10 things to leave off your resume...

Reigen · Jun 26, 2012

Could you "Lump" your short stay jobs together? For example. Add up all the months you did the short stays...Jan 00 to May00 worked several postions in _____ (type of job) for short lenghts of time on each on from say 3 months to 6 months, or how ever long the average was for that period of time?

Many travelers use this for resume assitance.

Double-Helix, BSN, RN · Jun 26, 2012

It depends on why you were only at those jobs for a short time. If they were travel assignments or temporary positions, then it's fine to include them because they were meant to be short term.

The problem with a string of short-term jobs (that aren't meant to be short term) is that it makes the employer ask why you left so soon. Did you have trouble getting along with co-workers? Were you consistently late? Were you fired for some reason? Are you a job-hopper? It gives the employer no confidence that you'll stay with them for a long period of time.

It also depends on what kind of jobs they are. If these are nursing jobs, then you might want to include them because they show experience. But if they are jobs in unrelated fields then the probably won't enhance your resume too much anyway and it's best to leave them out.

WildcatFanRN, BSN, RN · Jun 26, 2012

i had a bad couple of years in the early 2000's where i literally had 3 jobs in 4 years. i didn't plan on leaving any of them. some place want you to go out no farther than 5 years, others want your complete job list. my complete list has that rough patch in it, but it's followed by 2yrs with the same employer. i can pretty much explain every job i've been on, but if i don't get the interview i won't get the chance. though now i have a nice 3yr gap in employment to contend with. i haven't been idle, i'm about to finish my bsn.

MJeanRN · Jul 18, 2012

I ended up adding a "Summary of Qualifications" section to my resume that highlighted my strengths and responsibilities at my previous jobs. In my "Professional Work Experience" section, I listed my employers with dates, but not descriptions, since I listed them in the qualifications section. This format also uses less space on the paper since you're not listing every single one of your responsibilities for each and every job you've ever held. Just a thought!