Dr Zuleyka Zevallos

I'm a first-gen, poor, working class migrant #WOC & these roles were the way I wholly supported myself through university, without family help given our financial position. I'm proud of this work & the skills gained helped my career development, including my path as a scientist.

I hear you. I worked retail and other minimum wage jobs through HS and college, too. But I think many now are getting advice not to share that. And the honest truth is that sometimes it’s good and sometimes it’s bad. Hard to give universal guidance.

If students are getting this advice, I would question where it comes from and to what aim. The fact is that few students from underprivileged backgrounds can afford to do unpaid internships or have connections to get into early research programs to have "pure science" experience

I was definitely told to take anything not related to my field off my CV even other research experiences. Any part time jobs I held or leadership positions I was told to remove as well.

Grrr this makes me really angry! If you can share this - was it careers advice workers at your university or senior academics/ supervisors or the job advertisers/recruiters saying this? The gall of telling ECR to omit part-time jobs & leadership roles from their CV!

Not to single them out - just did quick google but look - says not to include “irrelevant” work experience: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/967/02/ …

WTH "Don’t pad your CV with experiences not connected to academia and never include high school awards...It’s better to have a short, honest, and professional document than one cluttered with long-ago achievements and off-topic diversions that will only make you look desperate"

WOW, I mean, WOW - the class privilege of this advice (not to mention other privileges). "Long ago achievements" - if students went to underprivileged school, their awards may better reflect any recognition they would otherwise receive in other contexts. Perfectly ok esp for ECR