You’ve worked at several companies over the years, but now you want to show off your skills on your resume. Should you include every job you ever had, or only the ones relevant to your current position?

If you don’t put enough information on your resume, employers might assume you aren’t interested in working for them. They’ll also wonder why they should hire someone who has no previous experience.

It’s important to highlight your achievements, especially if you’re looking for a new role. But you shouldn’t go overboard either. Keep your resume concise and focus on highlighting your strengths.

What is irrelevant work experience?

Irrelevant experience is anything related to your current work experience that does not add value to the employer. For example, if you worked at a restaurant 10 years ago and now you are applying for a job as a chef, including your previous experience as a waiter is irrelevant. You wouldn’t list it because it doesn’t help the employer hire you.

In addition, don’t go into detail about your skillset. If you worked at a bank for five years and know how to code HTML, that shouldn’t show up in your work history. It adds no value to the employer.

If you are unsure whether something is relevant, ask yourself these questions: Does it add value to my application? Is it clearly relevant? Would I mention it even if I didn’t have it listed?

Relevant work experiences vs. Irrelevant work experiences

When preparing your resume, assess each item carefully to ensure that everything included is directly related to the job you are applying for. If you find something that isn’t, make sure it doesn’t distract the reader from what you want him/her to see.

For example, if you worked for a nonprofit organization for three years and now want to apply for a marketing position at a large corporation, you might list “marketing” under education because it relates to your career goal.

However, listing “nonprofit” under education could be considered irrelevant, since it does not show how well you’ll do in the specific role you are applying for.

Should you consider including irrelevant experience on your resume?

The question of whether or not to list irrelevant work experiences on a resume is one that many people struggle with.

While some experts say that including irrelevant work experience could hurt your chances of landing an interview, others argue that listing everything is necessary to show employers what you’re capable of doing.

The answer lies somewhere in the middle; it depends on the type of role you’re applying for. If you’re looking for a role that requires technical skills, you’ll probably want to focus on the most recent tech roles you held.

However, if you’re looking for a sales position, you might want to highlight some of the less glamorous parts of your previous experience. In fact, we found that companies tend to prefer candidates who list their entire work history over those who just put down the most recent few positions.

In terms of what exactly makes up your work history, here are some tips you’ll want to consider:

1. Don’t mention jobs that were unpleasant.

2. Focus on work-related tasks, not office duties.

3. Be specific about what you did – your accomplishments, projects, and responsibilities.

4. Try to be honest and realistic with yourself when evaluating your past experiences. Were you under-promoted? Under-paid? Did colleagues complain about your performance? If so, it may have been worth pointing out; otherwise, try to look beyond the obvious negatives and find ways you can use those experiences to boost your chances of getting hired.

5. Consider including recent volunteer activities on your resume. Volunteerism shows people that you’re committed to your community and willing to give back.

6. It’s always good to add a couple of references to your résumé. That way, potential employers know that you’ve got some great recommendations from former bosses or coworkers.

7. Make sure your contact info is up to date.

8. And finally, make sure to proofread your resume before sending it out!

Conclusion

You’ve worked at several companies over the years, but now you want to show off your skills on your resume. Should you include every job you ever had, or only the ones relevant to your current position?

If you don’t put enough information on your resume, employers might assume you aren’t interested in working for them.

So, keep this in mind as you review your resume, and don’t worry too much about whether you should leave something off. Just make sure you cover all bases.

On the other note, our team of expert resume writers can help you craft an application-ready resume that will help you land more interviews.