Seeking Advice on Addressing Non-Relevant Work Experience in Resume and Job Portals

Dear HR Professionals,

I have a total of 11 years of experience in the IT industry, of which only 8 years are relevant to the role of Software Engineering. During the initial 2 years of my career, I held the position of Associate Consultant at Capgemini; however, the nature of the work was unrelated to Software Engineering roles. Given that this experience does not seem to add significant value to my profile for software engineering positions, I have decided to omit it. Could you provide some guidance on how I should handle this while crafting my resume and setting up my profile on various job portals?

Location: Hyderabad, India

While it's important to tailor your resume to the job you're applying for, it's also crucial to present a comprehensive picture of your career journey. Here's how you can handle non-relevant work experience in your resume and job portals:

Include Non-Relevant Work Experience
While your experience at Capgemini may not be directly related to software engineering roles, it still holds value. These two years will show potential employers that you have a broad set of skills, adaptability, and a deeper understanding of the IT industry. It's all about how you present this experience:

- Highlight Transferable Skills: Identify any transferable skills you gained during this period that might be beneficial in a Software Engineering role. These could include problem-solving, project management, teamwork, communication skills, or a particular technical skill.

- Focus on Achievements: Rather than detailing the day-to-day tasks, focus on your achievements during this period. Did you contribute to any significant projects? Did you receive any awards or recognition?

Separate Relevant and Non-Relevant Experience
If you still feel the need to distinguish your relevant experience, you could separate your work history into two sections: 'Relevant Work Experience' and 'Additional Experience'. This allows you to emphasize the roles that are most pertinent to the job you're applying for, while still showcasing your complete career path.

Job Portals
Most job portals allow for detailed profiles. Include all your work experience, but give more detailed descriptions to roles that are relevant to Software Engineering. Remember to use keywords related to Software Engineering in your descriptions for higher visibility in search results.

Remember, every experience adds to your skill set and shapes you as a professional. It's about how you present it to your potential employers. Good luck!

Dear Pratap Charithra,

The employer expects the job candidate to share the facts about his/her career truthfully. Neither one is expected to misrepresent the facts (giving false information) nor suppress the facts (giving incomplete information). Given this, it would be prudent to disclose your job at Capgemini at the beginning of your career.

For the argument's sake, let us assume you omit your tenure in Capgemini from your CV. Because of the omission, the recruiter or reader of your CV will interpret that you started your career two years late. If the recruiter questions the career gap, to cover it up, you will have to tell a lie. Why do this?

Let us consider another scenario. Imagine a freshly graduated engineer becoming a software engineer or taking up a job in a factory. After two or three years, he decided to pursue his career in the management field and acquired an MBA (Marketing). Thereafter, he pursued his career in marketing and never went back to his first job. While looking for a better career opportunity, because of the irrelevance to the marketing function, should he hide details of his first job? Certainly not!

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

Thank you, Dinesh, for your prompt response! I understand and agree with your points. However, I am facing a challenge. Including all 11 years of my work experience tends to set higher expectations during interviews, which exceed my actual experience level.

What if I list only 8 years of relevant experience? If the interviewer inquires about the unrelated initial experience or the gap, I could share the actual reasons. Is this a wise approach?

Every company has its unique background verification process. I would prefer it if the hiring company does not consider my initial, unrelated experience. Can I simply leave out this experience during the background verification process? Or could this raise red flags?

Please note that I do not intend to deceive anyone. It's just that the unrelated experience garners more scrutiny during interviews, which is negatively impacting my job interviews.