Used to be an exotic dancer, what do I put on resume?

Question

I started dancing a year after school for almost 4 years. I haven't had much work experience out side of a small clothing retail job that I had from 16 to 17. I started dancing at 19 and I am 23 now. I also took a year off after my wedding and subsequent baby to be a SAHM and Army wife. I am wanting to get a job now and I don't know what to put on a resume. What do I say to make-up for the time block? I surely can't put EXOTIC DANCER in the box! I have found plety of resume builders on-line, but I don't know whatI can say!

Please no dirogitory answers...

Answer 1

well i for sure wouldnt put that on my resume cause i'd be ashamed of what i did.
that is a hard one, i dont know what to put. could you say you just did in home childcare? maybe that would work.

Answer 2

Don't lie. Lying on your resume is bad news if you get caught.

List your retail job. Did you take any classes? List those.

I'd just not list anything for that time. You can say verbally that you got married, took care of the house, had a kid, took care of the kid, etc. but now you are looking to get back into the working world. No one will question that.

Saying you were a dancer will lead to questions. And you could end up getting harassed at work if people find out about your background.

But don't lie on your resume. It's wrong, and in some places could be grounds for getting fired.

Answer 3

I would say Dancer, and not elaborate on the title at all.

When you put down the name of the company, they will know anyhow that you were an exotic dancer...but you aren't the first one and certainly won't be the last.

It may work to your advantage anyhow, especially if you are applying for a customer driven job. Dancers have to be great at customer relations...after all, being nice to the clientele is how you make money dancing, isn't it?

There is no shame in what you did for a living in the past..it paid the bills and took care of what you needed at the time.

Answer 4

I'm all about the truth - usually. But your kinda stuck here. How about being self-employed? You probably could get away with that. It does look good on a resume that you took the initiative to work for yourself and be successful enough to sustain a life for 4 years. Just make it something like house cleaning or babysitting and use your friends for references. I own company and we always check references so make sure you get your stories straight.
Here's a job you could do. Open an office for past Exotic Dancers to have prospective employers call in for past work history and references. Where there's a need.....Just a thought and good luck!

Answer 5

I was a stay at home mom for 2 years, and I used to job hop a lot. What I did was put the name of a temp agency on my resume with the dates covering the time I was out of work. If an employer asked why I left, I just told them the temp agency isn't hiring for anything permanent, full-time, etc. As far as references, I use my friends and family. Just make sure you tell them beforehand that you are using them as a reference.

Answer 6

You have two approaches that may be helpful.
One is list exactly what you did and where.
Two would be evasive yet plausible: "not at liberty to discuss the position".
As an Army wife, perhaps the later would work.

Yet a third approach is to write off the previous employment experience, listing only education and volunteer experience.
SAHM is a legitimate and praiseworthy occupation in and of itself.

The later seems the best, and if asked directly just tell the employer the truth.

Good luck.

Answer 7

Were you also going to school at the time ?
( Hope it wasn't just dancing )
Then you could put part time worker at entertainment clubs while attending school .

If you were just dancing , then you might want to skip the resume .
Resumes are for people who have conventional work backgrounds and skills to promote .
You would be in essence . . . beginning , like someone getting out of high school with nothing to put on a resume .

If you were not attending school ,
Start applying for jobs in person where they have posted a listing and are not seeking extensive experience .
Go for jobs where they train , like Target , Walmart or restaurants and the like .

Good Luck !

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Answer 8

Ummm, waitress, public relations manager, I'm sure that you developed alot of people skills and acumen while working there that will benefit you in the work place. I used to be a business manager and I was in charge of hiring and firing,I wouldn't have had a problem with hiring you, if you were right for the job. That's me though and I'm very liberal. Think of all of the skills that you learned and make up the job title that best describes them.Nothing wrong with keeping it blank either. Many young people didn't work at all during those years. Good luck :)

Answer 9

Perhaps one of the following:

Performer
Entertainer

In my neck of the woods, there is a club called the the Gold Horse. But there was a parent company called ABC entertainment (I dont know the real name). So you could putt down the parent companies name (which is normally not used in advertising) and put down one of the above descriptions..

But in reality, lets think about this. You did a job, so what if it was exotic dancing. To me it is a lot better than a lot of other jobs out there.

Answer 10

Simply put "Professional Dancer" which is true. Any employer who asks for more detail can have the answer. If they won't hire you because you were an exotic dancer you probably don't want to work there anyway.

You should be evaluated based on your ability to get the job done, not what you have done in the past.

Answer 11

You want to put that on your resume? What type of job are you looking for? You should not put anything on a resume that has nothing to do with the job you're seeking. It adds no value.

Remember this: The cover letter gets the employer to look at the resume, the resume gets you the interview, the interview gets you the JOB!!!