Should You Include All Past Work or Only Relevant Experience in Your Resume?

Finding the Right Balance for Your Resume

When the time comes to craft your resume, one question often arises: should you list all your past work, or just the roles that seem relevant to the job you're applying for? It's a tricky decision, but also one of the most important ones you'll make as you aim to stand out in a sea of applicants.

While it may feel tempting to detail your entire career, employers value precision over abundance. But how do you identify what’s essential? Here's what you need to know to make an informed decision.

The Power of Relevant Experience

Consider the hiring manager who’s scanning your resume for clues that you’re the perfect fit for their open position. They’re looking for connections—clear evidence that your experience aligns with the needs of their role. Including unrelated information may dilute those connections, making your resume harder to follow.

For example, if you're applying for a digital marketing position, listing your job as a retail assistant ten years ago might not add much value. Instead, focus on the skills and roles that feed into your narrative as an experienced marketer.

How to Identify Relevance

Think about the job description and the skills it calls for. Highlight roles where you developed similar skills or tackled comparable challenges. Don’t worry if you only have a few such experiences—quality always surpasses quantity.

But remember: even seemingly irrelevant jobs might have valuable aspects. For instance, if you were once a barista and are now applying for a customer success role, you might underline your problem-solving and customer service expertise.

Finding a Place for 'Everything Else'

What about those jobs or experiences that don’t quite make the cut as 'relevant'? They shouldn’t necessarily be tossed aside entirely—they just need to be positioned wisely. Consider grouping them under a section like "Additional Experience" or even summarize them in a short blurb.

Think of it this way: while they may not take center stage, these roles can still hint at consistent reliability and a strong work ethic.

Examples of Structuring Your Resume

• Relevant Experience: Highlight key roles and expand with detailed accomplishments.
• Additional Experience: A concise section for less-relevant jobs, listing only job titles, companies, and years.

Don’t Forget to Tailor Your Resume

Resumes aren’t one-size-fits-all documents. Even if you’re applying to multiple jobs with similar titles, take the time to tweak your resume for each opportunity. Remove irrelevant experiences, reorder accomplishments, and adjust descriptions to match the job’s required skills and values.

What About Career Changers?

If you’re transitioning into a new field, filtering your past work may seem daunting. Focus on transferable skills—those universal abilities like leadership, problem-solving, and communication. Use your past work to demonstrate how you’ve honed these skills, even if the specific industry or job title doesn’t match.

A strong summary section at the top of your resume can also clarify your career goals and guide the recruiter in understanding what you bring to the table.

Your Next Step

Wondering how to condense your work history effectively while still making an impact? That’s where tools like EleviCV come in. By using AI to analyze and structure your resume, you can save time while ensuring your information is presented in the best possible way.

Ready to create a resume tailored to perfection? Let EleviCV guide you today.