To leave off jobs .... or list everything on resume? (employment, applying, interview)

[operaphantom2003]

I am getting conflicting information and frankly I don't have the hundreds of dollars needed to pay for a professional resume writer.

So....what are the benefits of leaving off jobs on your resume and what are the benefits of leaving them on?

I understand to leave them on IF it will create a gap. But no one really seems to understand my situation and it is getting really frustrating. I really wish I could afford a resume writer but I can't and have to find a job within the next two months.

I am a career changer which means that frankly nothing I did before has much to do with where I want to be. I could sort everything by "category" like "volunteer", "seasonal", "retail", etc. but that will look really weird.

I am just looking for some honest advice on how to proceed. I am moving out of state and know that is counting against me as well. I am finishing my MBA next month and CANNOT live in a 1 bedroom apt with my mother and son. 2 bedrooms feel small enough when she lives in the front room and NEVER LEAVES. Losing that extra 200 sq ft will drive me insane.

Another question about leaving stuff off the resume--how do you explain why the application and the resume do not match?

[Xeon1210]

If the jobs are relevant to your new digs then post them. Stuff 6 or 7+ years should only be posted if it shows progression in the field.

If your most recent job(s) have absolutely nothing do to with what you're currently applying for then just find as many transferrable skills as possible.

Or post a brief history of your recent work, then fluff it up with specific titles of MBA courses you took that are relevant for the position.

[peet111]

The strategies I have read about is to use chronological resume as long as it fits within a certain field or period of progression within an industry. But if you're really starting over, it's best to lay out a functional resume by skill set that applies to the position your looking for. Do some research online for the right one for you. Also, you don't always need to pay for resume review, there might be volunteer networking centers near you that will have someone that can help and it's free. I went to one last night and there were many people using it. I guess the difference is on the resume you have the most relevant experience to the job and on the application you are filling in all the blanks they ask for for HR reasons. You want to get the interview and that doesn't usually happen talking about irrelevant experience.

[nightcrawler]

you can put what ever you want on a resume, it is not a legal document that can put you in jail.

[Hemlock140]

To employers, a gap is worse than a period of unrelated work. I suppose there are exceptions, if someone sold drugs or did time best leave it off. When the application and resume do not match, they are both rejected.

[lizziebeth]

I agree with Hemlock. Don't make me guess what you were doing during your gap in employment. Related or unrelated work -- include it. If you want to do a skills based resume, I'd still include your employment history at the bottom that has at least company name, job title and dates of employment.

The application is a legal document; the resume is something sent to get the hiring manager/HR interested in calling you. Since you have a unique situation, I'd be sure to include a cover letter. A lot of people just send resumes but it's also obvious what they're looking for in many cases.

Good luck!