Are you interested in a part-time job? How do you write your covering letter and approach message to land the job? Should you explain your approach? Your obligations?
First of all, remember that the CV and covering letter are not so much intended to get a job as to convince the employer to call you to an interview.
“Ideally, you don’t want to put anything in your letter that would give the employer any reason not to call you,” says Édouard Picault, employment consultant at Groupe Plein Emploi.
So it’s not necessary to mention that you are an artist looking for a job to pay your bills or a live-at-home mom looking for extra income, since it’s hard to predict whether the information would be perceived positively or negatively by the employer.
This principle is especially true for personal reasons. Take, for example, a candidate with physical or mental limitations that prevent him from working full time. “These problems must never be put forward, since it will work against the person,” explains the consultant.
Groupe Plein Emploi, which caters to a clientele with addiction problems, also advises against mentioning a mental health or dependency problem to a future employer.
And if the candidate already has a first part-time job and is seeking a second one, Édouard Picault thinks it is best to mention it to the employer at the time of the interview. “It’s something best explained in person. And although its important to tell it, it’s to make sure that the two jobs are compatible in terms of schedule.”
Build on your strengths
Overall, the approach message of a candidate who is interested in a part-time job should not be much different than that for a candidate seeking a full time job. It outlines your professional goals, while taking care to put forward the skills related to the desired job.
“You have to take the time to read the job description carefully,” says Édouard Picault, who has seen too many candidates expressing an interest in a job for its salary, without taking into account either the requirements or the location of the job. “It’s a waste of your time and it wastes the employer’s time as well!”