<p>So I have four things on my résumé right now but need room so I can add in my ECs for school. I have two internships and two jobs. </p>
<p>My two jobs aren’t relevant to my career field (marketing communications/PR) so I want to remove one. I want to keep the other because I think it shows my work ethic outside of just school and internships.</p>
<p>My two jobs are
retail - high volume store, tourist destination. Why keep? Competitive sales environment that I surpassed goals, showed flexibility/adaptability bc it’s a department store and I’ve worked in all departments. Customer service was great. Worked here a year. </p>
<ol>
<li>Entry level position at a casino/l and hotel. One of the biggest ones in the world, well known company to those familiar with hospitality. why keep? High volume, tourist hotspot, volunteered with company (corporate culture encourages good deeds), customer service standards are high in hospitality moreso than retail I believe, high volume and fast paced, used my trilingual skills on a daily basis, worked here for over a year.</li>
</ol>
<p>They’re both entry level Positions but i feel they add some oomph to my résumé that I’ve worked really hard before my internships while still doing ECs. What do you think? Or do you think employers don’t care and I should just remove both?</p>
<p>(PS This is to keep it all on one page, applying for summer internships as a rising senior, not sure if exceeding a page is overdoing it)</p>
<p>I am not sure what ECs are more important than jobs on a resume, but you can keep them both if you have a small section entitled “other employment” and give each a sentence. That way they are there showing you worked in those environments but since they are not in your field the descriptions are not long. You can drop them off when you have other relevant employment. </p>
<p>If both jobs were paid, I’d keep both describing them as Singersmom suggested. Do not go to great lengths talking about your volunteering for a casino - no matter what the circumstances, a casino is a for profit business, and this would be a puzzling thing on a resume (as to why they chose to exploit you without pay and why you agreed to this).</p>
<p>Would one sentence satisfy employers reading my résumé? @bunsenburner it’s a paid working position but the company tracks and rewards volunteer activity outside work such as doing walks or helping out at our local food bank. Many execs and corporate folk do the volunteer activities with us. They stress on giving back to the community so I feel like it may be significant? Idk</p>
<p>Also my organizations are related to my major. For example, one EC we do competitions and case studies for marketing. I also want to add in my sorority since I’m on the committee that creates promotional material.</p>
<p>Keep all of the jobs, relevant ECs, etc., but see if you can make the descriptions more compact. Also, you can change the font, font size, and page margins to get everything on one page if desired.</p>
<p>Yes, one sentence would satisfy employers, especially if it’s a job that’s unrelated to your field (and assuming, of course, that it’s a good sentence). It shouldn’t take more than a line or two.</p>
<p>If you want to drop one, I would keep the casino/hotel, over the retail job, just because you listed the same (customer service experience, fast paced environment) but you also demonstrated your language skills and you worked there longer. I wouldn’t include the volunteering, but if you do, I would do it in a separate place as just general volunteering because it wasn’t really a duty you had as an employee there and doesn’t really seem necessary to take up space with it.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t exceed a page as a rising senior, unless you have enough good, relevant experience to fill two pages. One page and a little on the second just looks bad to me. Without seeing your resume, filling up more than a page with only four things + ECs demonstrates difficulty being concise and appropriate in your descriptions. You may want to focus on making your details of each job more direct and streamlined.</p>
<p>Ok, got it. It is then not related to the job (even though it was encouraged by the employer), and as others said, should go into the EC section. A one line description is usually fine for a job for a rising senior. Most prospective employers do not expect to see more than that. Using biotech as an example, it is just the opposite, I would be suspicious of a lab assistant who listed a huge number of research activities and accomplishments, since most lab assistants usually make buffers, run gels and perform similar routine activities. </p>
<p>I have other things on there like education, awards/honors, and an extensive list of related skills relevant to my field. Thanks for the help though, I removed the volunteer part and condensed my job duties to one simple sentence :)</p>
<p>Thanks @BunsenBurner as well!! Your example made sense to me – I thought volunteering would be of significance but your example made it clear. </p>
<p>Yes. In fact, when I’m reading a resume, I prefer bullets to even one sentence. Don’t write a story; instead use the fewest words possible to describe the basics of the job.</p>
<p>Definitely include all paid work experience, even if it is a simple bullet point. You never know what will strike the interviewer, working in a casino might be interesting to discuss. </p>
<p>I generally do not like to see this on a resume. I guess it depends on what the skills are… if they are concrete (software you know how to use, for example), then I am fine with having them on a resume. But if you are describing personality traits ('self-starter", or even “soft skills” (like listing skills at things like editing, communication skills, etc.), I would not necessarily put that in. What I advice my kids to do is make sure the ‘soft skills’ show up in a description of a job. My oldest did have a section called “relevant coursework” where she listed classes that were closely aligned with a position she was applying for (she tweaked it depending on the position she was applying for).</p>
<p>Any time you do tweak… print it out and review it carefully for errors.</p>
<p>Intparent beat me to it: lose the “skills” section. If you want, you can mention those things in the cover letter.</p>
<p>Bullet points, headline style, not sentences. Use columns to save space. The point is to get the reader interested enough to call you in for an interview so they can ask you about things.</p>
<p>@Intparent @stradmom
My skills section include things like Photoshop and other video/photo editing programs, HTML/CSS, etc. However, I also have skills such as advertising copyrighting, SEO, etc.</p>
<p>I’ve taken classes for things like advertising copyrighting, internet marketing that have taught me those marketing communications skills I need. However, I self-taught myself Photoshop and webdesign skills to code a simple but effective website and did freelance for a bit so I feel confident enough to list it as a skill (I also have a quick link to a portfolio on my resume that displays my graphic design and webdesign work).</p>
<p>Should I still remove the skills section and replace it with relevant coursework? </p>
<p>Also keep in mind that it sounds like both of your jobs are essentially PR, so relevant to some extent, to your career ambitions. While you have condensed your job descriptions, you may find that a recommendation from one/both may be beneficial, especially if you can have them focus on relevant skills/accomplishments.</p>
<p>Regarding your question of skills section/relevant coursework, you could give some description of things (skills) you learned in those classes.</p>
<p>You could also include the freelance stint as work, so that you have the opportunity to highlight your skills/experience that way.</p>
<p>Remember that you may be using a cover letter where you have the opportunity to introduce yourself. The application you fill out may ask for relevant skills. And of course, the interview will give you an opportunity to expand more about your skills/experiences.</p>
<p>Coursework would be the first section to go. If you learned specific, measurable skills in the courses, you could list those (like your photoshop expertise). Make sure the skills are beyond “basic computer literacy.”</p>
<p>Make sure the skills are beyond “basic computer literacy.” </p>
<p>^^Good point. If you say that you are an expert user of Adobe Suite etc., everyone would automatically assume that you are an expert level user of at least MS Word and PowerPoint and have a basic handle on Excel (which is somewhat more tricky, especially if Solver of CrystalBall or some other plugins are involved), so do not waste valuable space listing such basic stuff. Advanced graphic design programs, 3D animation software, etc. deserves to stay on the resume in your case.</p>