A well-written cover letter will capture the attention of those who are screening applicants, but is it the right place to introduce the idea of a part-time schedule?

Glassdoor.com has several articles and many pointers on how to write a cover letter, including:

• “…introduce yourself in a memorable, personable way.“
• “Mention a few roles, projects, experiences, traits or passions that make you the ideal candidate.”
• “…provide a few relevant attributes you bring to the table” and “Let the firm know you understand their business needs.“

What if you are the perfect candidate? What if you know your background and experience would provide exactly what this company needs? You can easily showcase your past achievements and provide details of the success metrics in your profession.

You can wow them, for sure. You know you can meet the company’s needs.

But, what if you only want to work part-time?

Will the company meet your needs too?

Is a Cover Letter the Time and Place to Request a Part-time Schedule?

Here’s a scenario: a professional who is ONLY interested in a part-time schedule sees a job opening for a full-time position for which he/she is highly qualified. Should the potential applicant be upfront in the cover letter and state the request of a part-time schedule?

I did once. I was highly qualified for an advertised position but with two kids in grade school, I did not want full-time work. I felt being open and honest about that was the best way to go. I thought that approach would save time for both sides, the potential employer and potential employee. I included my statement of wanting part-time work in a cover letter. 

An online search reveals I’m not the only one who has pondered this approach. If you’re interested, you can read the discussion in at least two different forums (here and here).

What do you think?

Reasons to State Your Part-time Request in the Cover Letter

You’re not trying to waste anybody’s time. You know without a doubt that you want work flexibility in the form of part-time hours. There is no need to proceed to an interview stage if the potential employer is set and not willing to negotiate, so why not be upfront and state your condition in the cover letter? 

You know you’re well qualified and would be a great fit for the position. Applying will inform the employer that you exist. It’s possible the idea of hiring someone part-time simply hadn’t been considered, so why not try?

In many states, current unemployment rates are at record lows. An employer might be willing to accommodate your request because available qualified workers are hard to find.

Again, the company may simply have not considered posting the position as full- OR part-time. Old habits are hard to break. Heck, you can help them modernize their work flexibility policies!

Reasons to Not Mention Your Part-time Request (Yet)

You don’t want to eliminated from the screening process at first glance. You have your agenda and you know the company has one too. Why put all your cards on the table before the interview?

You’ve done some research and have reason to believe the employer might be willing to negotiate AFTER discussing your qualifications in the interview phase.

You may be willing to soften your stance on part-time and would accept (and honor) a full-time offer.

Some Human Resources (HR) Perspective

I asked Laura, a Senior HR professional and freelance writer at Every Day by the Lake, for her opinion. She pointed out that it may not hurt to try; however, since the job posting did not specify full- OR part-time, then the company likely needs and has justified a full-time position and is not likely to change, even if a very qualified person applies. The sheer volume of applicants makes it impossible to reply to everyone, so you may not even hear back.

Alison answered this question a few years ago in a forum posting on her site, AskAManager.org. Her response was similar to Laura’s. Since the company advertised for a full-time hire, why would they hire a part-time employee and still be short-handed?  You can read her full answer here.

Back to my story…what was the result? I never heard back from that particular company. And that was actually ok with me. If they needed someone full-time, I wasn’t the employee for them.

Conclusion

I’ll end with the following conclusion: If the job posting states the position is full-time, with NO MENTION of possible part-time hours, then asking for a part-time schedule in the cover letter is probably not the right approach.

Until that’s deemed acceptable, let’s keep encouraging employers to post job openings as full- or part-time. You may be successful!

What do you think? Do you have a similar experience to share? or HR advice to give? Please tell us in the comments below!

Featured image by rawpixel on Unsplash

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