Pls help with this job application!

[CheerioDarling]

I'm applying for new jobs after a decade in the same school admin role.

Before the most recent job I was at home for quite a few years with small children and before that I had a succession of jobs after I left school - each 1-2 years, but not on any real career trajectory, just random office junior / admin / receptionist jobs.

When I'm filling application forms, do new employers really want or need to know what small businesses I worked for 20+ years ago (many of which have now ceased to exist anyway). Or is it enough just to say the dates and something like this:

"1996-2003: Various administrator / receptionist roles including a building supply company, a private healthcare clinic and a 4*hotel"

How would you approach this?

That's fine imo. They will care about the past few years, not what you were doing 20 years ago.

I have recently returned to full time admin work after 16 years working in a school. I listed all the roles I had prior to the school role with a brief description of what I had done in each.

Good luck!

I think schools and other public services DO need to know (for safeguarding reasons) but maybe not so much private companies (unless they deal with vulnerable people).

It depends, some application forms want you to post everything, others don't. If you're listing everything, I'd pump a few together if they were less than say 9months and a long time ago.

*lump!