Question: I have some work experience, which experience should I include in my resume?
Answer: So glad you asked this question! It’s a common one for job seekers looking to update their resumes and get their applications out. Of course, it will vary for each individual but basically, employers want to get a sense of what your work background is – even if it isn’t in your field of study. For example, they are keen to know that you have shown up for shifts, completed assigned tasks and worked well with others – including customers. These are transferable skills that apply to all jobs. Employers value these fundamental ‘life’ skills in their workplace and prefer you bring them to the table – no training required.
So, what does this mean for your resume? If you, for example, have worked several similar retail sales or food service jobs, you may want to edit these down to the most relevant and avoid repeating the same details. This raises another common question about including all your experience in your resume. The short answer is no, your resume is not a ‘legal’ document so doesn’t have to include everything. Keep in mind that your resume should be an accurate summary of the skills and experience that you do choose to include. A few helpful filters you can use to decide if your experience is ‘in’ or ‘out’ is how recent and how relevant the experience is. The general rule of thumb for recency is about 10 years. If you worked a job for only a few months, it may not make the cut – so not relevant enough. Remember that just because some of your experience isn’t included in your resume, it doesn’t mean that you can’t share it as a great example or lesson learned in an interview.
Another consideration regarding your experience is how you lay it out in your resume. The standard was that you put your experience in one section titled, ‘work experience’ and listed each experience in reverse chronological order – often feeling the need to account for each month and year of your past employment. Today’s resumes – and recruiters are more flexible and open to your experience documented in ways that showcase your qualifications relative to the requirements of the job. So, you may consider using two sections for your experience; one for relevant experience which could include paid &/or volunteer experience along with school projects and a second section for additional experience in sales or customer service.
The best news is that you don’t have to figure out the experience challenge on your own. Schedule a one-to-one appointment with a Career Specialist to get advice from a pro on your unique experience.