stop putting your salary history on your resume by Alison Green on April 17, 2015 A reader writes: I was very curious to see what you thought of this document that I found off of a job listing on usajobs.org entitled Resume Tips. I find it very odd that they recommend to have salary and hours listed for every job performed. The specific job I ended up applying for required the hours for each job and volunteer activity listed. I wasn’t quite sure how to format that nicely while leaving other important details on there as well. Well, it looks like they’re talking about applications for federal jobs, which are a whole different ballgame and not at all representative of normal resumes. Federal hiring is so different and comes with such odd requirements that one day we will hear that the federal job application process now requires that you submit a complete list of all pets you’ve ever had and their birth dates, and that it must be presented in iambic pentameter. Federal hiring is not like other hiring. However, I’m going to use this as an opportunity to say loudly to everyone else: STOP PUTTING YOUR SALARY INFO ON YOUR RESUME. It does not belong there. Other things that don’t belong on your resume: – the weekly hours for each job (this is another weird federal jobs thing, if it’s being required at all) – the reason you left each job – the name of your manager at each job – each employer’s address – reference information If you are applying for a federal job or in some other weird situation where unusual information is being required on your resume, include it wherever it looks neatest. But know that it is not normal and not a thing that you should carry over to applying for other jobs. You may also like:should I use a two-column resume?you should ask for more money when you get a job offer. here's how.here's the right way to format your resume { 115 comments }
HeyNonnyNonny* April 17, 2015 at 2:15 pm What, all resumes aren’t in iambic pentameter? Assistant Writer, Chocolate Teapots, Inc/ In charge of writing copy for the web/ and also ran successful ad campaigns/ that bumped up sales when they were on the ebb.
Gandalf the Nude* April 17, 2015 at 2:26 pm Alas, poor Katie! I knew her, HeyNonny, a Fed of infinite/ jest, of most excellent comment. She hath bore me on her back a/ thousand times, and now how abhorr’d in my posting history it is!/ My gorge rises at it.
Windchime* April 17, 2015 at 5:45 pm I almost choked on my afternoon Reece’s peanut butter cup when I read this.
jmkenrick* April 17, 2015 at 2:30 pm Well, at my workplace we have a more casual atmosphere and reject anyone who doesn’t write their resume in limerick form.
Cath in Canada* April 17, 2015 at 3:41 pm I’ve edited hundreds of grants, And never wear leggings as pants. I’ll manage your budget, I’ll never once fudge it, But I’m likely to kill all your plants
Jipsy's Mom* April 17, 2015 at 4:39 pm Home sick on the couch today, and this gave me my first laugh of the day!
ThursdaysGeek* April 17, 2015 at 4:10 pm I’m programmer for a database, I can work at a fairly quick pace, And as for my sql There is no equal. I’m looking for at least 80Ks.
Oryx* April 17, 2015 at 6:52 pm There’s a tech company local to here where if you apply they want you to write a poem. First time I applied for them: Oh, that’s pretty cool! (says the girl with a BFA in creative writing) Second time: JFC, I have to do this BS again?
V. Meadowsweet* April 17, 2015 at 8:26 pm (with apologies to Wordsworth) My job asks too much of me; late and soon, Getting and spending is not in my pow’r – Never do I know when next are my hours – I cannot make plans, I’m called in at noon! The boss, barechest’d, howls daily to the moon That we charge too many and too few hours That we’re treated like precious delicate flow’rs Because we’ll be paid, he promises, soon; We trust him not. Great God! I’m a code ape Well-learned in languages new and outworn Hoping that I, stuck in this retail seat, Have prospects that might make me less forlorn: Hope of fair pay or job security Or a career that is viewed with less scorn.
De Minimis* April 17, 2015 at 2:24 pm The USA Jobs profile I believe requires it, though people may have the option of leaving parts of it blank, I don’t remember. I think a lot of hiring officials don’t look that closely at the profile, and also usually the salaries for federal jobs are pretty much fixed so having that info isn’t really as detrimental as it would be elsewhere. The job announcement states up front what the job is going to pay in most cases.
GovHRO* April 18, 2015 at 9:48 am If you’re applying to a federal job, please use the resumebuilder. You can choose to use your regular resume, but it won’t have everything government HR people are required to look at. The one exception is Senior Executive Service positions (the top executives in the government with the exception of political appointees such as the secretary of the Navy). SES jobs usually want a 5 page resume that relates to your core qualifications essays (yes you have to write 1 page essays-two stories per page–relating to 5 leadership topics). Regarding salary, it’s not quite fixed and your resume and/or salary can help the selecting official write “an above minimum rate” request (minimum rate is bottom of the range).
DrPepper Addict* April 17, 2015 at 2:25 pm I agree with everything you said to omit. What do you think about having a snipe at the very bottom saying “References available upon request”?
Ask a Manager* Post authorApril 17, 2015 at 10:31 pm Yep. It’s assumed your references are available upon request; no need to spend valuable resume space saying it.
Not Today Satan* April 17, 2015 at 2:25 pm I also want to add: Many job applications (the kind you fill out when you’re there for your interview and which I don’t understand the point of!) ask for your salary for each job you’ve had. I always leave that blank, and no one has ever insisted that I share it. (Some have insisted during phone screens, but no one has ever followed up about leaving those fields blank on the paper application. Including times when I’ve gotten the job.)
TheLazyB* April 17, 2015 at 2:43 pm I’ve never thought of leaving it off. I have to make it up! I don’t remember! Recently I’ve also had to put addresses (even though they’ve all moved!!) and reasons for leaving. Drives me mad.
Not Today Satan* April 17, 2015 at 2:50 pm It drives me crazy when they require addresses for past employers. What, are they going to send them a card?
TheVet* April 17, 2015 at 3:17 pm It really bothers me when they ask for addresses, email addresses, titles, and employers of *references* when applying for a job online. Uh…why? You haven’t even interviewed me yet.
Snork Maiden* April 17, 2015 at 3:57 pm I applied for a job recently that asked for everything Alison outlined in the post here in their online form AND I couldn’t submit it without references (they were a *required field). I submitted them but notified references right away. Most businesses do that here in blue collar and blue collar adjacent jobs (mine is sort of a trade-adjacent field) and it makes me itch.
tesyaa* April 17, 2015 at 3:55 pm When asked for an address of a place I worked 15 or 20 years ago, I just put the city (e.g. “Stamford, CT”). I can usually remember the name of the city. If there’s a box for street address that would kick me out of the system if left blank, something general (like “Main Street” might suffice.
Alternative* April 17, 2015 at 8:04 pm Seriously. And phone numbers – I’ve worked at huge companies with thousands of phone lines – I have no idea what phone number to put. I usually don’t finish applying for the job when I realize they require such ridiculous detail. I also won’t apply if they require your full resume cut and pasted into their little text box categories like “job duties” for each job, along with annoying drop down boxes where you have to put exact dates of employment, etc.
Retail Lifer* April 17, 2015 at 4:46 pm Almost all of the places I’ve worked for have either moved or closed, and a lot of electronic applications won’t let you leave the fields blank or give you any place to explain. Apparently I will kill your business.
Ash (the other one)* April 17, 2015 at 2:58 pm I left the salary blank for a fellowship I had on one I filled out and got called by the HR to add something there. Seriously? A fellowship in grad school, which was technically 20 hrs/week though I worked a ton more than that, that was 3 jobs ago, is not going to be reflective of what I should be earning now.
Stranger than fiction* April 17, 2015 at 5:49 pm I think the omly point of the app is the fine print right before you sign giving them permission to check your background
Sara* April 18, 2015 at 7:36 am Huh. I never really thought about the possibility that I could leave ridiculous items (like salary history [especially for my hourly jobs in high school and college!] and company addresses) blank on an application. I remember filling out an application last summer while job hunting and *frantically* Googling my previous employers’ addresses (and then trying to fit all the information into the tiny box provided for that purpose on the application).
Eric* April 17, 2015 at 2:26 pm One more to add to that list (which I just saw on a resume that also had salary history): Last 4 digits of your SSN. I don’t want to worry about safeguarding confidential info.
AndersonDarling* April 17, 2015 at 2:36 pm How about your WHOLE social security number! I saw a resume with that right at the top. Eeek!
Relly* April 17, 2015 at 2:42 pm Do paper retail applications still ask for social security numbers? Because I could see someone doing that if they are used to it being asked, but sheesh.
variety* April 17, 2015 at 3:17 pm One of my local grocery stores has an online application system and you can’t even get into the system without your SSN. They use it as an ID and you can’t see open positions without entering it. And they want you to pick a specific location up front, too. There are 5 locations within 5 miles of my house, any would be good. They are a multi-state store, part of a multi-company, multi-country entity.
Susan* April 17, 2015 at 2:27 pm What about attaching a glamour shot to my resume? That’s still a key to success, right?
Relly* April 17, 2015 at 2:45 pm This just makes me hope some poor soul has tried to attach a selfie to a resume.
AnonymousaurusRex* April 17, 2015 at 3:03 pm I literally received a resume that had a selfie attached this week. I am not joking.
E.T.* April 17, 2015 at 4:11 pm Actually, in a lot of Asian countries, a photo is a requirement on a resume, so many Asians who come to the U.S. on student visas end up including a photo with their resumes when they apply for jobs here because no one told them to stop doing it. However, even in Asia, the job seekers know that selfies are a no on resumes. They usually use professionally taken photos, where they wear a suit and have on work-appropriate hair and makeup in the photo.
Sophie* April 19, 2015 at 2:02 pm In France too, including a (professional!) photo on a CV is recommended. No selfies though!
Adonday Veeah* April 17, 2015 at 6:30 pm Just ask Penelope Garcia. Pink stationary snagged her a pretty good gig.
LEL* April 17, 2015 at 2:27 pm As a semi-aside, and speaking of federal government hiring… I just received an offer at a federal agency. I’m moving up from state government, and am delighted about the new position, opportunities for career growth, new coworkers, etc., etc. I must say, however, that this is by far the oddest, least-intuitive, most-convoluted hiring experience I’ve ever experienced. With the exception of the in-person interview, which was great, none of this has been what I expected.
De Minimis* April 17, 2015 at 3:14 pm I’ve gained some insight on federal hiring these last few years. The holdup is usually due to too many parts of the process being handled in multiple locations. We ourselves would like to hire as quickly as possible and not drag things out. Sometimes we actually can do that, but when we can’t, it’s usually due to some kind of issue or delay from our regional headquarters. A lot of the processing for new hires is done there, and usually when there’s a slowdown, that’s where it happens. I’d say a good deal of the inefficiency I’ve seen is for similar reasons….processes being way too split up and spread out, with not enough control being given to the actual facility.
Slippy* April 17, 2015 at 3:44 pm Also the Federal HR is usually physically and organizationally separate from the unit that needs to hire. This can lead to HR having no earthly clue as to the urgency of the hiring unit or any agreements discussed during interviews.
LEL* April 17, 2015 at 4:20 pm The efficiency of the process actually exceeded my expectations–both the hiring manager and the HR person I worked with were fantastic and did a great job keeping me in the loop. I was a little surprised by the volume of required paperwork, but I went with it. I think the resume/application was the really non-intuitive part. My tendency in a resume is toward brevity, but someone explained that HR uses the resume to screen to see if you meet the list requirements, and I could see that my concise approach was going to leave off evidence of a lot of the particular required items. But, overall, everyone was friendly and helpful, which I think bodes well for my coming employment!
That Lady* April 17, 2015 at 4:31 pm Oh, you got an interview? How odd (for federal jobs). I never had one, just was called and offered the job. I admit that I didn’t believe it was real until somebody came to get me at the gate on my first day.
Davey1983* April 18, 2015 at 8:21 pm Yes, the federal hiring process is indeed long and not what you would expect. The only hold up for me was the back ground check. I had just bought a new house in the new town where my job would be (and I hadn’t even moved in yet– all my stuff was in storage) and a DHS agent went asking door to door about me to my new neighbors (who had now idea who I was). On the plus side, I like my privacy and my neighbors had no interest in meeting me after that (I later learned that the agent didn’t bother explaining to my neighbors that she was doing a background check, and refused to answer any questions as to the reason she was asking about me). Additionally, the agent would not believe me when I put on my housing history that I moved out of one rental on the last day of the month, and then moved into my next rental on the first of the following month. This was when I was in college and it was common practice in the city I went to school to not have leases end on any day other than the last day of the month or begin on any other day than the first of the month (it was a frustrating practice of the local landlords). She kept asking me what I did with my stuff during the night I was ‘homeless’. She didn’t believe me when I told her I had to find someone who would let me put my stuff in their garage, or I would have to keep my stuff in the moving truck and find a street where I could park the truck overnight.
Jordan* April 17, 2015 at 2:28 pm Solid tip there. I do think it’s rather odd and a little… not classy to have that on a resume. Of course if it’s required that’s another thing entirely. I had no idea federal jobs had different resume requirements!
Kat* April 17, 2015 at 4:48 pm A GPA tells you how well they did academically, but not much more. Book smarts dont equal emotional intelligence or how well someone will work. my class valedictorian is now a slacker that hates work. She gets jobs and stops showing up whenever work messes with her weekend plans.
Artemesia* April 17, 2015 at 4:37 pm I don’t get people with little secret tests to rule people out for trivial reasons. Lots of college career centers tell people to put their GPA on their resume — putting it on should not elicit a ‘discard response’ automatically IMHO. Yeah for a mid -career professional that is odd — but not for someone in their early 20s.
Retail Lifer* April 17, 2015 at 4:47 pm If you were far out of college I would definitely find it odd, but not a toss-outable offense.
Ops Analyst* April 17, 2015 at 6:57 pm Several months ago a friend of mine, that I met in college, reviewed my resume for me and she told me to add my GPA. We are 37 years old. I did not listen to her.
Anom for this.* April 17, 2015 at 4:49 pm I graduated a couple years ago, and changed it from 3.57 to B.A. in Teapot Studies, Cum Laude. Is that ok still?
Clever Name* April 18, 2015 at 6:23 pm Phew. I graduated cum laude with a BS in a science, and I’m damn proud of it. Glad I can keep that on. :)
Meh* April 17, 2015 at 2:46 pm Government hiring is obscene. I applied and was in the process with a state DOT and it was the worst process I’ve every been a part of. Application was long and tedious. My initial phone screen was only 2 questions, and I couldn’t ask any questions they could not pull the answer from the job posting. Fast forward to my in-person interview, awful on a bigger scale. It was with 2 people, and the person that I would directly report to said NOTHING the entire time. The questions were so scripted there was no room to express anything. Then again, I wanted to ask some questions but they could not answer any questions unless the language come from the job description. They said their process was ridged and formal for a reason. I got no read for what he culture was like, office environment, people i’d work with. Clearly not a good fit. When they called to offer I said no….not gonna happen.
variety* April 17, 2015 at 3:11 pm Welcome to civil service. My husband has been an interviewer at his state office. Set list of questions that everyone gets asked. For what he’s usually involved with this doesn’t work too badly. (most of the candidates are already state workers and relatively know quantities for higher level jobs). But you are not going to get much idea about what your working environment will be like.
IT Kat* April 17, 2015 at 3:02 pm Also, Federal jobs use a completely different resume format – ideally, you’d have two resumes, one for Federal jobs, one for everyone else. There is a Resume Builder on usajobs.gov that it was highly recommended I use, and I think that people in the past on AAM have mentioned it too (more info to follow in a link).
IT Kat* April 17, 2015 at 3:02 pm http://gogovernment.org/how_to_apply/write_your_federal_resume/create_your_resume.php
De Minimis* April 17, 2015 at 3:16 pm FWIW, my federal resume is no different from my regular resume, and I’ve been fairly successful at finding federal jobs.
IT Kat* April 17, 2015 at 3:38 pm Not saying it’s impossible to use your regular resume – but using the format they expect might give you a step up, is all. Personally, I just said the heck with it, mainly because I didn’t want to go through the hour+ online system and questionnaire. I’d rather work for private sector, anyway.
That Lady* April 17, 2015 at 4:33 pm My federal resume has many things in common with my regular-world resume (which is based off of Alison’s most excellent advice and BUY HER BOOK!!!), but it also has many more keywords built in because “the computer” is often the first line of applicant weeding in federal service. You want to match the keywords in the job posting, so my resume sort of has a “word vomit” feel.
IT Kat* April 17, 2015 at 7:50 pm Yup, that’s pretty much exactly what I meant – your normal resume, but more STUFF. Keywords, more description, etc. (I second readers to buy her book! It’s awesome and I totally equate the three or four interviews I’ve gotten in the last couple of weeks to Alison’s advice!!)
neverjaunty* April 17, 2015 at 10:00 pm The LW listed “usajobs.org”, which is a completely different website – usajobs.gov is the official government website. LW, did you mean the .gov site? Because if not, that might be your problem. There’s a big difference between one of those add-on sites that tries to add a profitable layer for itself, and the actual government job site.
IT Kat* April 17, 2015 at 11:42 pm There is that. Personally, I assumed a typo… Since suggestions for applying on usajobs.gov are the same as OP was talking about.
anon for this* April 17, 2015 at 3:26 pm FWIW, I’m a federal employee and there’s someone on my team who refused to provide salary history and still got the job, with a salary they were happy with. So it *is* possible to leave salary off your resume even on government job applications. In fact, if your salary is below market rate, it may be to your advantage to refuse to provide salary history, because government regulations require hiring managers to peg their salary offer to your salary history. They have percentage guidelines of how much they can exceed your previous highest salary, and it may be very difficult for them to go above those even if you’re obviously worth it.
Tattooine* April 17, 2015 at 3:56 pm Salary you can leave off, but hours–no. I believe that’s a required field in the Resume Builder, the Resume Builder is recommended vice your own format so that you don’t leave a crucial field, as that will result in auto-tossing. My federal resume is 8 pages long! Holy moly.
Pickles* April 18, 2015 at 9:30 am I’ve had success with a two page version that leaves out hours. Only the most recent job has a grade level – that’s what they need to determine if you pass the computer and then the human.
GovHRO* April 18, 2015 at 12:06 pm This is not exactly accurate. Whatever job/experience that meets the specialized experience requirement must have hours, as they can’t assume its full time. This can be your most recent job or volunteer experience from 10 years ago. So for federal jobs you should have hours worked for all jobs.
anon looking looking looking* April 17, 2015 at 3:34 pm what do you guys think of attaching a photo (professional of couse) to your resume, like a profile kind of theme?
Jennifer M.* April 17, 2015 at 3:46 pm I don’t think it is a good idea. It could open up the possibility of discrimination based on a protected class.
Student* April 17, 2015 at 3:51 pm There are studies on this topic. If you’re old, you get screened out. If you’re a young, attractive woman, you get filtered out by the young HR women who screen resumes. If you’re an overweight woman, the hiring manager will screen you out. If you’re an average white guy, you don’t gain or lose anything. If you’re an attractive white guy, you get a foot in the door more often. If you’re a minority, you wouldn’t even be asking this questions, because you already know you’re just going to get screened out.
Joey* April 17, 2015 at 5:56 pm Well sex race and frequently aren’t that hard to deduce from a résume though
Rhiannon* April 17, 2015 at 3:52 pm I don’t see what the point would be. If the hiring manager really cares about what you look like they’ll either 1) bring you in to meet in person or 2) look you up on LinkedIn (chances are they’ll do this anyway even if they don’t care what you look like).
Ask a Manager* Post authorApril 17, 2015 at 4:12 pm NO. Absolutely not. It will make you look REALLY out of touch with how hiring works. Do not do it. Periodically I get a resume that does this, and it’s like an instant flag that the person isn’t qualified.
Ask a Manager* Post authorApril 17, 2015 at 10:35 pm No, what I meant is that I only ever see it done by weak candidates, so when I see a photo it’s an instant flag saying “warning, unqualified candidate ahead.” And it always, always turns out to be accurate.
Black Turtleneck* April 18, 2015 at 12:23 am You know, I agree with this, but it also seems unfair to expect much familiarity with resume norms from people who don’t review resumes for a living. A hiring manager might see resumes day in and day out, but a typical employee might never have seen another resume in the wild. If you add to that the do-it-yourself trend for people to create their own documents you’re going to end up with things like centered cover letters or inappropriate photos. Desktop publishing technology can be used independently of training or taste. Anyone who thinks their Glamour Shot is a good idea will probably never hear differently because the application process doesn’t normally come with that type of feedback. It’s unfortunate, but it’s a useful shibboleth.
plain_jane* April 17, 2015 at 6:25 pm I think this is highly dependent on where you live. In North America, no. Based on other resumes I have seen, this rule is perhaps not as hard & fast in other countries.
Ž* April 18, 2015 at 6:39 am the photo is required in my (european) country. It’s a hassle because you have to get a photo of yourself that looks good in both black and white (if printed) and in colour (if submitted online).
EA* April 19, 2015 at 12:17 pm Although “No” is generally a good answer to the “Should I attach a photo to a resume for a job in the USA?” question, there are exceptions … Pretty much any performer-type role (Actor, singer, model, tv personality, etc.) will expect you to submit a headshot along with your resume. (And in some cases, you’ll need a highlight reel too).
MousyNon* April 17, 2015 at 4:26 pm I’m in the process of applying to federal jobs from the private sector and I find the whole thing incredibly frustrating–forcing my resume into clunky “keyword” descriptions that change from job to job requiring twenty (at last count) unique resumes instead of 3 or 4, follow-up emails from hiring staff that suddenly drop off the face of the earth, and those stupid, ridiculous questionnaires (“what was your GPA in high school?” WTF. I DON’T REMEMBER. WHO CARES. I WAS TOP OF MY CLASS IN COLLEGE.). I’m going to keep popping back in here to see if I find any more tips, and possibly commiseration from people who’ve gone through this. I want to serve, I really do, but omg *pulls out hair*
Dana* April 17, 2015 at 4:46 pm Addresses probably meant like 1234 Anystreet, Anytown US 12345, but I have the city/state for my jobs and colleges. I don’t really know why… Should I be leaving that off as well?
Sara* April 18, 2015 at 7:49 am I have city/state information listed for my colleges and previous employers on my (non-federal) resume as well. (I’ve never applied for a federal job, so I can’t speak to the importance of including it on a federal resume or job application.) I also don’t really know why I have it. It’s pretty clear where both my alma mater (STATE University) and my grad school (CITY University) are located based on their names, and since I have a local address plus two years of local job experience (CITY Public Schools), I’m not sure it’s relevant to future employers that I used to live and work in another city. But I see no compelling reason to take it off. I must have seen the format when I first constructed my resume way back when, and never questioned it.
Scott T* April 17, 2015 at 5:15 pm You are SO right about Federal hiring. It’s insane! I remember being told that my background check was red flagged (!!!) because, get this, I put down that I started college in September 1, Year when the college reported I started August 31, Year and because I was also off by one day on the date I started a job 15 years ago!!!
Curious George* April 17, 2015 at 6:09 pm So, reading all this about how difficult and slow it is to apply for federal jobs along with the invasive background checks. I gotta ask: what’s the appeal? Is the pay or benefits that much better? Is it work you can’t get in the private industry? I’m a recent computer science grad, and just generally curious about the industries where federal jobs are appealing. Don’t want to write off any opportunities just because they weren’t obvious to me.
NPSseasonal* April 17, 2015 at 6:40 pm In my field, many of the most interesting entry level jobs are federal seasonal/temporary positions. I am now at a point in my career where I am looking for year round work, so I am working on figuring out the private sector systems, rather than the other way around. Federal hiring is insane, but I actually feel like it gives me a bit of a leg up, as I understand how it works. It’s all what you are used to, I suppose. My resume is about 8 pages long, and exhaustively customized to every job announcement. Perhaps I should preemptively add my pets (with dates) to the end. I doubt anyone but HR actually reads it past the summary and a quick visual scan, but it does work quite consistently. No, federal jobs do not usually have better wages or benefits, at least not in my field or area, but if you truly believe in what you are doing and enjoy it, that can count for a lot.
IT Kat* April 17, 2015 at 7:54 pm I think it depends on the job/sector – I’m in IT, and the Federal technology positions in my geographical area pay above private sector, and have a ton better benefits. But really, it depends on where you are in the US, and what job you’re aiming for.
IT Kat* April 17, 2015 at 7:55 pm By ‘what job you’re aiming for’ I mean both sector (IT, finance, etc) and also, the Federal Division. Such as, the Department of Defense might pay more than the IRS, stuff like that.
Christine* April 20, 2015 at 7:06 am It’s 100% about the job/field you’re aiming for. Some jobs pay way better in the private sector. A lot of admin jobs are considered WAY better in the public sector, both in terms of pay and benefits.
NBF* April 17, 2015 at 6:35 pm We’re in the process of hiring (my replacement), and about half of the resumes had references listed on the resume. On of my coworkers even commented “oh this person didn’t list any references, they should be including their references”. I don’t think I’ve ever seen references on resumes before and now there’s this whole cluster of people who think its important.
A non a mouse* April 18, 2015 at 3:51 am I was recently told that for a specific energy company, resumes were being tossed if they didn’t include references.
Grey* April 17, 2015 at 11:21 pm My resume has the reason I left each job only because I don’t want to look like a job hopper. The truth is I left each job due to reasons well beyond my control. It’s not uncommon in my line of work. If I don’t mention why I left, it might look like I was fired or left voluntarily less than a year later.
Tamara Lea* April 18, 2015 at 2:10 pm I agree with this! Most people say the opposite, but I am with you 100%! I have been recruiting for over 15 years. There have been many candidates who did this and as a result, their resumes were not tossed aside! That said, it should be in as few words as possible, next to the company name or dates of employment, like “(RIF)”, “(closed October 2014)” or “(contract)”.
GOG11* April 18, 2015 at 2:42 pm I know this is a bit late, but I am wondering if it ever makes sense to put hours worked each week? For example, I worked 3 jobs simultaneously and it wasn’t obvious from the titles that they were each part time. Invariably, people are confused as to why I have so many things going at the same time and they usually find it hard to verbally follow the timeline (i.e., worked X job part time, then X job PT and Y job full time, then Z and A and X part time before being hired at Current Job full time. Don’t get me started on the freelance work…) so I’ve just started including it because it makes it way easier to follow. But maybe it looks out of touch or odd regardless.
Jessie* April 18, 2015 at 5:13 pm I’m going to second the recommendation that some have already given: use resume builder for federal jobs and fill out everything. I recently applied for a bunch of jobs on usajobs. Some agencies require resume builder resumes, but it seems that a lot of other ones really like it as well. For example, the section for education has a block to list “relevant coursework”. So, even though I’ve been out of school for a while, I listed some of my classes that were particularly relevant and included a short description of the kinds of projects I did. Not one, but two jobs I interviewed for specifically asked about those projects, saying: “tell me more about the work you did in school with software X”.
frequentflyer* April 21, 2015 at 3:31 am I’m wondering if notice period for the current employer should be included in the resume? I have an uncommonly long notice period (3 months contractually) so I put this under “other information” in my resume, and also state that it can be offset with annual leave and pay in lieu of notice (because I’m hoping for a buyout!)
Ken Nybeck* August 14, 2015 at 3:44 pm This comment section is gold! If I had to present with a poem, I would get up from my desk, go to the nearest table, and flip it. In all honesty, I would be confounded as I wouldn’t have an idea of what to put. I find that putting salary info on your resume to be unsavory. Makes sense why you would put it, but at the same time, not a pleasing thing to see to potential employers. If the job you are applying to requires it, put it in, but make that the exception for the rest of the resumes.
BakerStreet* November 30, 2015 at 4:16 pm What about those of us who have to deal with the wrong job title issue and were laid off through no fault of their own? My job title was Drafter/Illustrator but I did PDM work, set up new file sets, created two types of naming conventions, translated file information from one program to another, printed to life scale for specialized projects, created instructions, and much more. How the crap do I get that amount of work across with such a bland job title in a resume I have no idea how to format? I’ve done horrible seasonal retail work and this as well but I have no idea where to go next since I can’t leave the state I’m in for at least a year due to a lawsuit I will be facing. :-( Boy I hate my life right now. I’ve solved perplexing problems in every job I’ve had but can’t get it across in my hodgepodge resume.
Desiree* October 5, 2016 at 4:10 pm Now I’m confused…as a recent high school grad (class of 2013), we weren’t allowed to graduate unless we could submit a suitable resume. And it had about half of these things on here. And nearly all of them are required on online application forms. Imagine working a job in a large store for two years, never once meeting your supervisor, but suddenly needing to know their name and phone number, and being 18 years old but needing 5 references who have known you for at least a decade (but close family friends aren’t acceptable)!