How to write "crap jobs" on my CV

alantc

I'm writing up my CV at the moment and am trying to tidy up the work experience part. I don't really want to list the minimum wage jobs I had as they're not relevant to anything I want to apply for.

I've worked in a petrol station, supermarket, spar, pub (lounge) and cafe.

Should I state them all in a sentence or is there a nicer way to do it?

W.

Trustful

do not put them all in one sentence.

use buzz words/phrases like.....

"working in a team"
"interact with the public"
"experience handling money"

these may sound a bit lame here, but they are all true and looks good to the employer

K!LL!@N

It depends what the job you're going for now is.
If it's a position where you're likely to be dealing with the public or dealing with others in a team environment, then the jobs you've done will show that you can deal with all kinds of situations.
I had worked in a pub for a while and i left it on my cv as it was looking pretty bare anyway.
It was actually a talking point in the interview, even managed to get a laugh out of the interview panel and while i didn't get the job( there were more qualified people that myself), having that on my cv didn't hinder me. If anything it helped to put me at ease as i wasn't having to lie about what i was doing during that time when i was working in the pub.

So while you don't have to go on and on about stacking shelves or pulling pints, i wouldn't leave it off your CV entirely. Interviewers will always query a gap in your employment history, in my experience anyway.

It's nothing to be ashamed of and shows that you're willing to do whatever it takes to pay the bills etc.

Killian

Larianne

You could put them under a sub heading of seasonal/part-time work. Employers want to see what your work experience is, no matter how crappy a job is. Those jobs will show that you have dealt with the public, handled money etc etc. My employers rang up Dunnes for a reference. It was over 5 years ago that I worked there and they couldn't remember me! But the point is, they more info they have on you the better. They can then try and get a picture of what you are like.

leeroybrown

Employers vary in what they want to see but unless you have enough relevant work experence to talk about (in which case you wouldn't have this problem) you're probably best to list this experience as at a minimum it proves that you have a record of working.

There was a big thread discussing this some time ago. You may find some good input on that.

alantc

It's a computer job I'm applying for. If I can get the non-relevant work out of the CV then it's down to one page. If i don't then the second page looks very bare.

Maybe write down the names and dates i worked there from each on a single line without writing anything more? like...

Feb 2004 - Relevant experience

This is relevant because.....

July 2003 – February 2004. Cafe, Dublin
July 2002 – April 2003. Petrol Station
October 2001 – May 2002. Pub
October 1999 – May 2000. Supermarket


W?

leeroybrown

Are you sure that you've expanded sufficiently on your existing experience, skills and education if you can neatly/clearly fit your CV into one page? I've got nothing against single page CV's but it sounds a bit minimal.

pwd

Single page cvs make a good impression I've found.
I put all my **** jobs in one sentence. If you have professional experience, no employer is likely to be interested in details of supermarket jobs and suchlike.
Actually looking at my current CV I don't have my crap experience in it at all. Might put it back in

In older cv had:

Professional experience:
job 1 details
job 2 details etc

Other Work Experience
Six months customer service, four months night work as a security guard, four months data entry, two summers doing physical labour for charitable organisations, and two summers teaching juggling to children.

Have been told in a few interviewers that my cv was very well done, so this is probably a good way.

alantc

leeroybrown wrote:

Are you sure that you've expanded sufficiently on your existing experience, skills and education if you can neatly/clearly fit your CV into one page? I've got nothing against single page CV's but it sounds a bit minimal.

Uner education I put in what course I'm studying, subjects I have been covering in college this year, how many honours in the leaving cert.

Then under work experience I only have only had one job that is at all relevent and I wrote:

February 2004 - current. System Administrator, School, Location.

Since February 2004 I have been the system administrator for a primary school near where I live. This initially involved setting up a network of 16 computers but now I am responsible for maintaining those and other computers ad printers in the school.

Over the past 2 years I have also occasionally worked repairing home computers by advertising in the local supermarkets and through word of mouth.

I worte near where I live to avoid repeating the location written in the line above.

alantc

pwd wrote:

Other Work Experience
Six months customer service, four months night work as a security guard, four months data entry, two summers doing physical labour for charitable organisations, and two summers teaching juggling to children.

I like this, it would bring my work experience section to:

System Administrator, School, Location.

Since February 2004 I have been the system administrator for a primary school near where I live. This initially involved setting up a network of 16 computers but now I am responsible for maintaining those and other computers and printers in the school.

Over the past 2 years I have also occasionally worked repairing home computers by advertising in the local supermarkets and through word of mouth.

Other work experience
My part time experience includes 14 months in a supermarket, 8 months as a lounge boy, 10 months in a local petrol station, 8 months in a Dublin café and 7 months work in my local spar.

Should I include my date of birth? I have said i'm going into m final year in college so it's already implied what age i am.

And do I title the page Curriculum Vitae or my name or some combination?

Thanks everyone.

pwd

On mine the title is my name, with my address and email on a single line underneath it. This is in a light grey box with no border.
I don't have my DOB on mine.

RicardoSmith

Keep you CV as short and as interesting as possible. Think of it not as your life history, but a snappy summary to get you an interview. Thats its only purpose.

Theres no need to pad out a CV these days. Doing that suggests you think the interview panel will be fooled with fancy jargon. What message does that send about you?

Keep it short and simple and professional. No padding. At all.

CV Specialist

alantc wrote:

Should I include my date of birth? I have said i'm going into my final year in college so it's already implied what age i am.

And do I title the page Curriculum Vitae or my name or some combination?

Your date of birth is very much a discretionary detail - something you are in no way obliged to state, unless there is an age component to the job you are applying for. I can't imagine how your age could impact on your ability to work with computers, so I would recommend that you leave it out of your CV.

As for how to title your page, many people still like to head their documents with the words, 'Curriculum Vitae', even though that heading is largely superfluous. Entering your name in large letters is often a better way to utilise the title space.

Take heart, alantc: By giving your curriculum vitae the consideration it deserves, you're neatly avoiding many of the CV bloopers that befall other, less conscientious job seekers - and assuring yourself of a passport to career success.

nesf

I'm unsure about a single page cv if you have a lot of eductation/qualifications or complex jobs to describe.

Usually it's one and a half pages or so for me.

cee_jay

alantc wrote:

I'm writing up my CV at the moment and am trying to tidy up the work experience part. I don't really want to list the minimum wage jobs I had as they're not relevant to anything I want to apply for.

I've worked in a petrol station, supermarket, spar, pub (lounge) and cafe.

Should I state them all in a sentence or is there a nicer way to do it?

W.

Have one section for your IT related experience
Then another under "Other Experience" with a layout like this:

Oct 2001 – Aug 2003: Sales Assistant
Sep 2001 – Aug 2002: Bar-person
Jan 1997 – Jul 2001: Counter Assistant
All positions involved dealing with the public in a professional and efficient manner.
Processing and handling cash payments on a daily basis.
Inventory control.
Implementing Health and Safety standards.

I think it is easier to read than something all in one line

the_syco

alantc wrote:

February 2004 - current. System Administrator, School, Location.

Since February 2004 I have been the system administrator for a primary school near where I live. This initially involved setting up a network of 16 computers but now I am responsible for maintaining those and other computers ad printers in the school.

Over the past 2 years I have also occasionally worked repairing home computers by advertising in the local supermarkets and through word of mouth.

If the job you're applying for has any network based stuff, don't forget to mention if you did any network stuff in the school. Bascially, if you did any advanced stuff, say it briefly.