CV for going from full to part time work

LunaLovegood

Hi everyone :money:

I would really appreciate some advice. I have worked in the banking industry for the past 7 years but have decided to go back to unversity in September to follow a new career path.

I have some student finance lined up but will still need to work part time for myself & hubby to live comfortably (he works full time so all bills etc are covered, this will be money to live off)

Where I am struggling is with my CV. I have seen some part time jobs I would like to apply for but I am worrying that employers will just find my application strange. A banking professional applying for a 16-20 hour a week job in retail- I'm worried they'll just think 'overqualified' and throw my application in the bin!

I have kept my CV minimimal (2 pages with a cover letter). I have briefly bullet pointed my roles in banking & focused it mostly on the customer service, cash handling, team working side of things rather than getting into the regulatory/compliance elements which is the way it was before.

Below my 2 banking roles which cover 7 years history I have written 'Prior to working in banking for the past 7 years, I have had experience working in various retail stores, bars, restaurants and other office environments.'

I have had tons of experience in retail but don't want to start listing jobs I had years & years ago. Is the above enough? I realise I may be overthinking this all.

I am also going to write a cover letter just breifly explaining that due to changing circumstances I now only require part time work. I am flexible with hours & would relish opporunities for overtime.

Any thoughts/advice?

Thanks!

jobbingmusician

Why not ask your current employer for PT work, citing work life balance? Nothing to lose, by the sound of things..... (and it would be sensible for them to retain you on a PT basis rather than losing your skills)

LunaLovegood

They unfortunately do not offer any part time/flexible work options. My contracted hours are 9am-5pm Monday to Friday however I actually usually work 8am-6/7pm most days with no lunch. Overtime is unpaid.

One guy who's wife recently had a baby asked for flexible working and was told well if you wanted to start at 8 we could make sure you're away by 6! Lol thats some flexible working- only 2 hours of unpaid overtime a day! Can't wait to leave

parking_question_chap

As a potential employer my problem would not be that you are over qualified, if you come across as a pleasant person with common sense, your previous employment in finance would not be a concern. Furthermore there are lots of students working in retail as a stop gap job.

My concern would be, how long you are looking to stay in the job. If your course is over a couple of years I would state that on the cover letter, and that you need work for the duration. An employer might be concerned that you only want work for half a year or so, and it would not be worth their time in training you up.

TELLIT01

It's a while since I had to complete a CV, but then there was a section at the top to summarise your skills. No reason why you couldn't include in that the fact that you are going to Uni so are now seeking part time work.

anamenottaken

I agree with TELLIT01 to include a note about wanting part-time work at the top of your CV (after your name and contact details) in a brief profile noting key transferable skills.

Also 7 years is not long. Please include a little more information about your retail experience, naming (some of) the organisations even if, because you were not long with any one, not specifying individual employment periods.

LunaLovegood

Thanks for the advice everyone!

I have included some of the retail stores I used to work for in the Cv (without going into detail about dates etc)

I have also mentioned in the cover letter that my study plans are for at least 3-4 years minimum

Fingers crossed! :j