Should your CV show your stints as a part-time shop assistant, children’s party clown or kitchen hand? You can have too many jobs on your CV and sometimes there are some to leave out.

If you’re in a middle or senior role says Randstad’s Penni Hlaca, your employer-to-be doesn’t need to know that you rolled ice creams after school, as she did.

Nor do you want to miss an opportunity. They might lose concentration if your CV is more than three pages long and filled with your hokey pokey past life.

The ice cream job is only relevant if you’re new to the workforce and you want to show that you’re motivated to work as well as having the organisational skills to hold a job down.

Excess jobs can be taken out whilst still being truthful, says Hlaca. 

The rule of thumb is to go into detail for your last three jobs only. Previous roles just need to be listed in brief with names of employers, dates of employment and role title. Nothing more, unless the role you are applying for has a link to a past job that may show skills.

The rule of thumb is to go into detail for your last three jobs only.

• Massage that job hopping. If you change jobs more often than most, explain the moves in your CV, says Hlaca. “It was a contract role.” “I was made redundant.” “I left to travel overseas.” There is often a very good reason why you’ve stayed for just a short time and it’s a good idea to highlight this.
   
• Mind the gap. If there are gaps in your CV explain them. “I travelled overseas.” “I was on maternity leave.” If you were simply looking for a job for two years is there contract work or volunteer jobs you could highlight, says Hlaca. But be honest because your CV will, or at least should be, checked.
   
• Highlight relevant content. Highlight one earlier role if it is really relevant to the job you’re applying for. If, for example in the job ad it states “meet budgets and targets” and you gained these skills in a role earlier in your career, highlight it.
   
• Emphasise your skills. If you’ve gained sought-after skills from lots of jobs then write a skills-based CV. Instead of using your past employment as the main headings, single out skills and explain in the text the roles these skills were developed in. Tip: don’t try to hide your employment history. Just slot it in less prominently.
   
• Format your CV carefully. Place the emphasis on what you want to catch the recruiter or employer’s eye with. Don’t be too fancy, but draw their attention to the positive.

Finally, if you have got a lot of jobs on your CV, stop and reflect. You may have just had a run of bad luck, or have taken up great opportunities when they arose. If, however, you’re quick to jump ship, you might want to think about why this has happened.  Reflection is a key tool when it comes to progressing your career. Be honest with yourself. You’re the one who will benefit. 

This article was originally published on www.seek.com.au. Read the original article.