Jobquest: Resumes and "trivial" jobs

[athelind]

You know, I've been leaving my current position at the comic-and-game shop off of my resume, on the assumption that it's somehow "too trivial" and "doesn't look good" for a prospective science professional.

On the other claw, it adds two vitally important things to my resume:

• Evidence that I am, in fact, currently employed; and
  
• A position that I've held for more than a year -- the only one I've held for more than a few months, since getting my degree in 2003.*

I think I have far too much ego invested in the wrong places. I've been more concerned with presenting myself as a ⟨jonlovitz⟩Scientist⟨/jonlovitz⟩ than as a worker--and I have no idea if that's for the "benefit" of prospective employers, or to sustain my own precarious illusions.

So what looks better? A resume that says "I work in a comic book shop", or one that says "I haven't worked at all since 2007"?

Or have I already answered my own question?

---

*Aside from my time at AppleOne, which I treat as a single job instead of listing each contract/position individually.

---

Comments

[hafoc.livejournal.com]

Put it in. It shows you were doing SOMETHING. Also, if you don't say what you were doing the interviewer is likely to assume you have something to hide.

You do-- "I had to work retail!" But that's honorable work, nothing you need to be ashamed of. If you don't fill in the blank in your history the interviewer is going to fill it in for you, and odds are whatever they imagine would be something outright BAD. Don't give them the opportunity.