CV dont want to include a particular irrelevant JOB

myright

Hi guys

I have a quick question.

I have worked in sales/ Customer service for many years, with the exception of the past year. I am currently doing security guarding.

On the side I am doing some sales as voluntary position.

I dont want to include My security guarding as my main job on my cv as its irrelevant to what im applying for. is it ok to put my voluntary work instead of security in my work history and put security down as my hobbies and activities?

Im trying to make my cv relevant.

thanskf for any help

Annisele

I'd stick with putting your actual job on your CV - if it isn't relevant to what you want to do, at least that explains why you want to leave your current job. The alternative is to make it look as though you've been unemployed for a year, and your notice period would then come as a surprise to potential employers.

(I'd also be wary of putting "security" as a hobby - I think it sounds very strange, but that might just be me).

LittleVoice

myright wrote: »

Hi guys

I have a quick question.

I have worked in sales/ Customer service for many years, with the exception of the past year. I am currently doing security guarding.

On the side I am doing some sales as voluntary position.

I dont want to include My security guarding as my main job on my cv as its irrelevant to what im applying for. is it ok to put my voluntary work instead of security in my work history and put security down as my hobbies and activities?

Im trying to make my cv relevant.

thanskf for any help

Consider putting only a couple of lines in for your current paid work - so it's there and you are not hiding it but so the earlier work is seen very quickly without dwelling on the "irrelevant".

Another approach is to prepare a functional CV (google it - other search engines are available). You still need to give a very potted history of employers at the end to show that you haven't got a gap in your work history but you can concentrate on your achievements in what you consider to be more relevant than your current role. However, do consider what skills you have used in the role you think could be omitted - I would be surprised if it were totally irrelevant.

myright

the notice period doesnt matter as the other job im applying for start day is a long way ahead.

1940sGal

LittleVoice wrote: »

Consider putting only a couple of lines in for your current paid work - so it's there and you are not hiding it but so the earlier work is seen very quickly without dwelling on the "irrelevant".

This is what I'd do.

I've put my previous three jobs on my CV, which covers the last 5 years. They differ because i've been at uni/college and took what I could get. I explained that and made a point of focusing on the skills i've gained from them.

myright

but what will happen if I dont put it in? I just dont feel like having the most present job as security officer above all my sales roles. I would rather have my voluntary placement there... which i did for a year and half up until june.
I can just put in my extra activities section, i.e hobies and activities.... something like 'I also have an SIA licence and provide security for G4S when required'

marybelle01

Your job is not a hobby or other activity - it's your current employment, and apart from anything else, is almost certainly going to be wanted by poential employers in terms of providing a reference. I am not sure what the problem is or why you think its irrelevant to mention that you are in work (because a lot of people won't agree), but it seems to me that if you are concerned about how it looks them mention it on your covering letter, as in "I have 20 years experience in retail until ... when I was made redundant. Since then I have been working in .... until I found the right opportunity. I hold a licence because of this and have gained new skills in... which I can bring to...."

marywooyeah

I'd still put it in to show you are in employment but leave it as brief as the sentence you described above.

LittleVoice

myright wrote: »

but what will happen if I dont put it in? I just dont feel like having the most present job as security officer above all my sales roles. I would rather have my voluntary placement there... which i did for a year and half up until june.
I can just put in my extra activities section, i.e hobies and activities.... something like 'I also have an SIA licence and provide security for G4S when required'

If you don't include it, you are misleading the potential employer. Your voluntary placement can go in too. If you like have a heading of "Experience" rather than "Employment History" so that a substantial period of voluntary work can be included.

Do you have enough space for "Hobbies and Other Activities" on your CV? Unless it is relevant or you are very young (which, with 20 years retail experience, you probably are not), it is not worth adding when you can use the space to describe the work experience in which the employer does have an interest.

If you properly describe your experience and include the vital details of your name and contact details together with any qualifications (including that SIA licence) how many pages do you use?

Elvisia

In your personal statement at the top of your CV - the bit people read first and in some cases perhaps the only bit - say you are currently working in security but you are seeking a challenging position in sales and you have years of experience in it.

When applying for jobs try to reword the advert in your personal statement, so if they're looking for someone with "first class sales skills and an extensive history of working in a team with tight deadlines" then in your statement you say you have first class sales skills and you're looking for a position where you can work in a team with tight deadlines. The CV is usually matched up to the job, and if they have 50 CVs to go through they'll go for the ones that obviously match.
Treat your security job as "skills based" rather than being in the wrong industry. Try to think of some positives you get out of your job, what transferrable skills you've learnt. They've asked for certain skills so don't be afraid to repeat back to them that you've got these skills.

colino

While a frighteningly high number of people exaggerate their CVs (and more worryingly, few employers actually validate them), make no mistake, if you are found to have lied at a later date, your feet wont touch the ground.
Be creative certainly but don't lie.