Latest / The Resume Room with Fexingo: Resume Writing, Cover Letters, and Application Strategy / How to Explain a Job You Took for the Money on Your Resume
Transcript
- Lucas: So Luna, we've talked about how to explain jobs you took for the experience, the ones you took out of necessity, even the ones you were fired from. But there's one situation we haven't dug into yet, and I bet a lot of listeners have lived it: the job you took purely because the money was too good to turn down. Luna: Oh, that's a real one. I worked with a guy who took a role at a big bank straight out of college, not because he loved finance, but because the signing bonus paid off his student loans. He was there for two years, and when he left, he had no idea how to spin it on his resume. Lucas: Exactly. And that's the crux of it. We're told to 'follow your passion' and that taking a job for money is somehow a failure. But in reality, financial stability is a legitimate career goal, and there's a smart way to present that choice without sounding mercenary or apologetic. Luna: And before we get into the how, I want to say something about our show. We keep these episodes free of ads because we believe career advice should be accessible without being interrupted. If you appreciate that and want to support us, there's a small link in the show notes: buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. No pressure, just a way to keep this going. Lucas: Yeah, and we're grateful for anyone who finds value in what we do. But let's get back to the money job. So the first thing to understand is that recruiters aren't judging you for having a well-paying job. They're judging how well you can do the job they're hiring for. Your resume needs to make that connection. Luna: So how do you even start? I mean, if you were a marketing coordinator making great money but just sending out newsletters all day, what do you put on paper? Lucas: Start with the title and the basics, but then pivot immediately to the skills that are actually transferable. Don't lead with 'I did X for two years' if X is boring. Lead with the outcome. For example, instead of saying 'Managed email campaigns,' say something like 'Increased open rates by 15 percent through A/B testing and segmentation.' That shows you were thinking, not just going through the motions. Luna: That's a good point. It reframes the job as a skill-building exercise rather than a paycheck. Lucas: Right. And the second thing is to be honest with yourself about what you actually learned. Even in a role that feels like a dead end, there are usually some genuinely useful skills: project management, stakeholder communication, maybe some data analysis. List those out, and then think about how they apply to the job you actually want. Luna: But what if you're applying for something totally different? Like, you were in finance but now you want to be a teacher. How do you bridge that gap? Lucas: That's where the summary or objective section comes in. You can say something like 'Financial analyst with a passion for education, seeking to leverage analytical and communication skills in a teaching role.' It's a narrative choice. You're telling the recruiter, 'I know my background looks different, but here's the thread that ties it together.' Luna: I like that. It's proactive. But there's also the interview question problem. If they ask why you left your last job, you can't just say 'the money was good.' Lucas: No, and you shouldn't have to lie. The key is to flip the frame. Instead of 'I took it for the money,' say 'I was attracted to the opportunity to work in a fast-paced environment and develop my skills, and the compensation reflected the value I brought.' That's not dishonest, it's just focusing on the positive aspects of the role. Luna: So it's about curating the story, not fabricating it. Lucas: Exactly. And that's a skill in itself. But there's another layer here: what if the job was so soul-crushing that you left after a year? How do you explain that? Luna: Yeah, that's tough. People might think you're a flight risk. Lucas: Sure, but you can address it head-on. Say something like 'I took the role to gain experience in a corporate setting, but after a year, I realized my strengths were better applied elsewhere.' That shows self-awareness and intentionality. You're not running away from something; you're running toward something. Luna: And that's a positive narrative for a future employer. They want someone who knows what they want, not someone who just drifts. Lucas: Exactly. And let's talk about the bullet points themselves for a second. Even if your daily tasks were mundane, you can almost always find a way to show impact. Did you improve a process? Did you save the company money? Did you train a new hire? Those are all concrete achievements that translate across industries. Luna: Can you give a specific example? Like, what would that look like on paper for, say, a retail worker who took a job just for the paycheck? Lucas: Sure. So instead of 'Operated cash register and stocked shelves,' you might write 'Managed daily cash reconciliation, reducing discrepancies by 30 percent,' or 'Trained three new associates on store procedures, improving team efficiency.' These aren't exaggerations; they're just highlighting the parts of the role that show initiative and capability. Luna: That's a great example. It makes a seemingly simple job sound like a management experience. Lucas: And that's the goal. You're not lying, you're just choosing what to emphasize. But I want to stress one thing: don't oversell it. If you take a job for the money and you're miserable, that's going to come through in an interview if you're not careful. So the resume is step one, but you also need to prepare to talk about it authentically. Luna: So practice your story out loud. Maybe with a friend or a coach. Lucas: Absolutely. And one more tactic: use the 'so what' test. For every bullet point you write, ask yourself 'So what?' If you say 'I answered phone calls,' the so what is 'I was the first point of contact for clients, which taught me how to handle high-pressure situations.' That's a better bullet. Luna: That's a good rule of thumb. It forces you to think about your value, not just your duties. Lucas: Right. And remember, recruiters scan resumes for keywords. If you're moving into a new field, use the language of that field. If you were in a 'boring' job but you learn to use Salesforce, put 'Salesforce' on there. That's a skill that's in demand, and it doesn't matter where you learned it. Luna: So even if the job itself was a stopgap, the skills you picked up are legitimate. Lucas: Exactly. And that's the takeaway: a job you took for the money is not a black mark on your resume. It's a chapter in your career story. The trick is to write that chapter in a way that moves the plot forward, not backward. Luna: I think that's the perfect note to end on. Thanks for listening, and we'll catch you next time.