Should I Include Irrelevant Experience on a Resume?

One of the most common resume dilemmas is deciding whether to include work experience that seems unrelated to your target position. Should you mention that retail job from five years ago when applying for a software engineering role? What about the restaurant work you did during college?

The answer isn’t always straightforward. This guide will help you evaluate your experience and make strategic decisions about what to include on your resume.

The Case for Including Irrelevant Experience

When “Irrelevant” Experience Adds Value

Demonstrates Work Ethic: Any work experience shows employers you’re reliable, can hold a job, and understand workplace expectations.

Fills Employment Gaps: Including a position—even if unrelated—is often better than leaving an unexplained gap that raises questions.

Highlights Transferable Skills: Many skills transfer across industries:

• Customer service → Client relations
• Retail sales → Negotiation and persuasion
• Food service → Time management under pressure
• Any supervisory role → Leadership

Shows Career Progression: Even unrelated jobs can demonstrate growth, increasing responsibility, or promotions.

Provides Context for Career Changes: If you’re switching careers, previous experience helps explain your journey.

Examples of Hidden Relevance

Retail Experience for Office Jobs:

• Cash handling → Financial responsibility
• Customer complaints → Conflict resolution
• Inventory management → Organization and detail orientation

Food Service for Professional Roles:

• High-volume service → Working under pressure
• Team coordination → Collaboration
• Upselling → Sales skills

Military for Civilian Careers:

• Logistics → Supply chain management
• Leadership → Team management
• Operations → Project coordination

The Case for Excluding Irrelevant Experience

When to Leave Jobs Off

Limited Resume Space: If including unrelated experience means cutting relevant content, prioritize what’s most applicable.

Very Old Experience: Jobs from 15+ years ago may no longer be relevant, especially if you have substantial recent experience.

Could Raise Concerns:

• Very short tenures might suggest job-hopping
• Overqualification might concern employers
• Dramatic career changes might need explanation

No Transferable Value: If you genuinely cannot identify any transferable skills or value, the space may be better used.

Senior-Level Applications: For executive positions, early-career unrelated jobs typically aren’t necessary.

Decision Framework

Ask These Questions

1. Does it fill a gap? If removing the job creates an unexplained gap, consider keeping it.

2. Can I identify transferable skills? List skills from the job. Do any apply to your target role?

3. How old is it? Generally, focus on the last 10-15 years of experience.

4. What story does it tell? Does it add to or detract from your career narrative?

5. What’s the competition for space? Is there more relevant content that could replace it?

How to Handle Irrelevant Experience

Option 1: Include with Transferable Focus

Reframe the experience to highlight transferable skills:

Instead of: “Cashier at grocery store, handled transactions”

Write: “Provided customer service to 200+ customers daily, maintained 99% transaction accuracy, trained 5 new team members”

Option 2: Condense and Summarize

For older or less relevant positions:

Full treatment (for relevant jobs):

Senior Marketing Manager
ABC Corp | 2020 - Present
• Achievement 1
• Achievement 2
• Achievement 3

Condensed treatment (for less relevant jobs):

Additional Experience: Retail Sales Associate, XYZ Store, 2015-2017

Option 3: Group Under “Additional Experience”

ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE

Various positions in customer service and retail, 2014-2018
• Developed strong communication and problem-solving skills
• Consistently received positive customer feedback
• Promoted to shift supervisor role

Option 4: Create “Relevant” and “Other” Sections

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE
[Target industry positions]

OTHER EXPERIENCE
[Unrelated but showing continuous employment]

Option 5: Omit Entirely

If the experience truly adds nothing and you have sufficient relevant content, leave it off.

Industry-Specific Considerations

Entry-Level Positions

Include most experience—employers expect limited relevant background:

• Part-time jobs show work ethic
• Student jobs demonstrate time management
• Any customer interaction builds soft skills

Career Changers

Include previous career to:

• Show employment continuity
• Highlight transferable skills
• Explain your background

Frame previous experience with transferable skills in mind.

Senior Professionals

Generally exclude:

• Entry-level positions from 20+ years ago
• Summer jobs and student employment
• Very brief positions

Focus on the last 10-15 years of increasingly relevant experience.

Technical Fields

Include unrelated experience if:

• It fills gaps
• You can highlight technical elements (even in non-technical jobs)
• It demonstrates soft skills often lacking in technical candidates

Common Scenarios

Scenario 1: Recent Graduate

Situation: Graduating with marketing degree, only have retail and food service experience.

Recommendation: Include all experience. Highlight:

• Customer interaction
• Sales achievements
• Leadership opportunities
• Communication skills

Scenario 2: Career Changer

Situation: Moving from teaching to corporate training.

Recommendation: Include teaching experience prominently. Frame it as directly relevant:

• Curriculum development → Training design
• Student engagement → Audience engagement
• Assessment → Evaluation metrics

Scenario 3: Employment Gap

Situation: Took time off, only work during gap was unrelated gig work.

Recommendation: Include gig work to show activity:

• “Freelance work and professional development, 2021-2022”
• List any relevant activities, courses, or skills developed

Scenario 4: Extensive Relevant Experience

Situation: 15 years in software engineering, early career included restaurant work.

Recommendation: Omit early unrelated experience. Focus resume on engineering progression and achievements.

Making Unrelated Experience Relevant

Find the Connection

Every job teaches something. Look for:

Soft Skills:

• Communication
• Teamwork
• Leadership
• Problem-solving
• Time management

Technical Skills:

• Software used
• Equipment operated
• Processes managed

Business Understanding:

• Customer needs
• Operational efficiency
• Revenue generation

Rewrite for Relevance

Transform job descriptions to emphasize transferable elements:

Before (duty-focused): “Worked as barista making coffee drinks”

After (skills-focused): “Delivered fast-paced customer service in high-volume environment, memorized 50+ drink recipes, maintained quality standards during rush periods”

Tools and Resources

Creating a strategically curated resume requires careful thought about what to include. Platforms like 0portfolio.com can help you present your experience effectively, highlighting the most relevant aspects of your background while maintaining a cohesive professional narrative.

Conclusion

The question isn’t really whether experience is “relevant” or “irrelevant”—it’s whether including it strengthens your candidacy. Consider:

1. Does it fill a gap in your employment history?
2. Can you extract transferable skills that apply to your target role?
3. Does your resume have space for this information?
4. Does it contribute to your overall career narrative?

Remember, your resume is a marketing document, not a comprehensive work history. Include what helps you land interviews; strategically exclude what doesn’t add value.

When in doubt, lean toward including experience (in condensed form) rather than leaving unexplained gaps. Most experience—when framed properly—demonstrates qualities that employers value.