If you’re searching for resume work historical past examples or simply want some assist writing your work historical past part in your resume, you’re in the appropriate place.
I’m going to stroll you thru how to write your resume employment historical past with real-world samples from professional resume writers and profession consultants, and I’ll additionally share the errors you want to keep away from.
Let’s get began…
Why You Need a Great Resume Employment History Section
Here’s what I’ve found after working years as a recruiter…
If you may have work expertise (e.g. for those who’re not entry-level or a latest graduate), your latest work expertise is the first place a hiring supervisor or recruiter seems to be to see for those who’re a great match for his or her job.
So you need to put it front-and-center, and ensure your bullet points and different employment historical past particulars are GREAT.
For 95% of job seekers, there ought to solely be just a few issues that come earlier than your work historical past in your resume: You ought to put your identify/contact information, a brief resume summary section, however that’s it.
After this, try to be diving proper into the employment historical past in your resume, as a result of it’s what employers need to see instantly in your resume.
What Should Go Into Your Resume Employment History?
Here are the important thing items a typical resume employment historical past part ought to embody:
- Company names
- Company areas (elective)
- Job titles
- Dates
- Accomplishments/obligations (attempt to focus extra on what you really achieved)
- Promotions and awards you acquired
3 Previous Work Experience Examples
Now that you realize the fundamentals of how to write the work historical past part of your resume, let’s take a look at some good employment historical past samples from actual resumes.
I invited a few consultants to share their resume work historical past examples for this part.
I’ll share two resume work expertise examples from them, after which I’ll embody a quite simple/plain instance that I’ve used previously with a whole lot of success.
Before we begin, the primary rule to observe once you write your personal employment historical past part is…
Keep Your Work History Simple and Easy to Read
If you’re not knowledgeable designer, your resume work historical past mustn’t have fancy graphics and colours.
In truth, that’s true of every section you put on your resume.
Pick 1-2 colours most, 1-2 fonts, 1-2 heading sizes.
You’ll discover all three resume employment historical past samples beneath maintain colours to a minimal and concentrate on the content material itself. That’s what it’s best to do as effectively.
Resume Work Experience Example #1
(*3*)
You can use daring textual content like the instance above to spotlight key accomplishments in your resume. You may use bullets, checkmarks and different easy graphics to ensure your finest work is observed.
This resume work historical past additionally has a separate part for “Select Accomplishments”. This is a singular approach to put all your finest accomplishments from every position in a single place that’s seemingly to get observed and browse by hiring managers.
Contributed by: Kyle Elliott, MPA, CHES, Career Coach at CaffeinatedKyle.com
Resume Work History Example #2:
This is one other employment historical past pattern exhibiting an excellent stability between enticing styling, however not going overboard and making it too “busy” or distracting.
Only one colour is getting used: blue (research has shown the colour blue is calming and is related to credibility and dependability, so it’s undoubtedly a great colour to use). And the styling is straightforward sufficient to maintain the reader’s consideration in your accomplishments.
Contributed by: Virginia Franco, Founder of Virginia Franco Resumes and Forbes contributor
Resume Employment History Example #3:
This is a really plain format, however for those who’re in a discipline like accounting, finance, gross sales, information entry, customer support, and many others., it might be a sensible choice.
They’re going to interview you and rent you on your abilities and what you’ve accomplished for previous employers, not for a elaborate resume design, proper? So a easy format highlights precisely what they need!
If it is a little too plain for you, I’d suggest including some blue like the 2 earlier examples we checked out. That’s the primary change I’d make to this if I had been re-doing it as we speak (it is a resume format I’ve used very efficiently previously, however 2-3 years in the past).
By: Biron Clark, former recruiter and Founder of CareerSidekick.com
Customizing These Work Experience Examples
Now, you could possibly simply copy and use one of many codecs above, from the three earlier work expertise examples that I simply gave you.
However, I additionally suggest adjusting it to suit your state of affairs. I’ll clarify…
Depending on how usually you’ve modified jobs and the way lengthy you’ve been working, you might have considered trying to checklist months and years, or solely years on your dates of employment.
Be strategic and resolve what’s finest for you. If you held a job for just a few months, it may be higher simply to checklist the whole lot by way of years, and never embody months.
And… you can too depart a job off of your resume fully. This is just not a “work history” part of a job software the place you’re required to checklist all earlier jobs. It’s fully up to you what goes in your resume).
Whatever you do, keep per the identical formatting for each job. That’s essential. Remember, you need this to be EASY to learn for the hiring supervisor.
So use the work expertise examples above to create your personal, but additionally be sure to’re doing what matches your profession and expertise!
How Far Back Should Your Employment History Go?
My recommendation right here is similar recommendation I give for the way again to go together with your story once they ask, “tell me about yourself” in an interview.
If you’ve been working for lower than 8-10 years, I’d return to the start of your skilled work historical past, and take a look at to tailor the whole lot to be related for the roles you’re pursuing now.
You may be pondering there’s NOTHING in widespread between your previous, and the roles you need now, however there’s normally an angle you’ll find!
When I used to be in school, I labored in customer support at Whole Foods Market. Not too glamorous, proper?
But I turned a supervisor, and you’d be amazed what number of interviewers requested me about this job, even after 4-5 years had handed (and for workplace jobs that appeared completely unrelated to working in a grocery store).
So don’t assume one thing isn’t related. If you confirmed development/progress, management, or different spectacular traits, employers will find it irresistible. It’s your job to make the bullet points impressive and present them the way it’s related.
Now, then again, for those who’ve labored greater than 10 years, and/or in case you are a Manager/Director, and many others., contemplate beginning your resume work historical past on the level you turned a supervisor.
If you’re 45 years outdated and have been a Manager for 15 years, most employers aren’t going to need to look again and see how you bought began as a person contributor 20+ years in the past. They’ll need to see the place you began as a Manager, and the way you progressed since then. So begin there – how you bought into your present line of labor.
Where To Put Your Work History Section on Your Resume?
Short reply: If you may have any work expertise in any respect, this part is the #1 most necessary factor in your resume – and the primary place hiring managers and recruiters look. It ought to be on the highest half of the primary web page.
Don’t put “Skills” earlier than it. No hiring supervisor or recruiter desires to see a normal checklist of your abilities (with no concept how just lately you’ve used every ability, or how) earlier than they see your work expertise.
Don’t put “Education” earlier than it both, except you’re a Ph.D. Researcher or Doctor or some career the place your academic background is extraordinarily necessary.
For everybody else (95%+ of individuals), simply put your identify and get in touch with particulars centered on the high, then put a 1-paragraph career summary, after which go proper into your work expertise!
You can label the part no matter you need: Work History, Employment History, or Work Experience, and many others.
But the purpose is your work historical past ought to be extraordinarily straightforward to discover, with out the hiring supervisor having to search or scroll down.
Make Sure to List Specific Accomplishments in Your Work History
With the examples above, it’s necessary to checklist accomplishments in your resume work historical past, not simply duties/obligations.
There’s a giant distinction between saying, “I was responsible for handling 50 customer requests per day”, and saying, “I successfully responded to 50 customer requests per day, while keeping a 98% customer satisfaction rating”.
In the second, you’re phrasing it as an accomplishment as a substitute of merely speaking about what you had been liable for or “supposed to do.” And you’re including an excellent information level – 98% buyer satisfaction.
Try to do that each time doable when itemizing accomplishments by yourself resume. Keep that in thoughts once you copy the examples above.
If you need extra assist with this, detailed examples and directions are here.
Tailor Everything!
After utilizing these resume work historical past examples to write and format your resume, don’t overlook to tailor your accomplishments and bullet factors to match the employer’s wants and priorities. This is without doubt one of the quickest methods to get observed and get invited to interview!
(And for those who skip this or don’t trouble doing it, you’re in all probability going to lose out on the job to somebody who did this – significantly! If you aren’t doing this, it’s a giant cause why you haven’t found a job yet).
Here’s how to tailor your resume for a job before applying. (<< Fastest, easiest way)
The normal concept is that if their high 2-3 bullet factors on the job description speak about a sure ability or piece of expertise they need, it’s best to do the whole lot you’ll be able to to reorganize your personal accomplishments in your resume to spotlight those self same areas.
So do your analysis (the perfect place to begin is the job description), after which re-order your bullet factors to showcase the precise expertise they need, everytime you presumably can. Don’t make them go digging and trying to find it otherwise you run the chance they’ll transfer on to another person’s resume as a substitute.
Mistakes to Avoid on Your Resume Work History
We’ve now checked out ideas for writing your employment historical past, samples from actual resumes, and extra. I would like to depart you with the errors to be sure to keep away from once you put collectively your personal resume work historical past part.
Mistake #1: Having Your Employment History Start Below the First Half of Page 1
You’ll discover within the work historical past samples earlier, this part begins EARLY on the resume. Making a hiring supervisor or recruiter go digging in your resume to discover this part is a giant mistake.
Put it entrance and heart. Top half of web page 1. Dead-easy to discover.
This ought to be assessment for those who learn the whole lot above.
Mistake #2: Rushing Through Your Work History to Write Other Resume Sections
There’s no part in your resume extra necessary than your employment historical past. You ought to be spending 40-50% of your time on simply this part. So don’t rush by this. You solely want to do it as soon as, but it surely wants to be GREAT if you would like to get interviews.
Mistake #3: Not Putting Facts, Numbers, and Accomplishments
If your resume employment historical past is stuffed with phrases like, “Responsible for…”, you then’re lacking a giant alternative to impress employers.
They really need to see particular accomplishments like, “Led a team of 4 people to reorganize client on-boarding program, resulting in a 23% increase in client retention year-over-year.”
Here’s how to write great resume bullets like this.
Mistake #4: Thinking it’s all about you and never concerning the employer
The common job seeker thinks their resume work historical past is all about them. They resolve what THEY need to write, what THEY care about, and many others.
That’s a backward strategy, imagine it or not. (Assuming you need to get extra interviews).
The finest approach to strategy writing your resume employment historical past is to consider the employer. Look at their job description. What are their wants? What abilities do they care about?
That’s why I discussed “tailoring” your resume within the earlier part. It’s extremely necessary. Don’t write your earlier work expertise with no few job descriptions in entrance of you… for the roles you need to get!
That’s how to ensure what you’re writing will get you interviews.
Most of the errors above ought to be a assessment for those who learn your complete article above. If not, return and be sure to’ve learn the whole lot.
You solely get one shot to impress employers together with your resume, and they’re your earlier work expertise inside 10 seconds of opening your resume.
Use These Resume Work History Samples to Get More Interviews
If you observe the recommendation above and use the employment historical past templates and samples to write your personal resume work historical past part, you’re going to get observed by extra employers and get extra interviews.
It’s price taking the additional time to do a extremely nice job in your resume, and notably your work historical past. It’s the FIRST place many hiring managers look, and generally all they take a look at earlier than deciding “yes” or “no” for whether or not they need to interview you.
