A first step for most DIY resume writers is to outline a list of every job you’ve ever held since you were old enough for a paycheck. The answer to “should I keep or discard these roles from my resume?” is IT DEPENDS. Here are some common sense guidelines to three common career stumpers to help you make the call:
#1 Short Lived or Role/Company Failure
Ask yourself if you accomplished anything to be proud of in this role, or if you acquired a new skill or expertise pertinent to your career aspirations. If the answer is YES – include the role and list the achievement. If NO, simply list work history in years rather than months and years (i.e. 2012 v. Jan–Jul 2012) 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 answer to whether to include these roles depends on how they relate to your next career move. If you have remained in the same field, then you can include them to show ground up experience—cueing the reader that you really know the business/industry from all angles. If you are a new grad, these experiences offer an opportunity to show a 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 past 15 years. Given you have seconds to make a first impression, you can’t afford to waste even a second of a reader’s time with them doing math. The goal of any resume is to make the candidate appear timeless—so no one knows how old or young they are. Accomplish this by focusing on 21st-century experience, and synopsizing and removing dates from earlier roles in order show career progression.
The factors behind what to keep or pitch from your resume vary greatly from person to person – there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all answer. A strong resume ensures whatever you keep positions you optimally for the next role!