I can blather on and on about effective job search, but where the value comes from is how it applies to your individual situation. You guys send me great questions from time to time, and when I get enough of any one question — well, it’s worth sharing with the group. So here we go.
Question: I’ve been working for 20+ years in my industry. I’ve had several jobs during that time, with increasing responsibility. How much of my experience do I put on my resume?
Answer: In most cases, you want to show the last 10-15 years on your resume. You don’t need to go back further than that. If you really have grown in your responsibilities over time, the things you were doing 20 years ago aren’t the best representation of your value. A good resume provides enough information to hook the reader, and doesn’t clutter the message with the rest of it.
If you happen to have had multiple titles within a single organization, it’s acceptable to list your entire tenure (1989 – 2009) but leave off the detail associated with earlier titles. One option is to list “Additional Job Titles” or “Additional Roles” with the earliest titles. But in most cases you can safely and effectively leave that info off the document. It might look like this:
COMPANY, Dates
Most Recent Job Title, Dates
Responsibilities and DetailNext Most Recent, Dates
Responsibilities and DetailThird Most Recent, Dates
Responsibilities and DetailAdditional Experience: Job Title 1, Job Title 2
The other clearest option is to list each individual role with the company and dates associated with it, and leave off the earliest experience.
Job Title, Dates
Company
Responsibilities and DetailJob Title, Dates
Company
Responsibilities and Detailetc.
Got a job search question? Send it my way!
photo credit: Marco Bellucci
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve wondered if I should list everything on a resume, or not. Leaving my non-industry jobs off the list makes my professional positions stand out much better.
Scott: It’s all about emphasis. I think it’s good to list other experience at the bottom of the resume to demonstrate the timeline, but the top of the resume should be reserved for high-value content.