If you dey worry about how to include unrelated work experience on your resume, no worry, we got some tips for you. Many people wey don work for many years, but some of the jobs no be relevant to the position dem dey apply for. But leaving out those years of work experience no be good idea because it can create gaps on your resume and make hiring managers wonder what you were doing during that time.
One way to handle this issue be to use a section called “Additional Experience” or “Other Employment.” Here, you can list your previous employers, positions, and dates without going into too much detail. For example, if you spend the first 10 years of your marketing career doing lower-level tasks, you can simply say “Marketing positions with ABC, DEF, and XYZ (1990-2000)” in your “Additional Experience” section.
This technique also help people wey dey worry about age discrimination. You can summarize the early years of your career into one sentence or section, so it no dey show your age. For instance, if you start working before you graduate, you can put your “Work History” section before your “Education” section to show that you have more experience than your graduation dates suggest.
Another important thing be to highlight the skills and adaptability you gain from those unrelated jobs. Even if the job no be directly related to the position you dey apply for, it can still show that you are versatile and adaptable. You can frame it in a way that shows how those experiences contribute to your professional development. For example, you can list it as “Supplemental Experience” and detail only the skillset it contributed to.
Including unrelated work experience can also act as a conversation starter during interviews. It shows that you have explored different opportunities and developed various skillsets, which can make you a more multi-faceted candidate. So, instead of leaving it out, find a way to include it in a way that adds value to your resume.
