How To Indicate Unrelated Work Experience In Your CV

By Susan Gitonga

If you’re like most people, you have switched professions at one point in your work life. Maybe you got a bit confused about which career was right for you. Or maybe you got bored of your job and jumped at the next available opportunity hastily.

But now you are back to the job hunting scene and you have to come up with a perfect CV  that will get you this new grandiose job vacancy.

Two questions you might ask yourself

1. Does my unrelated experience count?
2. Will my unrelated experience be a turn off to the employer?

5 Things to Consider When Indicating Unrelated Work Experience in Your CV:

1.Study the job description

Take time to study the job description of the job you are applying for. As you study the job, you should be very keen to note these two things:

1. The major responsibilities of the job
2. Main skills required

That way, you will know how to make your unrelated work experience relevant to the job.

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2. Any Experience Acquired Counts as Experience.

Sure, it might not be related, but it still works. For example, if you have worked before as a Receptionist, Sales Executive, Driver and Accountant, the obvious assumption is that you gained tons of experience wearing all these hats.

In as much as you have not gained a lot of experience in one profession, you have acquired what we call transferable skills.

These skills can be very valuable to an employer and can definitely work for you rather than against you.

3. Small Projects and tasks related to the job count as experience

Never dismiss any work you have done just because it took a short time. That goes for any small project you were involved in that is related to the job you are applying for.

4. Name your unrelated experience as “Other Experience”/ “Additional Experience”

Take note of the fact that the employer is looking to employ you for one particular role. That means that most of the information on your CV  should mirror that experience.

So, if you are applying for a Logistics job, ensure that the experience you provide first is centered around procurement, supply chain, and logistics/accounting.

That should be the main focus of the CV and that is where the employer will be very keen to look at.

As for the unrelated work experience, give it its own section which you should name “other experience” or “additional experience”

In that section, outline the skills you acquired in the past and how they tie in with the job you are applying for. Regardless of how far-fetched they might appear.

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5. Focus on key achievements alongside responsibilities

This is a simple way of showing the employer what you are good at. Every employer is looking for someone who can solve problems at the workplace. So, you will need to mention what your contributions have been previously and how they have driven the success of the company.

In a nutshell, there are many ways of indicating unrelated work experience, where you make it work for you, instead of against you.

All the best!

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Susan is a Communications and Digital Marketing Officer at Career Point Kenya. For any questions, Email susan@www.careerpointkenya.co.ke