A first step for most DIY resume writers is to outline a list of all the jobs you’ve held since graduation. At some point, you quickly realize not all of your career history belongs. I get calls all the time for people inquiring about resume and LinkedIn writing services, who come to me asking what should stay and what should go. The answer? IT DEPENDS.
While each situation is unique, below are some guidelines to help you make the call based on three common scenarios:
#1 Short Lived Role/Company Failure
If a job was short lived (less than a 18 months) and leaves a bad taste in your mouth when you think about it, ask yourself if you accomplished anything to be proud of during this tenure. Did you acquire a new skill or expertise pertinent to your career aspirations?
If your response is YES – include the role and list the achievement. If your answer is NO, simply list work history in years rather than months and years (i.e. 2014 v. Jan–Jul 2014) and you can effectively camouflage any career gap.
#2 Odd Jobs
Many of us worked in restaurants, retail or had odd jobs to make ends meet or while in school. The decision as to whether to include these roles depends on how they relate to your next career move.
If you are a mid to senior-level leader or contributor, if the roles contained even a minor component or occurred in your targeted industry, then you can include it to show ground up experience. In fact, this can cue the reader that you really know the business and industry from all angles.
If you are a new grad, these experiences often offer an opportunity to showcase your work ethic by balancing the demands of work and school.
#3 20th Century Jobs
It is human nature to start calculating age once a job history goes back much farther than 15-17 years. Given you have seconds to make a first impression, you can’t afford to waste the reader’s time with them doing even easy math.
The goal of any resume is to make the candidate appear timeless—so no one knows if you are 35 or 75. Accomplish this by focusing on 21st-century experience, and synopsizing and removing dates from earlier roles in order show medical sales career progression.
The factors behind what to keep and what to cut from your resume and LinkedIn vary from person to person. Share on X from person to person, and there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all answer. Whatever you decide to keep should ultimately position you as a strong candidate for the roles or industries you are targeting.
Appeared in MedReps
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