Should You Include A Side Gig In Your Resume? 3 Things To Consider

Should I update my resume to include my second job as a college consultant? I am in 2 minds because some people may not care but others might be judgmental.

To celebrate Independence Day, let’s liberate ourselves from second guessing! With resumes (along with other aspects of the hiring process), there are multiple things recruiters and hiring managers don’t agree on – e.g., one page only or more is okay, you have to personalize or don’t waste the time. Whether or not to include a side gig is yet another topic where you can find some people who will agree with you and others who will disagree with what you decide either way.

1. Decide How To Tell Your Career Story

Therefore, it’s up to you to decide how to tell your career story – i.e., what jobs to include or omit, how to put together your resume, online profile, cover letter, etc. For a second job, some considerations include:

• Does the second job differ significantly from what you’re doing in your day job, or is it redundant?
• Will revealing you have a second job showcase a hard work ethic, entrepreneurship and versatility, or will your target audience think it’s a distraction, or worse, conflict of interest?
• Are you excited and proud of this second job, or is it simply a source of extra money rather than a career builder?

You can’t control how others perceive you, but you can control how you tell your story.

2. Preemptively Address Obstacles In Your Hiring Process

If you decide not to share your second job, how will you explain it if people find out about it? If you do share your second job, how will you talk about it in a way that doesn’t detract from your day job? Is the ability to continue in this second job a deal-breaker for the next jobs you’re considering?

If you decide to share your second job, make sure your Tell Me About Yourself networking story and interview responses incorporate your second job in the best light, so skeptics won’t have ammunition to hold it against you. Showcase how the second job makes you a stronger candidate than your day job alone. For example, the second job might allow you to develop new skills (including really good time management!) or work with different people than your day job. The second job might allow you to flex your work environment if it’s with a smaller, younger company while your day job is with a larger, established company (or vice versa). Your second job might give you a wider perspective on your field than your day job alone.

3. Don’t Allow Any One Concern To Derail Your Job Search

Whatever you decide, assume it’s the right decision and move on to other things. Don’t allow any one concern to derail your job search. If you include the second job in your resume and you aren’t getting traction in your job search, troubleshoot why your job search is stuck rather than just assuming you made the wrong call on including your second job.

Your resume is just one consideration in the hiring process. Are you reaching out to people directly, including recruiters and people who work at your dream companies? Do you follow up with people after the initial outreach to drive the conversation into the potential of working together or at least getting helpful information? Are you confident and compelling when you do get job interviews or exploratory meetings? Make sure you’re focused on the full range of activities in a productive job search and not just one hypothetical question on one aspect of your search.