Resumes can be tricky. You know that. We know that. The good news is that, as always, your friends at Resume To Interviews are here to help! Sometimes the most difficult part of creating a fantastic resume isn’t figuring out how to include all of your work experience, it’s figuring out which jobs to include, and which jobs to omit.
So, Which Jobs Go On A Resume?
Remember to include only the most important job information in your resume. A common problem many people have is deciding which jobs to include on their resume. This is a tricky subject, since it’s a double-edged sword of sorts: you don’t want any gaps on your resume, however you also don’t want to waste valuable page space by explaining that you understand the intricacies of bussing restaurant tables.
Give Them What They Want
Here’s a hard truth of the resume world: most resume’s don’t get read, they get scanned by machines and by overworked HR personnel. The best way to get your resume to stand out is by deleting everything employers aren’t interested in, and only including the most important information. So before deciding which jobs to include on your resume, first decide what types of jobs you’re going to be applying for.
Context. Context. Context.
The key here is context. Employers are only interested in your past work experience for one reason: they want to know if that experience will make you a better employee in your new position. Therefore you are going to want to dedicate the most resume space to those jobs/experiences most related to the ones you plan on applying for.
Noobs (Recent Grads)
If you are a recent grad, chances are you haven’t had the opportunity to work many industry-relevant jobs. If this is the case, you’ll want to include your most recent work experience, even if that experience is not related to the industry you are interested in entering. However, you do not need to detail every aspect of your non-industry-relevant jobs. Instead, dedicate more resume space to your academic projects – this will give you the chance to prove that you’ve learned important industry concepts and skills, while at the same time highlighting the fact that you are capable of holding a job.
Vets (Multiple Years of Experience)
If you have more than a few years of experience, you’ll want to omit your least relevant/impressive jobs from your resume. Here’s a great trick for avoiding resume gaps: create an additional work experience section for your resume. In this section, list only the company name, your job title, and the dates you’ve worked that job. This way, you do not need to waste time explaining the details of jobs that aren’t industry-relevant (which an employer won’t care about anyway), yet you are still able to give the employer an accurate timetable of your work experience.
Summary
- Article Name
- What Job Information To Include On Your Resume
- Author
- Jason B
- Description
- Sometimes the most difficult part of creating a fantastic resume isn’t figuring out how to include all of your work experience, it’s figuring out which jobs to include, and which jobs to omit.