How to write work experience when your jobs were informal

A huge share of work in Nepal comes without an appointment letter, a payslip or a company email. That does not make it invisible on a CV — it just has to be written carefully.

Write it like a job, because it was one

Give every entry the same four parts:

1. A job title you would use out loud — "Shop assistant", "Site mason", "Delivery rider", "Farm supervisor".

2. Where — the shop, the site, the household, the district. A family business is fine: "Thapa General Store, Butwal (family business)".

3. When — months and years. Approximate is better than absent.

4. What you did and how much of it — the part most people skip.

Use volume instead of a payslip

You cannot show a contract, so show scale:

• "Served 80–100 customers a day at the counter, handled cash and daily closing."

• "Laid brickwork on three residential sites, teams of 6–8."

• "Delivered 40–60 orders a day on a two-wheeler across Lalitpur."

• "Ran the family poultry shed: 500 birds, feed, vaccination schedule and sales records."

Numbers make informal work checkable in a way "worked in shop" never is.

Say plainly that it was family or daily-wage work

Hiding it creates awkward questions later. Employers in Nepal understand exactly what it means and mostly care whether you showed up and could be trusted with money and stock.

Your referee can be a person, not a company

A shop owner, a contractor, a ward representative or a supervisor who will take a call is a real reference. Ask first, then write "Reference available on request".

Frequently asked questions

Does family business work count as experience?

Yes. Write it as a job with a title, place, dates and what you handled, and say it was a family business.

How do I prove informal work with no documents?

Use scale and detail — customers a day, sites worked, stock handled — and give a referee who will take a call.

Should I include daily-wage work on my CV?

Yes, especially for field work. Employers hiring drivers, masons, helpers and shop staff want exactly that history.

What if I have gaps between informal jobs?

State them briefly and move on. Gaps are normal in seasonal and daily-wage work.

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