Should I update an I.T. resumé with painting experience?

bobjim

Registered User
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Hi,
Got a query, would appreciate any advice/comments.

I've been self-employed for 4 years as a painter/decorator, before that I was 16 years in the IT world in various roles. I've decided to go back to that life so am updating my CV - my question is whether I should include my work as a painter in the CV?? It's not directly relevant to the work I'm looking for, and I have no problem talking about it in interview but I wonder if it could put prospective employers off??

Or is it better to show I was doing something for 4 years rather than sitting at home, and then to spin it to my advantage? I'm leaning towards this approach but would welcome any other opinions.

Thanks
bobjim
 
No matter what technique they use – from a heavy technical grilling to a bit of a chat – all recruiters are all trying to undercover the following:
Can you do what is required of the post?
What can you do for the organisation?
What sort of person are you?
Why you, over the other applicants, or candidates they envisage?
What have you got going on? <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<*******
 
I would think that you showed that your willing to work and not sit at home or on the dole is a great credit on your cv.
 
My best advice is just to tailor your CV for every job you go for - don't create a single edition and fire it out. I think this applies even more for IT roles where you may need to emphasise some particular skill over another for various roles. As your painting and decorating work is unlikely to be of much interest to a prospective employer, I would not waste much space on it beyond explaining that you ran your own business for that period of time. If you can in some way show that you kept your IT experience in use/relevant during that time, eg managing your own network, keeping your skills up to date etc, that would be of more interest. Show that you haven't allowed your skills to deteriorate during that time. Did you do any contract work? Did you help family/friends out with issues? Did you do take any courses or teach yourself anything new to stay in the game? Those are the things a prospective employer will want to know.
 
Do a functional CV listing all reliant skills and experiences, then add a section titled job history and list it among the jobs you've held.

Jim.
 
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