If so, then you may want to include it to help demonstrate your commitment as an employee. Employers value loyalty.
Would excluding those previous positions that job leave your resume with a significant work history gap?
You don’t want unexplained employment gaps, so always consider how your work history will be impacted if you decide to not list one or more jobs.
Part-time work: When should you not include it?
Of course, there will be times when you may not want to include part-time work in your resume. After all, there are no rules that say that you must list every job you have ever had. How you answer these questions may help you decide whether to include that part-time work at all:
Do you have plenty of full-time work history already?
If your resume includes solid, full-time employment relevant to the position you’re seeking, then your part-time jobs may not add anything to the document.
Did any of that part-time work involve volunteering?
Charitable and other unpaid work, like volunteering, can be included, but you may want to list it separately. However, you should exclude it if those details would make your resume excessively long.
Were those part-time jobs irrelevant to the position you’re seeking?
If, for example, you held part-time positions just to earn extra money, they probably won’t add any real value to your resume.
How to include part-time work in your resume
There are a couple of options when including part-time work in your resume. One option is to simply list those jobs in your work history section. This is especially useful when those previous positions are relevant to the job you’re seeking, and, thus, blend well with the rest of the employment history on your resume. The second option is to separate your part-time work into its own section. There are some things you should understand about each option:
Including part-time work in your work history
The first option – including part-time work along with your other jobs – is a fine choice when those jobs are all relevant to your current employment goals. If those part-time jobs involve relevant skills or are necessary to demonstrate consistent employment, then that’s the best option to use. However, if they are older jobs, then you may want to split your work history into two experience sections. Place those older, part-time jobs into a section labeled “Prior Experience” or something comparable.
Including part-time work in its own section
You will certainly want to separate your part-time work into its own section if those jobs are not as relevant to the position you’re seeking. Keep in mind that you may not want to list them at all in that case – unless excluding them would create employment gaps. If you do include them, create a separate section for them. Label it “Part-Time Work Experience” and place those non-relevant part-time jobs in that section.
Examples of how to include part-time work
Finally, you need to know how to describe that part-time work. Remember, employers want to see how any prior job makes you qualified for their open position. Since your part-time jobs were probably not high-skill positions, and were likely temporary, it can be a challenge to present them in a value-added way.
Focus on the hard and soft skills you used, and the contribution you made to the company. Include a bit of information about any achievements you had while in that job as well. That can help to demonstrate that you were a valued team member even in a part-time role. Here are some examples:
In-house part-time employment
Your part-time job resume listing will look like any other job on your resume. Since employers appreciate, and expect, tangible results you’ll want to quantify your achievements as much as possible. This means adding numbers. When you have measurable accomplishments in past roles, hiring managers can see what value you’ll add to their team. For example:
ABC Corp | May 2016 – Jan 2017
Office Assistant (Part-time)
Coordinated management tasks, scheduled appointments for 20+ clients, and collaborated with 3 other departments to facilitate customer service responsiveness.
Led training efforts for 12 new administrative hires.
Remote work
Since 2020, approximately 25% of the US workforce has been working remotely and some of those positions are part-time while others are considered contract work. The great news is that, as a job seeker, you can leverage this trend to your advantage by including remote, gig, and contract work on your resume. Here’s how:
DEF Inc | 06/2020 – Present
IT Consultant (Remote)
Provided remote technical support, troubleshooting, and solutions for clients in 2 different time zones.
Conducted as many as 4 virtual meetings each week to assess needs and implement IT strategies.
Collaborated with a remote team made up of 3 to streamline communication and enhance client satisfaction.
Gig or freelancer work
Including gig work or project assignments on your resume can help provide future employers with a comprehensive work history. Just remember to keep the concept of relevance in mind when deciding to add gigs or projects.
These types of roles can be problematic because you want to keep your resume as concise as possible. So, while you’ve probably had multiple gigs or completed several projects, it’s a good idea to list them together. Here’s what it would look like:
Freelancer Graphic Designer | 03/2022 – Present
Project Title: Client (03/2022-06/2022)
Worked with a high-profile, nationally-branded client to create visually appealing designs, including logos and marketing collateral.
Balanced competing priorities on 3 separate projects within the umbrella project to translate client vision into creative solutions that met the needs of the target audience.
Increased social media engagement (Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok) by 30%.
Project Title #2: Client (07/2022-Present)
Partnered with executive leaders to brainstorm website redesign.
Enhanced user experience and increased conversion rates by 20%.
Keep your resume concise
Whether you’re including full-time or part-time roles on your resume (or a mix of both), you have to keep it concise and impactful. Hiring managers are spending a grand total of about six seconds skimming through the resumes on their desks. You have to toe a fine line between brevity and significance and write only what will pique the hiring manager’s attention.
Be an achiever, not a doer
The best way to maximize the chance that your resume stands out from the crowd is to focus on achievements. In each of the examples in this article, you’ll see numbers that create impact. It doesn’t matter if you worked on a project for three months or had a long-term part-time position, there will always be something you can quantify.
When you write, “Managed customer inquiries” on your resume, you’re doing nothing to elevate yourself above job-seeking competitors. Let’s face it, almost everyone in every role everywhere has “managed customer inquiries” at some point during their career.
Instead, you should write, “Managed as many as 45 customer inquiries each day, streamlining support processes and reducing response time by 20%.”
Which one looks more impressive?
Tailor your resume – always!
The ATS is always going to be there and you have to get past it. The only way to do that and get your resume into the hands of a hiring manager is to tailor it using relevant keywords from the job description. This is true for part-time, contract, gig, remote, and full-time positions.
Be sure to pair the keywords you find in the job description with powerful action words to add a level of vigor to the descriptions of your past work.
Use a skills-based resume
There are three widely accepted formats for you to choose from when writing your resume. Often, you’ll be advised to use a reverse-chronological resume, however, in the spirit of highlighting the skills you bring to new teams, it’s a good idea to use a hybrid (sometimes called combination) resume format.
The hybrid resume format stands out as the clear choice for writing a resume with a mix of full and part-time roles because it lets you combine and accentuate the breadth and depth of your skills in a structured manner. So, not only does it align with modern hiring practices, but it also allows you to showcase the right transferable skills that you’ve acquired from diverse experiences.
Main elements of a skills-based resume:
Identify your core competencies: This is the section of your resume where you’ll list the skills you’ve gained from part-time or contract work. Include a balanced mix of hard and soft skills like project management, customer service, and communication.
Demonstrate how you applied those skills: Going back to the achiever vs. doer mentality, be sure to provide examples of how you applied your skills in each of your part-time roles.
Part-time work can add value to your career journey
While it is true that there are times it makes sense to exclude part-time work from your resume, those experiences can add value to your career journey. Be sure to carefully dissect the job descriptions to learn whether your part-time, contract, or gig work experiences are relevant to the position you are applying to, and refine your resume to make sure it resonates with the hiring manager.
You may need some help integrating your part-time and contract work into your resume. That’s okay! ZipJob has a large team of professional resume writers who know how to transform experiences into personalized narratives that win interviews.
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Written by
Marsha Hebert, Professional Resume Writer
Marsha is a resume writer with a strong background in marketing and writing. After completing a Business Marketing degree, she discovered that she could combine her passion for writing with a natural talent for marketing. For more than 10 years, Marsha has helped companies and individuals market themselves. Read more advice from Marsha on ZipJob's blog.
