Can you have too many jobs on your resumé?
Should your resumé and SEEK Profile show your high-school stints as a weekend shop assistant, children’s party clown or trolley wrangler? The short answer is 'no' – but the long answer is' maybe', if those jobs are relevant to the position you’re applying for
If you’re in a middle or senior role, says recruitment professional Penni Hlaca, your employer-to-be doesn’t need to know that you rolled ice cream after school, as she did. Adding irrelevant roles simply makes your resumé longer than it needs to be and increases the chances that a potential employer could miss the more important details of your work history.
There are however three exceptions to the rule on whether you should include your summer stint at an ice-cream store on your resumé:
You’re a passionate ice-cream connoisseur looking to pursue a career in the world of frozen treats. In which case, being able to illustrate that your passion for ice cream started at a young age would work in your favour.
You’re new to the workforce and you want to show that you’re motivated and have developed some skills.
There are particular skills you developed in the role that can be transferred into the new role you’re looking for: cash handling, customer service and food hygeine, for instance.
How far back should a resumé go?
The rule of thumb is to go into detail for your last three jobs only. In most cases, excess jobs can be taken out of your resumé, whilst still being truthful, says Hlaca. Previous roles just need to be listed in brief, with names of employers, dates of employment, and role title – unless you have relevant work experience in the last decade you want to detail
How many years back should a resumé go?
A resumé should go back 10 years. If you’ve been working less than 10 years, your education and qualifications may be more relevant, so you can include more detail about those – or even include any casual jobs you had while studying.
Including short-term jobs in a resumé
If you have changed jobs a few times after working them for less than two years, explain the moves in your resumé and SEEK Profile, 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.
Other reasons for leaving a job after a year or so could include “salary was not competitive”, “lack of stability” or “lack of internal career growth.”
Including gaps in a resumé
If there are gaps in your resumé, you should also explain them. “I travelled overseas.” “I was on maternity leave.” “I was caring for a loved one.” If you were simply looking for a job for two years, you may want to highlight contract work or volunteer jobs, says Hlaca.
If you didn’t work at all in that period, you could list other hobbies or pursuits – like animal rescue, self-improvement, online courses, or creative outlets. But be honest, because the information you list on your resumé will likely be checked.
Highlighting relevant jobs
Highlight an earlier role if it is really relevant to the job you’re applying for. If, for example in the job ad states “meet budgets and targets” and you gained these skills in a role earlier in your career, you should highlight it and include more detail about your responsibilities and results.
How to list jobs on your resumé
For an experienced-based resumé with three jobs that span around 10 years, it’s common to put the most recent role first, and go in reverse-chronological order. Include your role, the company name, the period of time you worked there and your key responsibilities and results. Here’s an example of what that might look like.
Work ExperienceF&B Assistant Manager
Floor Manager
September 2016 to March 2018: Travelled through Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe. Worked casual bar and cafe positions. Barista
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Writing a skills-based resumé
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 omit your employment history completely; List your work experience and roles briefly beneath your skills lists.
Format your resumé to make it easy to read
Place the emphasis on the information you want the hiring manager to see first. Make sure the separate sections are clear, use headings and sub-headings, use only one or two professional-looking fonts, and use bullet points rather than blocks of text. Use a free resumé template from SEEK to get started.
How many jobs should you apply for?
Once you have your resumé ready to go, you should send it out to as many potential employers as possible. Ideally, apply for two or three jobs per day – or around 10 to15 per week – if you find there are that many you’re interested in. It even helps to apply for jobs you’re not 100% certain about, as it gives you good practice in applying and potentially interviewing – and you never know what opportunities may come from broadening your horizons.
How to manage job applications
If you’re applying for multiple jobs, it’s essential to keep track of them, so you know where you’ve applied and can be prepared for any interviews. There are lots of different ways you could track your applications, with the simplest being in a notepad with a few columns for “Job title”, “Company” “Date applied” and “Rejected/Interview”.
To streamline your tracking, you can also use an Excel spreadsheet (if you want to analyse the data later) or a free online project management tool like Trello or Asana (if you want to make notes).
Think of your resumé as a two-page summary of your qualifications and experience. It should be concise and relevant to the jobs your applying for, and tailored to each individual application. Some of your previous jobs, especially if you've been in the workforce a while, might not be beneficial to your application. If your resumé is more than two pages long, it's a good idea to cut something out, to let the most relevant information shine.
FAQ
How far back should your resume go?
Most hiring managers recommend listing the last 10 years of work experience. If a job is highly relevant but older, you can include it in a "Previous Experience" or "Additional Experience" section without the full details.
How far back should a CV go?
A CV (curriculum vitae) can go back 10 to 15 years, especially in academic or research roles where long-term experience matters. However, prioritise recent and relevant positions.
How many jobs should you apply for at once?
There's no universal number that applies to everyone, but if you find there are a lot of jobs you’re interested in, aim for 2 to 3 applications per day (or 10–15 per week) to balance quality and quantity.
What if I have many short-term jobs on my resumé?
If you’ve held multiple short-term roles, consider grouping similar jobs under a single heading (e.g., "Freelance Work" or "Contract Roles"). Many employers see “job hopping” as a negative, despite it contributing to career growth, so it’s important to frame shorter tenures at jobs carefully.
Can I leave jobs off my resumé?
Yes, you can exclude irrelevant or very short-term jobs if they don’t add value to your application. However, if a role lasted more than six months – or if it gave you valuable experience or good transferable skills – it's usually best to include it.
