Put my current temping job on my CV or not?

mr_fishbulb

Hi All,

I came back from travelling in October and have been looking for a full time job. As I'm 25 I'm looking for a career job which I will be interested in, and since I am in a reasonably well paid temping job at the moment I can afford to be picky.

I've been temping (in the same job) for 3 months now and I'm wondering whether or not to put it on my CV. As it's quite a low level job, it doesn't advertise any skills I will need to find my ideal job (I have previous related experience from before I went travelling for that).

I'm just wondering what would look best to someone looking at my CV - to have a basic temping job at the top of my CV which might put people off, or to have a 3 month gap and maybe include it in my covering letter.

Any ideas? Cheers.

hjb123

If I were you I would put it on my CV as then there would be no gap! If there is a gap it is questioned!

If people look at the CV see there is a gap it might just get chucked with out another glance!

mr_fishbulb

Even if it forces my relevent expeirence further down the page?

hjb123

Yeah, in the end if there is a gap on your CV it makes a potential employer qonder why there is a gap. When I was looking through CVs at a previous job when I was working I saw a gap I wondered why there was a gap - I wondered why there was a gap before I looked what the jobs were!

mr_fishbulb

Cheers for the advice.

I'll have to find a way to brighten this job description up a bit then!

hjb123

Its amazing what you can call some jobs these days!

Maybe post what you are doing here - someone will come up with a good name for it!

mr_fishbulb

Well the actual job title is Senior Administrative Assistant and I report to an Associate Director (although I actually have a 2:1 Computing degree and 2 years experience on international engineering projects, so you can see why I don't really like to advertise my temping job!).

My girlfriend is good at jazzing things up so we'll be able to get something a bit more interesting than "Responsible for filing, emailing and posting on MSE)

hjb123

So you are a Company Directors PA?

mr_fishbulb

hjb123 wrote:

So you are a Company Directors PA?

Part of my job is assistant to a department director so I guess I could be considered that, but it's nothing to do with what I want to get back into (IT) so you can see why I'm umming and erring about what to put on my CV.

hjb123

I guess but I still think its better than nothing!

Lorian

mr_fishbulb wrote:

Part of my job is assistant to a department director so I guess I could be considered that, but it's nothing to do with what I want to get back into (IT) so you can see why I'm umming and erring about what to put on my CV.

Consider making a CV which has the emphasis on your skills, not what you did when. And remeber you are not making a "one CV fits all applications" document. Tailor it where necessary. (always telling the truth of course).

Here are some examples (qucikly googled):

http://www.careers4graduates.org/job_seeking/skillsba.htm

http://www.prospects.ac.uk/downloads/documents/prospects/IDD/Special%20Interests%20Series/CVs/2005/Skills-based%20CV.pdf

need acrobat reader for the second one.