bohogurl1 Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 Hope I don't sound too ignorant guys, but I need to know whether or not I should include on my resume temp jobs that I worked for about a year, which were not directly related to the jobs I'm applying for now. Feedback is greatly appreciated! Link to post Share on other sites
threebyfate Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 It depends on the length of your resume and whether it will leave a big gap between jobs. Also, were they embarassing jobs or were the jobs through a temp agency? If through a temp agency, you can always list the agency name and then describe the jobs as temporary jobs. 2008 - 2009 Elite Temp Agency Assorted temporary jobs. Link to post Share on other sites
USMCHokie Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Unless you've got a ton of whitespace to fill in your resume, only include the most relevant employment and the jobs where you significantly contributed with tangible results. It'd be wise to have a ton of different resume versions for each type of job you're applying for. Link to post Share on other sites
Author bohogurl1 Posted February 9, 2011 Author Share Posted February 9, 2011 Thanks! It's a year gap where I did retail merchandising work and worked at a community center as a planner for the weekly schedule...not all that significant. Otherwise the rest of my resume and career is related to education. For the past 14 years I was a teacher in Atlanta, GA. and applying for another teaching position...after taking a break from it all last year... Could I add a note w/an asterisk toward the end stating the type of temp work I did? One of which I had a supervisor who was awful and whom would not be all negative, but not all positive. Otherwise, my references are all positive. Link to post Share on other sites
Neutrino Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 I would add all those jobs which may seem irrelevant, for 2 reasons : 1. It shows that you had the commitment to work - even when the job available was not exactly what you wanted. 2. Those jobs may indirectly show skills or character traits which future employers would be interested in... Good luck Link to post Share on other sites
anne1707 Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Unless you've got a ton of whitespace to fill in your resume, only include the most relevant employment and the jobs where you significantly contributed with tangible results. It'd be wise to have a ton of different resume versions for each type of job you're applying for. I'm with TBF on this. Gaps on the resume just leave unanswered questions. A one or two line entry covering a period of employment that is not relevant and did not last for any significant time should suffice. With regard to Hokie's last point - I don't think you can have different versions of your resume ready and available to use. You should tailor your resume specifically to the job you are applying for at that time ensuring you address any requirements as per the person specification and detailing experience that ties in with the job description. Link to post Share on other sites
quietGuy13 Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Sometimes hiring people don't even look at your resume. That's how mine was. When i had the interview she said..tell me about yourself.. etc She said "I forgot to bring your resume" so she didn't bring it. and we didn't really look at any of what i wrote in the resume. hehehe. and i got hired. lucky. i got hired in the lowest of the low job. and i came close to being hired in some thing that i'm not even qualified for. I was going to be hired in some science department. Then i was gonna be hired in some phlebotomy related department then i was gonna be hired in IT. and that's without even having a degree in any of that. Link to post Share on other sites
Snowflower Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Hope I don't sound too ignorant guys, but I need to know whether or not I should include on my resume temp jobs that I worked for about a year, which were not directly related to the jobs I'm applying for now. Feedback is greatly appreciated! boho, I recently asked a similar question in a thread here. It's titled I know this is a common dilemma...you might want to read it and see if some of the responses are helpful. It's about half-way down on this forum. I'm working out of my field right now in a very part-time position and didn't know how to address this on my resume or with potential employers. I am also in the field of education so I think I understand your dilemma.I've added my part-time job to my cover letter and I will add a brief description to my resume next time I send it out. I agree that it looks good to show you have been working this past year. Are you trying to return to education? Maybe you can add some relevant skills you learned in the temp jobs. Link to post Share on other sites
aivin Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Depends how long time ago in the past you were on these jobs. If you did them let's say five years ago and the worked for five years at a place which is relevant for your current job, then no one is really interested about details of your part time jobs. You could for example write "Various part time jobs in the xx industry" If these part time jobs were in the immediate past, people probably want to know what you've been doing just recently. Link to post Share on other sites
jimamily Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Its depend on your resume length. If your resume is long then you can include, not necessary for short. Thank You. Link to post Share on other sites
Toots Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Having employed many people in the past and sat on a good many selection committees, I would say that no job is irrelevant, ever! But it might be up to you to show how that past job is relevant to the position you are applying for now - by showing what skills you developed in that post, or how the experience you gained led to insights that can be useful in the post you're applying for, or by citing examples of tricky interpersonal solutions you faced - and how you resolved them - that can be of use in the post you're seeking. A CV / resume is only useful as background material. Your letter of application should state how you meet the requirements (educational, experience and personal attributes) of the post, and should refer the employer to your CV for more information so that they can get a sense of your career progression to date to see how the job you're seeking could fit into that. Link to post Share on other sites
Tayla Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 I would add all those jobs which may seem irrelevant, for 2 reasons : 1. It shows that you had the commitment to work - even when the job available was not exactly what you wanted. 2. Those jobs may indirectly show skills or character traits which future employers would be interested in... Good luck I agree with this posters response! Precise, accurate and so true! Even things that "appear" irrrelevant to the job field somehow find there way to the forefront when in the position. Link to post Share on other sites
PeachyPink Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 Try to think about those jobs, and consider if their were any skills required there that are transferrable to the position you are seeking. Link to post Share on other sites
Lauriebell82 Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 Thanks! It's a year gap where I did retail merchandising work and worked at a community center as a planner for the weekly schedule...not all that significant. Otherwise the rest of my resume and career is related to education. For the past 14 years I was a teacher in Atlanta, GA. and applying for another teaching position...after taking a break from it all last year... Could I add a note w/an asterisk toward the end stating the type of temp work I did? One of which I had a supervisor who was awful and whom would not be all negative, but not all positive. Otherwise, my references are all positive. I would include them so you don't have a gap. Like TBF said, if you went through a temp agency you could do something like this example: XYZ Temp Agency 2009-2010 *Retail Merchandizing *Community Center work *Any other aspects of the jobs Then it doesn't look like you had a bunch of short term jobs. Then at the interview, just explain that you worked as a teacher for 14 years and did some temp work for a year before going back. I wouldn't think that would be a red flag to an employer at all. Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts