how to list medium crappy temp jobs on a resume?
May 29, 2013 6:58 AM   Subscribe

For about a year now I've been bouncing between secretary type jobs through temp agencies, and need to figure out how to list this on my resume. Two of the temp jobs are relevant to the type of work I hope to get, but can't be listed by name due to confidentiality issues. How do I present this industry specific and consumer facing work especially since my long term job before this was in a different field? I'd just leave it as a gap, except the work is relevant and there are other aspects of the gap (major surgery and more!) that make it longer than I'm comfortable with.

I've been trying out a particular format for a while now. But I have been invited by a volunteer coordinator to submit a resume for a very great job with a very cool organization. And I want to get it right. How do I represent the temp things on a resume?

For confidentiality purposes, I can't list the places where I have recently worked by their names. The latest temp agency rep says she will serve as a reference for me, since her ultimate goal is to get me a job even if it's not through her service (she sounds so fake when she says this!). She hasn't been able to match me with anything that I can access on public transportation since I left the job where my supervisor was doing really shady things. But she does call me every week to tell me about possibilities! (The latest offer that failed was because I'm not bilingual...)

Luckily I had a super awesome boss for several years and she is happy to continue being a reference for me whenever I need. But I really need to account for the time between leaving that job and the present.

Here's the most recent iteration, which matches the format of the rest of the document (my major skills are listed at the top):

2012 Temporary Positions in specialized xxxxxx facilities Through agencies y and z

While I am required to keep the identities of my placements confidential due to agreements with the temporary agencies, these customer facing positions required fast paced problem solving, many meetings, and development of rapport with clients and providers to ensure timely delivery of foo.
Contact: Person A at Agency Y 555-867-5309
posted by tulip-socks to Work & Money (8 answers total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
 
Agency Y, 2012
Agency Y contact: Ms A Person 555-555-5555

Key Position (Temp) Sept-Oct 2012

Key Position person for three months for an International Arms Dealer.
- key skill one
- key skill two
- key responsibility three
- item four

Key Position 2 (Temp) May-Aug 2012

Key Position person for three months for a Non-Profit Agency.
- key skill one
- key skill two
- key responsibility three
- item four

Agency z, 2012
Agency z contact: Mr B Person 515-555-5151


Key Position (Temp) Mar-Apr 2012

Key Position person for three months at a distributor of fine beekeeping. equipment.
- key skill one
- key skill two
- key responsibility three
- item four

Key Position 2 (Temp) Jan-Mar 2012

Key Position person for three months for a specialized food distributor.
- key skill one
- key skill two
- key responsibility three
- item four
posted by tilde at 7:17 AM on May 29, 2013 [1 favorite]


Sorry, read as two agencies.

Agency Y, 2012
Agency Y contact: Ms A Person 555-555-5555

Key Positions Held:

Key Position - International arms dealer
Key Position - Non-Profit agency
Key Position - Beekeeping industry
Key Position - Specialized food distributor
- key skill one
- key skill two
- key responsibility three
- item four
posted by tilde at 7:22 AM on May 29, 2013 [3 favorites]


Tilde's got it. In my own case, since I had a period where I did a bunch of similar jobs, I just lumped them under one entry, but a similar format to what's above.
posted by canine epigram at 7:27 AM on May 29, 2013 [1 favorite]


The part to remember is that your employer was the temp agency and then you did multiple jobs for that employer so you just treat it like that.
posted by magnetsphere at 7:48 AM on May 29, 2013 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: I'd most ideally highlight two very specific "industry" positions, the most recent one for 5 months with agency X and one for 4 months with Agency Z last year(who are not open to receiving phone calls...frown, especially since I was offered the permanent position there but was moving away!).

These positions bookend a major surgery and horrors of twice relocating, neither of which I plan to discuss.

Are you saying I should take out the skills stuff from the big chunk at the top and list each skill under every relevant job listing? Because I'm adding this temp stuff to my resume...I need to conserve as much space as possible. Which means since the job I want is not a secretary job, I'm leaving off the secretary specific stuff like "multi line phones" in favor of more leadership and problem solving.

The long term job with awesome boss is not as relevant as the two jobs before, so I need to keep all three positions in addition to the temp stuff.
posted by tulip-socks at 7:54 AM on May 29, 2013


me mail me and I'll look at it. the whole layout and whitespace is important, of course, but relative to the context of the jobs and your skillset as a whole should include specific placement, even at the risk of moving or duplicating information.
posted by tilde at 8:16 AM on May 29, 2013


I think the dates of each job are not important and are very distracting. Do an overall date range under one employer and then do an experience summary highlighting the skills you want to talk about. Do a bullet list format if it looks good. Then do a key positions: bold the company name and have a short description highlighting what you think was best.

Good luck! The temporary work gave you good skills. Don't let the job hunting process rattle you and make you feel like the work wasn't important. I'm the Queen of Self Doubt so this is the advice I try to give myself. :)
posted by amanda at 8:30 AM on May 29, 2013


I think tilde's second suggestion works well. I like that it focuses on the job or employer first, then lists the timeframe. You don't have to be super-specific about work time periods, but you don't want to display significant gaps, especially when you had relevant (temp) work and you have a reference who will support you. As with any resume, only list that which is relevant to the job you're applying for, but don't overlook the underlying skills used in your jobs. You could massage "multi phone lines" into "multitasking high priority activities."

I understand that you don't want to get into certain details, but realize that might come up. If it does, you could say that you had "a medical issue that has been dealt with."
posted by filthy light thief at 10:52 AM on May 29, 2013


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