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Ask HN: Do you redact some jobs from your resume?
Nowadays I believe the average tenure at a job is of the order of 2 to 3 years. After 15 years in the field, the average dev has 5 to 8 previous jobs on their resume.
I personally would like to be able to customize my resume for each job, highlighting the previous positions that match best the one I'm applying for. But I feel like it would raise questions to see big holes in between each job.
Is there an elegant way to go about it?
- uptown 11y agoInclude everything - just provide more details about the ones you want to talk about.
- dudul 11y agoThat was my first idea. But doesn't it look like the other gigs were "failures"? Or that you didn't accomplish anything and therefor have nothing to write about?
- uptown 11y agoI'd rather see continuity with an explanation than unexplained gaps. If you feel it deserves an explanation before you talk to someone you could include a note in a cover letter indicating you've highlighted the parts of your experience you feel are most relevant, but honestly most cover letters are read second or not at all. People will read the experience you put on the resume. If what you include is a match, you'll get the chance to explain the rest by phone or in person. Good luck!
- rubyfan 11y agoCover letter can highlight relevant experience but as others already note, continuity and detail is better vs. ambiguous gaps.