Job Edge – Take the Edge in the Job Market

the only jobs i have had are minimum paying jobs and have nothing to do with electrical engineering. should i just leave the work experience part of my resume blank and just talk about my school and skills? i mean it seems pointless to me to put that i worked at an amusement park and such.

No, don’t…list all of your experiences. It will show your employer that you have developed a work ethic and have experience in areas such as customer service and that you can obey commands. Your potential employer will be more likely to be impressed with a listing of menial jobs than with a blank page. You can buff this section too…when describing your job at the amusement park give some numbers. Numbers stand out and can paint you in positive light for being able to handle a lot of stress and responsibility (eg, During the period of my employment at Wally World 50,000 people visited this facility, or While working on the Chocolate Wiz Way slide I oversaw and guided an average of 300 people an hour in their consumption of our product.)

Other reasons to list your former employers is to provide a point of reference for your potential future employer, who might wish to contact them to discover your character. Plus, filling in the blanks helps to fill in any blanks in your past, if that makes any sense. Employers are wary of hiring anyone with prolonged periods of unemployment. You can probably explain any gap in your history by pointing out that you were in school, but then they might ask what you did with your summers, weekends, etc.

I do agree with you that menial jobs are awkward looking on a professional resume/application. But, for your first job at least I would list them. If you land this job and stay with it for a year then I would not list them in the future. Personally, I list all jobs that I have had for the last ten years…which works out well for me because I am just now getting to the point where I am culling the menial jobs from my resume.

Good luck.