How Do I Handle Job History When I Don't Want to Include Every Job?

by Lise
(New Hampshire, US)

I have a pretty impressive work history overall. But this past year, I left my long term employment (8 yrs) as an educational assistant to become a teacher at a residential school. After 2 1/2 wks I realized I could not do it and I left.

Then I got a job at a well known preschool program and after 2 1/2 months, I had to leave. There was a personality conflict and they were going to fire me and they also told me my "best" wasn't good enough.

So due to the stress, I left. Now I'm wondering how do I list these past 2 jobs on my resume? Can I just pretend they don't exist? I definitely don't want any prospective employers talking to those places.

I even had a question on an application asking me if I ever quit a job because they were going to fire me. Do I just lie?

How Far Back Should I Go in My Work History?

by Anonymous
(Somewhere)

I am working on my resume and I've been working for quite some time. I'm wondering... how far back do I need to go in my work history on the resume?

Do I Have to Show Every Job I Ever Worked?

I worked for a company for almost 8 years. During that time I attempted a second job while still working the other one. Things went terrible at the new job and they suggested we split ways after a month, I wholeheartedly agreed.

Is this being fired? I have a flawless history besides this one job. Is it lying if I do not include it in my job history? There are no gaps in my resume since I still had the other position.

How to state old work history that is relevant to industry on resume?

by Pamela
(Somewhere)

I am seeking a position in an industry that I worked in 17 years ago. While I know that industry has changed, the human resources department of this organization has told me my experience is outdated when I applied there for other positions.

However, I recently was one of the final candidates for a position in this industry at another company and the only reason I didn't get it was my experience wasn't as recent as the person who did get the position, but listing the experience on my resume got me the interview.

In this next position I am seeking, do I just not put any of the history of this industry on my resume or if so, should it just put it in the skill section stating I have eight years experience in the industry and not elaborate? And focus more upon my recent skills which I've targeted specifically to the job description?

How much experience do I list on my resume?

by Roger Williford
(Houston, TX)

I have 40 years experience, and have been told to list only the most recent 10-15 years so as not to "age" myself. I've also been told it makes no difference since when I go for an interview they will see I'm not in my 30s.

This time period lists more employers and short-time positions than my earlier experience since I have been doing contract work and working at companies that were sold a year or two after I went to work for them.

I don't want to be seen as a job-hopper. Previous to this period I was at one employer 15 years, another 10 years. Is there any proof that listing only the 10-15 years creates more interviews than listing my total experience?

If I do list only the most recent, do I have a statement on the resume and/or cover letter saying that additional experience will be provided if requested?

How far back should you list your professional experience?

by Janice Giffin
(Milan Italy)

I am in the process of updating and rewriting my cv. My professional experience goes back over 36 years in my field (English teaching and training), however I have added new skills (editing, translation,teacher training) that I would like to highlight. I don't want my CV to be more than two pages. Thanks

How Far Back Should One Go on a Chronological Resume?

by Mark

At the age of 52, I have had a lengthy work history in the restaurant business back to my teens. There was a 10 year gap when I was in sales. I didn't want to make my resume too lengthy, so I only went back 20 years. Is this correct?

ANSWER: Hi Mark... Most experts say you need only go back 10 to 15 years tops, in most cases. Most of the time, anything more distant than that is not that relevant anyway, as it was so long ago, it can't have a lot of bearing on today's skills. However, you are the best judge of whether anything from back then might impact significantly on your present skills or knowledge base.

So use your judgment, but know that it's perfectly OK to only go back 10 years or so.

To your success,
Kathi