If you have a long list of work experiences and training experience you will have to trim your resume when applying for a new position. You can be so proud of all your achievements that you want to include them all on your resume. A voluminous list resulting in a seven page resume will not necessarily impress the gatekeeper of the job you are seeking. It is better to take a second look at your long list and begin some pruning.
Keep what is relevant
Focus on the requirements of the job and select those achievements, skills and training that are relevant to the position. Select information that will interest your potential employers. Select information that will say that you are a competent candidate for the job. You do not want to give the message that you can do all jobs.
Some applicants list every single workshop, seminar or even panel discussion that they have attended. Unless the training you received gives you a qualification or knowledge relevant to the desired position you should exclude it. If you are applying for a job as an administrative assistant you do not have to add that you attended three days of lifeguard training or two days of yoga training to your resume. These workshops have no direct relevance to the advertised post.
If however you participated in several short courses on managing office documents, then include that training. Instead of making a long list of these workshops summarise them and write one entry indicating this as training in administrative skills over a particular period.
You can include conferences and workshops at which you were the trainer or facilitator as long as these are relevant to the job as advertised.
What to do about the clubs?
Be selective about including club memberships. You do not have to include that you are a member of the hiking club or of your university choir unless the job wants a singer or an outdoor personality. You can instead list hiking and singing as some of your interests. Just being a member of a club does not mean that you demonstrated any qualities that employers will admire.
If you were a president or vice-president of a club that is nationally or internationally known then that would be worth including. However you should be able to highlight any programmes that you implemented while in a leadership role in order to actually indicate your leadership qualities. A long list of insignificant club memberships unrelated to the job just stuffs the resume and will not impress employers. Leave them out.
photo credit: Bobbi Newman Trying new coffee shops via photopin (license)