No experience is wasted.
Every part of your experience is important and where you can, you should leverage it to get into the role that you want.
Here’s what to do.
Take a piece of paper out and write it all down.
Let me give you a few examples.
1. In college, I was a resident assistant (RA) for three years. If I was looking for a role in student services, I could bring up this experience in describing how I could be a fit for the role.
2. As a college student, I was a peer tutor/mentor for students with learning disabilities. I did this for a year. Through training I was given, I was a part of these students’ journey to graduate college. In an interview for a teaching position, I could include this in my narrative.
3. I worked in various customer service roles during and after college. I once used this in an interview and landed the job.
4. During post-doctoral training at UCSD, I wrote as a freelancer on the side. When the post-doc ended, I wrote and made money that way for almost two years. It came in handy for my current role as a scientific content specialist at CG Life – a life and health sciences marketing agency.
5. When I wanted to start public speaking, I used the fact that
As you craft your resume for your dream roles, don’t forget that you have these rich experiences you can tell a story around.
So save them and use them in your story as you look for roles.
You have not wasted your life.
It is simply a matter of rephrasing and retelling your story using any experience as the jump-off point.