Resume Sample

How to Write Work Experience in Resume- Format & Examples

After your name, the first thing a recruiter wants to know about is your work experience. Hence, it has to be mentioned on your resume. Unfortunately, writing work experience is not easy but at the same time, we can’t ignore it as your chances of bagging the job heavily depends on that.

Remember, you should have relevant experience to let it affect your chances of bagging the job. No need to mention that if you want your resume to make a difference, you have to focus more on your work experience section. Now the question is, how to write work experience in a resume that will make the recruiter choose you among the hundreds of applicants?

No need to say that years of experience are the center point of every resume. Clearly, your objective, profile summary, and everything else are structured keeping your work experience in mind. Work experience is not all about what you have achieved or done in your career but also about how you write your employment history. Yes, it is important that you follow the reverse chronological method i.e. begin the work experience with your recent achievement.

However, it does not mean it will work every time. Along with it, there are many other things that you need to know before writing your work experience. Here, I’ll tell you how to write work experience in a resume that will help you get the job.

Also, find similar blogs with samples, tips, & formats for email writing:

What’s Relevant

Employment dates:

Luckily for those who have been looking for an apt answer for “how to write work experience in a resume,” we have enlisted the sure-shot points that will get you noticed in the eyes of the recruiter. For this section of your resume, use the month-year format (ex. May 2018-Jan 2019) to describe your stint in a company. In case, you have short gaps then mention the years only and if the gaps are long, give a brief explanation, of “why.”

Impact and responsibilities:

A touch over the skills and responsibilities you have had in your last job in a brief. Describe if you have handled any project previously. Let the responsibility be followed by an important impact your project made.

Additionally, demonstrate your success in numbers. Our guide to “how to write work experience in resume,” is all there to help you.

Relevant and Detailed Information-

Avoid mentioning job roles that have nothing to do with the position you are applying for. If you are a well-experienced individual with lots of achievements then you should be very careful about what to add and what to exclude from your work experience sections. Instead of stuffing the section with accomplishments that has nothing to do with the job, stick to the experiences that are relevant to the position you’re applying for.

Promotion-

Do include promotions if you had any in your previous job. This will strengthen your position. It is always good to mention the promotion you earned during your previous job because it would let the recruiter know that you did really well in your past job.

Awards and Recognition-

You can add the awards and recognitions to your job experience section if you want or you can have them put separately. The aim to mention them in your work experience is to let the recruiter know that you have the potential of achieving excellence in the field.

Which Format To Use

Another point to go over in “how to write work experience in resume” is to know about the different formats you can use to present your work experience. There are mainly three formats:

Chronological Format: As the name suggests, the candidate lists their work experience starting with the recent one in chronological order. This is the widely followed format as it shows your progress. This method is best for people with experience of consistent employment in the last few years.

Functional Format: In the functional resume format, one categorizes skills and achievements in line with the job one is applying for. One notes down only previous employers’ names and their stints in the work history. Here, the focus is more on your accomplishments and skills. This format is good for those who have gaps and are freshers.

Combination format: This format is a combination of both the above-mentioned format. In it, one can give their work history in a way that would highlight their achievements. Firstly, one summarizes their work experiences and then enlists skills and accomplishments. It is noteworthy that it is the most preferred format if the applicant is applying for an executive-level or management position.

Formatting

Follow this format to put your work experience as this increases your chances of getting selected.

  • Job Title and Position
  • Company Name / Description / Location
  • Dates Employed
  • Responsibilities and Achievements

How To Write Work Experience In a Resume That is Catchy Too

Quantify Accomplishment

It is important that your work experience section is filled with as many accomplishments as possible. One way to make your accomplishment more splendid is by presenting them in numbers. Yes! Quantify your achievements. Having said that, use timespans, percentages, and amounts to quantify.

Strong action words

Try to use action words as much as possible. Remember, the more action words in the section the more it looks impressive. In fact, begin your sentences with action words that will make you look results-oriented.

You can use words like directed, restructured, and implemented, to name a few. While writing your resume, avoid utilizing the word “was”. For instance, instead of writing “Was responsible for the company’s safety” use “researched and implemented new company’s safety standards…” The sentences should not be unnecessarily lengthy.

Additionally, they should be to the point (preferably in bullets.)

Display of career trajectory- 

The hiring manager wants to know about your career path. Your career trajectory depicts your journey and whether you took new responsibilities along the way or had your focus narrowed.

Therefore, it helps a great deal to the recruiter in finding out if you are a fit or not. For that reason, it should be designed in a way that makes you a good candidate.

Repeating

  • One can describe their work experience of 10-15 years. It should not exceed more than that.
  • List of responsibilities in bullet points
  • Focus on things that will help you get the job, for example, volunteering experience.
  • Add resume keywords (matching job description)
  • Mention accomplishment with duties
  • Tell me why you switched jobs or explain the gap in your work
  • Highlight the crucial parts in italics font or bold.
  • Make use of online Resume templates.

Example #1

Company Inc.

January 2010 – Present

Senior Editor

January 2013 – Present

Junior Editor

January 2010 – January 2013

  • Mention Promotion
  • Responsibility
  • Achievement

Example #2

Company Inc.

2010–2018

  • Designed and developed up to 7 application projects per year.
  • Formulate project requirements with data analysis teams.
  • Partook in project meetings along with business analysts, technical staff members, and external stakeholders.
  • Trained and see over 17 junior developers and programmers.

Significant achievement: Created a test automation tool that decreases the tenure of testing by 60%.

So, by now you must have understood that writing work experience is not very tough. Now, go and get your resume updated by adding impressive work experience.

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