Should I add in irrelevant work experience?
I have worked on a freight dock since my senior year in high school and have balanced that with running two clubs college. I took a summer off last year to work an unpaid internship at Merrill Lynch and started back on the freight dock when the internship ended.
While this blue collar work experience is irrelevant to investment banking, should I put it on the resume so that they can see that, while my GPA isn't a 4.0, I have paid part of my college while balancing extracurricular activities?
As my resume currently stands, I have my GWM internship at ML, my leadership of the business group (the other group is a sub-group so it's under that) and a job at as a cashier at a grocery store (seems more relevant than a freight dock, although it was from my sophomore to senior year in high school).
Only if you have nothing more relevant and it highlights positive qualities you want to show to an interviewer
I've worked for the company for almost 5 years (albeit, part time) so I was hoping they'd see consistency and I've balanced school with it. Not sure if they'll see it the same way I would though. This is something I was discussing with the dean of my school recently.
I definitely wouldn't list the cashier position since it's before college. I wouldn't list the freight dock as its own separate line item under work experience unless you were in a leadership role managing others. However, it probably would help to put a line in your education saying something like, "Worked 30+ hours a week at freight dock to help finance part of college tuition" - this will show that you have good time management skills and able to tough things out. Don't worry about just having one internship under work experience - most people only have this anyway.
So take out work experience all together with the grocery store job and under Education put that i worked 30+ hours on the freight dock.
Thanks!
Irrelevant Work Experience vs Community Service for Resume (Originally Posted: 08/08/2013)
So this last summer I was an equity research intern at a financial startup, but last summer I was a web development intern at a tech startup. I think the web dev internship is pretty irrelevant (other than the fact that I'm a comp sci minor and TA so it's not necessarily random). Anyway, I did some meaningful and interesting community service the summer between high school and college and I would like to include that, but I feel like it's just too outdated. Also, if I don't include the web dev internship then it might seem like I didn't do anything sophomore year summer... so what are your opinions? Feel free to keep your answer general in case it could benefit more people.
You seem more passionate about your community service, so I would put that. Interviewers can tell when you are truly passionate about something or whether you are just trying bs a shitty role.
Question regarding 'irrelevant' work experience. (Originally Posted: 04/06/2017)
Is it worth talking about living in a tent for 3 months on the beach outside my old job whilst discussing my past working experiences? I'm nervous about mentioning this because I'm not sure if its professional or if I will create the right impression.
But it could help me stand out? I was working as a chef last summer. Aside from that I'm describing it as working in a high stress, fast paced environment.
Cheers
Lol you worked as a chef? Damn bro, you must have been in a trash frat if your parents were too poor to put your through college wihtout you working. Who wants an analyst with Post Childhood-Labor Stress Disorder? You must be a really battered guy. Best advice to you would be go for the MBA so you can get another round at frat rush and join a dank top tier frat where you will meet people with rich dads who can hire you
I think you may have to gauge your interviewer and decide if you think it'll add value. I worked some odd jobs while I was in college, and while I was interviewing for post grad jobs, one of the interviewers mentioned he never had finance experience until after grad because he spent his summers working for his dads contracting company. After that, I shared my experience and we both found that common ground to talk about. Some people will find it interesting and want to talk more about it and, others wont. It may make you interesting or likable. It's really up to you to be able to determine it. Personally I would be very interested in hearing about how you worked as a chef and lived on a damn beach.
If this is for internship interviews (soph and jrs), a lot of companies know that most intern applicants wont have any deep experience in finance. You're mainly hired on the premise that you can learn quickly, good academically, aren't a pain to work with, have basic understanding of financial concepts and you know your way around basic excel, ppt, word.
No one in high finance cares about your tales of woe. Save it for when you're interviewing with WHO or something. The only way something like that works is if you put it towards the end of everything you say, i.e. brag like hell, and that might make you seem douchey.
No.
RE: Relevant Work Experience (Originally Posted: 03/23/2012)
Hey guys,
I have no relevant finance work experience. My last job was in 2009 at an amusement park (I know, wtf have I been doing?).
However, I do have some finance related ECs: equity research associate for school's investment club (100k AUM) 10th place out of 30 teams for investment competition/simulation Business Society (member) Finance association (member)
Should I leave this job off my resume and focus on my ECs?
If you are wondering, I am trying to land a PWM internship.
Many thanks.
Did you deal with customers at the amusement park? This sounds like a "client care intern" or some bullshit title like that. Think about if you can spin this into a customer focused role (i'm guessing that there wasn't much analytical work involved with working at Wonderland)
Yes, ENGBanker, I dealt with customers at Wonderland. >___
I think that's pretty spinnable. If I were interviewing you I'd ask what you were doing in 2010 and 2011...that's the part that needs explaining
Are you still in school? Then the ECs will be fine.
When I landed my ML PWM internship sophomore year (2010), the only job I had on there was when I sold cars in high school (2007). I was able to spin that pretty well since I was working in sales, and in PWM you have to "sell" clients on your ability to make sound financial decision and the stories behind the numbers for the stocks you pick.
What did you do at the amusement park? You should try to spin it into showing that you picked up a skill or two that are transferable to PWM. For example, were you a ride operator? If so, then you should have developed an uncanny attention to detail to maximize the safety of riders. Were you a booth vendor? If so, then you should have developed skills that allow you to effectively communicate with people and to sell them various products. etc.
Just be sure to make up for any lapses/shortcomings in relevant "work" experience by highlighting your key EC points and your passion for finance and learning in your interview.
Best of luck!
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