From Microsoft to mailman: How struggling job seekers are explaining their part-time gigs — or hiding them

• Struggling job seekers are taking part-time gigs outside their fields to make ends meet.
• Some say they're unsure whether to include these roles in applications for full-time jobs.
• They say it's uncertain whether employers will view their temporary gigs in a positive light.

Kevin Hannegan is proud of the string of part-time gigs he has taken on while looking for full-time work. He's just not sure they belong on his résumé.

Since being laid off from his director role at a publishing company in January 2024, Hannegan has driven for DoorDash, worked on the changeover crew at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh — helping convert the arena between concerts and sporting events — and taken on odd jobs for friends, including fixing deck boards and replacing ceiling fans.

He said he asked several people in his life whether it's wise to include gigs like these on his résumé when applying for full-time roles in his field, and the feedback was roughly split. Half said he should, since it showed he was still working; the other half said listing roles that weren't full-time or relevant to his field probably wouldn't be helpful.

Regardless of what he includes, he knows employers will likely have questions about the past two years.

"Being unemployed from full-time work for this long will definitely require some explanation during an interview — whether the information is on a résumé or not," said Hannegan, who's in his 50s.

Hanneganis one of several job seekers Business Insider has spoken with over the past year who have taken part-time jobs outside their field to earn income while continuing to search for work. Many said they've grappled with whether to include temporary roles on their applications — fearing that a résumé gap could hurt their chances, butthat listing a job significantly different from their desired role might do the same.

In a challenging job market, some candidates say even small résumé choices are worth agonizing over.

Whether to hide work experience on your résumé

A San Francisco-based millennial has worked contract positions at Microsoft and Amazon in recent years, earning about $120,000 annually. When the latter ended in December 2023, he struggled to find another role.

At first, he wasn't interested in the job postings recruiters sent him that offered as little as $75,000 a year. But after a year of struggling to find work — and relying on unemployment benefits and food stamps to stay afloat — his perspective shifted.

"By the end of 2024, I would have loved to make $75,000," he said.

After a year of unemployment, he began applying for any gig he could find, and eventually securedworkas a ghost tour guide for $30 an hour and a US Postal Servicemail carrier for $24 hourly. He estimated that he'll earn about $55,000 this year across the two jobs.

While hehasn't stopped applying for communications roles, you won't find either of his current gigs on his résumé. He believes many companies are biased against candidates who are unemployed or working outside their field.

It's unclear how much job seekers stand to gain by leaving certain gigs off their applications. Priya Rathod, workplace trends editor at Indeed, said it's generally wise to include any work experience — even if it's temporary or outside one's field — and to highlight the skills gained from those roles.

"It's not a surprise to employers right now that a lot of people are struggling in the job market," she said, "And I think it shows initiative that you've continued to stay in the workforce in some capacity."

Hannegan said he considered adding his changeover crew job to his résumé because it's a unique role that might catch an employer's attention — and signals that he's willing to do whatever it takes to support his family.

However, Hannegan isn't optimistic that tweaking his résumé would make a difference. He said he recently decided to pause his search for a full-time role and focus on part-time gigs.

"It's exhausting to put in the work and get no response," he said.

Finding ways to avoid a résumé gap

Some job seekers aren't just being selective about which gigs they include in applications — they're also trying to avoid a résumé gap. The key, some say, is finding any relevant experience they can frame as their current role.

In addition to leaving his mailman and ghost tour gigs off his résumé, theSan Francisco-based millennial lists his current employment as an independent communications consulting business. He said the business is barely active and brings in little income, but he includes it to avoid showing an employment gap — and to maintain the appearance that he's still working in his field.

"I have to keep this charade up that my independent communications business is healthy and successful and that I'm not hustling as a letter carrier," he said.

Miles Bradley has been searching for work since losing his contract software engineering role at AT&T in 2022. He said he's the chief technology officer of a startup, but the company is still securing funding and isn't yet providing any income. Still, he keeps it on his résumé to signal that he remainsactive in the tech industry.

"The industry has become addicted to finding the 'Goldilocks' candidates," said Bradley, who's in his 50s and lives in New York. "They want to have somebody that exactly fits what they're looking for."

Lisa Rangel, CEO of Chameleon Resumes, an executive job search firm, said job seekers have good reason to keep a current position on their résumés — and especially on their LinkedIn profiles.Some recruiters, she said, are more likely to search for candidates who are currently employed — in part because they're perceived as a "safer" hire than someone who isn't working.

To improve their chances of being discovered, Rangel recommends job seekers add a current position to their LinkedIn profile if they're not formally employed. This could be a personal consulting or freelance role — if they've done relevant work — or a placeholder title such as "Seeking marketing manager role," with the "company" field reflecting their target industry.

"You need a 'current position' that outlines what you are doing during your unemployment period," Rangel said.

At a minimum, Indeed's Rathod recommends that job seekers address résumé gaps in their résumé and cover letters, as well as during interviews.

Juan Pelaez said he's been fortunate not to have an employment gap on his résumé, despite being laid off in 2023. That's because he's continued doing part-time work for his former employer while searching for full-time marketing and project management roles.

Pelaez, who's in his 40s, also has a side gig that he has debated including in his applications. To earn some income during his job search, he's worked as a background actor on a few films — including "Happy Gilmore 2." He hasn't listed the acting work on his résumé, but said he's now reconsidering.

"Not having it on there hasn't yielded positive results, so maybe putting it in there would help," he said.

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