By Alina Dizik,
Just because you have enough work experience to cover three
pages doesn't mean you need to include it all on your résumé. In fact,
trimming your résumé to create a more targeted message about your skills
and achievements can be a better way to land your next job.
Most
employers are interested in knowing only the most applicable ways your
skills can help their organization, and a concise résumé is the first
step. "It's vital to make sure the relevant information is at the
forefront and easily viewed by the reader," says résumé expert Charlotte
Weeks and founder of Weeks Career Services.
Not sure which experience to leave off your résumé? Here's what to consider.
Decades-old experience
Most
hiring managers don't care what you did 20 years ago, unless it was
something truly spectacular. As you revamp your résumé, be sure to focus
on the last 10 years of your experience, with only a few mentions of
previous achievements to provide breadth. But there's always a caveat:
If the role you held 20 years ago is still essential to your experience
and it won't make you appear overqualified, leave it in.
Appearing overqualified
Jam-packing
your résumé with too much experience can hinder your chances of getting
hired. Most recruiters and hiring managers are looking for candidates
with just the right amount of experience. As a general rule, shave off
experience "when you've been working a lot longer than the years
required for the job," Weeks says.
Unrelated industry jobs
Once
you've racked up enough experience, it's OK to skip the mention of your
summer college job or a position you held in an unrelated industry.
While leaving it on your résumé can demonstrate work ethic, it can also
create a cluttered document that can confuse recruiters. As you gain
more experience, most recruiters expect that irrelevant positions will
no longer be listed on your résumé.
Short-term jobs
Even
if it pertains to your field, there's typically no need to include a
short-term position. For example, if you're applying for a marketing manager
role and you held a three-month stint in a marketing department five
years ago, feel free to take it off. The only instance where keeping a
short position on your résumé is beneficial is if it is the only proof
of industry experience.
Internships
When you're just starting out, your internships
are everything. However, as you progress in your career, these
internships should be replaced with a more solid employment history that
includes more permanent positions.
Create different versions
As
you whittle down your résumé, there's no need to think you need to make
the same trims for every position, Weeks says. For each position, she
suggests looking at the specific job positing to see what of your
experience is most relevant. "See what requirements they're seeking, and
make sure you include this information -- if you legitimately have it
-- on your résumé," she says.
Condense work experience
Not
sure how to fit in your most recent experience on your résumé? One
trick is to condense other bullet points. The older the job, the less
information you need to provide about your role and achievements, Weeks
says.
As you build your résumé, it's important to take time to
reassess the applicability of your experience. Since most résumés are
one to two pages, it's important to constantly edit to keep only the
most relevant parts of your experience. This can be difficult with a 20-
or 30-year employment history, but it's often the only way to get
hired.