High school jobs on job applications: Include or exclude?

When I'm filling out job applications, is it a good idea to list the jobs I worked at while in high school? I'm just curious about how much weight these experiences carry in the recruitment process.

Including your high school jobs on your resume or job application could definitely be valuable! For students new to the workforce, high school jobs can demonstrate important qualities such as work ethic, time management, and reliability. They can also provide context to any skills or experience you might have picked up during high school, such as customer service skills from a retail job or organizational skills from a library position.

However, what you'll want to focus on is not so much the job itself, but the skills and experiences you gained from it. In this way, even jobs that might not seem relevant at first glance can be helpful in demonstrating your employability. For instance, if you worked in a fast food restaurant, you might have gained teamwork, problem-solving, and crisis management skills, which will be applicable to many future positions.

Further down the line, as you gain more experience in roles directly related to your career, you may start to leave off these early experiences to keep your resume concise and focused. As a rule of thumb, it's important to consider the relevancy and recency of your past roles, and how they might help to illustrate your suitability for the job you're currently applying to.