Ask ReproJobs: Can I put retail skills on my resume to apply for repro jobs?

Dear ReproJobs,

Because my city has a high cost of living, I have two jobs; my full-time movement job and a retail job where I’ve earned responsibility and specialized training. When job hunting or talking about what I do, should I leave the retail job out or is it okay to put it on my resume since it uses different skills and I’ve been there longer?

— Revamping My Résumé

Dear Revamping My Résumé,

This is a very common question, particularly for folks who do not have as much movement work experience. Your résumé and cover letter should always be tailored to the job position you are applying for, and you should be able to demonstrate the skills that you would bring to the position in your cover letter, résumé, and interview. If you learned skills at your retail position that would be transferable to the position you are interviewing for, then yes, it should definitely be included. For example, if the movement position requires you to gather signatures, conduct outreach to community members, or engage donors, you can certainly cite your retail experience engaging with and selling to customers as a similar skillset. You mentioned that you learned responsibility and specialized training in your retail job — is responsibility or a similar training required in this position? If so, connect them to each other. We’d suggest taking a few minutes to write down what you do in your retail job on the left side of a piece of paper and then the core skills you use to do that job on the right. Then you can match the skills with the skills listed in the position you’re applying for. You’ll probably identify more transferable skills than you originally thought! Good luck, and tell us how it goes.

— ReproJobs

P.S. We’re super sad to hear that your movement job doesn’t cover the cost for you to live in your city. Perhaps you and your co-workers might want to start organizing for living, thriving wages, too?