Step 7: List Work Experience

Your work history is one of the first things an employer looks for on your resume. Enter this information carefully, using the following pointers to make the best impression, even if you have a less-than-perfect work history.

Depending on what resume format you chose (chronological, functional, or combination) in Step 3, input your dates, job titles, and employer names in the appropriate place in the resume template.

When creating your resume, you should:

• List your jobs in reverse chronology, that is, most recent first.
• Use years (no months) when listing dates on your resume. This makes it easier for the employer to quickly grasp your employment timeline.

If you have a less-than-perfect work history, you should also:

• Disguise gaps in your work history, current and past. If you were laid off, fired, quit, or are returning to work after years of retirement, parenting, illness, or other situation, don’t leave those years of unemployment blank in the work chronology on your resume. Otherwise, an employer might assume something negative about your character and not call you for an interview.
• List dates on your resume so they start early enough to say you have the right amount of experience for your job objective. You don’t have to start with your first job if it’s not to your advantage. As long as everything on your resume is true, it’s okay to leave something (such as early dates) off.

Follow the links in the suggestions above to find solutions to work history problems on your resume.

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