This is the most complex section of your resume, and it is required, although you have a great deal of freedom in the way your present your experiences. To get started on this section, make a list of your job titles and the names, dates and locations of places where you worked.
[hidepost=1]
Break each job (paid or unpaid) into short, descriptive phrases or sentences that begin with action verbs. These phrases will highlight the skills you used on the job, and help the employer envision you as an active person in the workplace. Use action words to describe the work you did.
You may choose special type styles, bolding, underlining, or placement to draw your reader’s attention to the information you want to emphasize. When the company you worked for is more impressive than your job title, you may want to highlight that information.
Briefly give the employer an overview of work that has taught you skills. Include your work experience in reverse chronological order—that is, put your last job first and work backward to your first, relevant job. Include:
- Title of position,
- Name of organization
- Location of work (town, state)
- Dates of employment
- Describe your work responsibilities with emphasis on specific skills and achievements.
You should probably not go back more than your three previous jobs so that your resume doesn’t get too long. However, you will want to include any job experience that is relevant to the job you are applying for to show you have experience in that field.
Depending on how you are formatting your resume, there are a couple of ways that you can put this section together. Here are a couple of ways you can try this:
April, 1998 – XYZ Corporation; Anywhere, IL
Present Position: Sales Analyst
Duties: To monitor sales activities for 20
sales people, calculate profit/loss margins,
make suggestions for improvement, hold
educational seminars to insures sales are
progressing as they should, prepare annual
statements, formulate and implement new
procedures to improve efficiency
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~XYZ Corporation; Anywhere, IL
April, 1998 – Present
Position: Sales Analyst
Duties: To monitor sales activities for 20 sales people, calculate, profit/loss margins, make suggestions for improvement, hold educational seminars to insure sales is progressing as it should, prepare annual statements, formulate and implement new procedures to improve efficiency
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~XYZ Corporation; Anywhere, IL
April, 1998 – Present
Sales Analyst* To monitor sales activities for 20 sales people
* calculate, profit/loss margins
* make suggestions for improvement
* hold educational seminars to insure sales is progressing as it should
* prepare annual statements
* formulate and implement new procedures to improve efficiency
There are many, many more ways that you can layout this section and it all depend on how your whole resume is laid out. As long as you have the basic information about what company you worked for, when you worked for them, your position at the company, and your job duties, then you should be covered.
Next is the education section.
[/hidepost]
Like what you read?
If so, please join over 28,000 people who receive our exclusive weekly newsletter and computer tips, and get FREE COPIES of 5 eBooks we created, as our gift to you for subscribing. Just enter your name and email below:
