Can I leave out my part time job on a college application?? (Quick replies appreciated!!)

[bitesize]

I'm applying for a postgraduate course in Psychology and after all the usual previous education details they ask my employer's name ('if applicable') with work address and job title, etc.

I'm just wondering if this is necessary to add in (my 2-month-old job as a catering assistant is not relevant to Psychology or to the course I'm applying for.) I'm pretty sure this is mostly just applicable to applicants who have been out of education for a couple of years or don't have previous experience in studying Psychology, like I do.

Any thoughts?? Would it be ok to just skip past it??

[Lelola]

I wouldn't leave it out. Is this a position that could potentially have research or teaching position associated with it? If it is, I would put down the part-time job in case they want references to make sure you are reliable. Not applicable is usually if someone has never worked before.

[bitesize]

No, no research or teaching associated. Surely if they were looking for a reference they'd ask for, well, a reference, and not ask for details on my job?? If I'd been filling in the form two months ago I couldn't have written anything about a job but I wouldn't have felt like it might affect my chances. I feel like the question is directed towards people who are working full-time and would like to take this course to expand on something psychology-related (which apparently people do.) So would it not be grand to just leave it out??

[PSY]

I don't see the harm in including that information. It would be one thing if you had a resume that was over 2 pages long, and you needed to cut down on the information. In this case, it doesn't seem like it can hurt to provide that information - and it might even be helpful. For example, I worked at a pet boarding facility for over three years. At first glance, that has nothing to do with psychology; however, during interviews, I was able to put a positive spin on it. You need to have good communication skills with co-workers and customers at a job like that - which is VERY relevant to the field of clinical psychology. I had to multitask - which is relevant to admissions panels for graduate school programs. Basically, I wouldn't suggest omitting that kind of information unless 1) it will hurt you more than it will help you, and/or 2) you have a limited amount of space on an application and need to highlight more relevant experiences instead.

[Lelola]

I'd still include it. I include my experience in retail whenever I apply for a position. Every hospital is pushing positive customer service skills because of changes in healthcare and the payments.