Resume for a Part-Time or Gig Job While Working Full Time

A resume for a second job is not your main career resume with a new date on it. A manager hiring for weekend retail help or a catering team wants to know three things: can you do the tasks, will you show up, and will you stay long enough to be worth training. Build the resume around those three questions. Read the posting and pull out the tasks and requirements. A posting for a part-time warehouse associate might mention lifting, scanning, and working a set shift. A posting for a tutor might mention a subject, a grade level, and patience with students. Those details decide which parts of your background go near the top. Keep it to one page. Part-time and gig employers often review applications quickly and may only look for a minute or two. If your full-time career is long, you don't need to list every job. See our guide on [tailoring your resume to a job description](/how-to-tailor-resume-to-job) for a step-by-step way to match your wording to a posting.

Your full-time job belongs on the resume. It shows you're employed, dependable, and used to a work schedule. Don't hide it, and don't apologize for it. List it the way you would any current job, with your title, employer, city, and start date through "Present." What changes is how much space it gets and which bullets you keep. If the side job is in a similar field, keep the most relevant bullets. If it's unrelated, cut down to two or three bullets that show skills the new employer cares about, such as customer contact, handling money, working under deadlines, or physical work. Example: an office administrator applying for weekend retail work might use: - Greet and assist 30+ visitors and callers a day, resolving questions or routing them to the right person - Process invoices and reconcile petty cash weekly with no discrepancies - Train new hires on the scheduling system Example: a nursing assistant applying for evening tutoring might use: - Explain care instructions in plain language to patients and families - Document observations accurately at the end of each shift Only use numbers you actually know or can reasonably estimate. If you're not sure of a figure, describe the task without one. Our guide on [writing resume bullet points](/how-to-write-resume-bullet-points) covers how to phrase these.

Employers hiring part-time help need to know when you can work. Say it once, clearly, and move on. A short line in your summary or at the top works well: - Reliable customer service professional available weekends and weeknights after 6 p.m. - Currently employed full time; seeking 10-15 hours a week, Saturdays and Sundays. Be accurate. If you can't work Thursdays, say so now rather than after you're hired. If your hours might shift with your main job, say "availability varies; weekends confirmed." Employers generally prefer honest limits to schedule problems later. Skip long explanations such as why you want extra income or how tired you are of your day job. A single neutral line in a cover letter or interview is enough: "I'm looking for steady part-time work to complement my full-time role." Don't badmouth your current employer, and don't suggest the side job is a backup plan. If the work is something you actually enjoy, such as coaching, baking, or driving, one sentence about that can help.

If you already do gig work, list it like any other job. Use the platform or your business name as the employer and note that you're self-employed or an independent contractor. For example: Delivery Driver (Independent Contractor), DoorDash, Columbus, OH, 2022 - Present - Complete 15-20 deliveries on a typical weekend shift, keeping orders hot and accurate - Maintain a 4.9 customer rating across 1,000+ deliveries - Plan routes and manage time during peak meal rushes Use only ratings, counts, and results you can check in your own app or records. If you don't know an exact number, leave it out or say "hundreds of deliveries." Other common side work works the same way: - Handyman or TaskRabbit: "Assemble furniture, mount TVs, and complete minor repairs for 5-10 clients a month; 90% of jobs come from repeat or referred customers." - Pet sitter: "Care for dogs and cats in clients' homes, follow feeding and medication instructions, and send daily photo updates." - Freelance writer or designer: name the types of projects and clients you can share. If you do several small gigs, group them under one heading such as "Freelance and Gig Work" instead of making a separate entry for each. Our [freelancer resume guide](/resume-for-freelancers) shows more ways to present contract work.

Applying for a second job should not put your first one at risk. Use a personal email address and your own phone number on the resume. Don't use your work email, your work computer, or your employer's Wi-Fi or printer. Do your applications on your own time. Check your employee handbook or contract for rules on outside work. Some employers restrict working for a competitor, using company information, or taking jobs that overlap with your hours. If you're not sure, ask HR a general question before you accept an offer, not before you apply. Don't list your current manager as a reference unless they know you're looking and are fine with it. Use a former supervisor, a coworker you trust, or a client from earlier work. On your resume, you can simply leave references off and provide them when asked. Also keep client names, internal numbers, and anything confidential out of your bullets. Once the resume is done, read it as the hiring manager would. Does it show the right skills, a clear schedule, and a stable work history on one page? If you'd rather not build it from scratch, aNewJob can create the resume from documents you already have, such as an old resume or a performance review, through a short interview.