How to outline work experience in a resume (with examples)

Crafting an impressive resume is a crucial step in the job-hunting process. Highlighting your work experience is one of the most significant aspects. Describing your working life throughout your career helps to showcase your skills, knowledge, expertise, and accomplishments to a recruiter. This can lead to a request for a job interview.

In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore how to incorporate your job experience into your resume. We'll also provide tips on how to prepare your resume for a job application. Whether you're a fresh graduate or a skilled professional, a good resume can set you apart from other candidates.

• Why is work experience on your resume so important?
• How do I include work experience in my resume?
• How to format my work experience section
• Conclusion
• FAQs

Why is work experience on your resume so important? 

Including your work experience on a resume presents you as a qualified and competent candidate. It gives the interviewers a quick glimpse into your employment history. This includes your previous employer, skills, and responsibilities.

Your work experience can show how you use your abilities and qualifications relevant to the position. It also showcases your work ethic, commitment, and career development. This helps the hiring manager see if you're a good fit for the company. A well-documented work history can help your resume pass an applicant tracking system (ATS), increasing your chances for success in reaching the hiring manager.

How do I include work experience in my resume? 

The work experience section in your resume isn't just about listing your previous job titles and responsibilities. It also showcases your accomplishments, skills, and suitability for the position. Here are some tips on how you can effectively include work experience in your resume.

1. Discuss achievements instead of responsibilities

To show the hiring manager that you're the best choice for the role, focus on your achievements in each job rather than just listing your job duties. This demonstrates how well you performed in your previous role. Use strong action verbs and numbers to create more impact. Tailor each job achievement to the job description on the listing so that it aligns with the role you're applying for. You can also give an example of the transferable skills relevant to the role.

Here are some examples of achievement-based sentences versus responsibility-based sentences so that you can see the difference:

• Responsibility-based: Managed a team of sales representatives
• Achievement-based: Increased sales team productivity by 30% through effective leadership and training initiatives
• Responsibility-based: Sold e-commerce products
• Achievement-based: Increased sales revenue by 30% on an e-commerce platform within the second quarter

2. List out the relevant job titles

In your resume, include your current job first, and then include the rest in reverse chronological order. This puts a focus on your most recent job so that the ATS can read it easily. It's good practice to include your job title, company name, location, and employment dates for each position. This gives more clarity and context for your work experience. Always use the full name of the employers you've worked for, and include a specific job title to match what the ATS may be looking for.

Here's an example of what your job experience may look like in your resume:

Sales Manager, ABC Company, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, January 2023–present

3. Begin each bullet point with an action verb

To be clear and concise, think about how you'd like to include your accomplishments in your previous role. Start each accomplishment with a bullet point and a strong action verb to show your achievements. You can use words such as:

• developed
• managed
• increased
• streamlined
• implemented.

It's also useful to be specific when writing about your accomplishments. For example, instead of saying Responsible for encouraging learning for students at college, you can write, Implemented a comprehensive university education curriculum, increasing students' pass rate by 30%.

4. Highlight quantifiable achievements

A resume highlights your achievements and gives hiring managers the confidence to interview you for the role. Make sure your achievements are quantifiable. This shows your success and impact. Use numbers, percentages, and other metrics to showcase your ability to produce measurable results and add credibility to your accomplishments. Instead of writing Helped customers learn how to use their products, you can write Conducted customer training for product purchases, leading to a 50% increase in customer satisfaction.

Here are some other examples of quantifiable achievements you can mention in your resume:

• Conducted courses on public speaking for students, leading to a 50% increase in their public speaking pass rates
• Boosted online sales by 40% through online-centric marketing campaigns and ads

5. Identify which resume format you're going to use

When writing your resume, format it to fit the job requirements and your current experience. A consistent resume with a cover letter can help your application look more professional and showcase your organisation and attention to detail. Pick the format that best highlights your skills and experience. Here are the three resume formats that people commonly use.

Reverse chronological format

The reverse chronological format is the most common. In this format, you list your jobs in reverse date order. Your most recent job is on the top, followed by the job before that, and so on. It's a good option if you have experience and expertise in your current field.

Functional format

The functional resume format focuses more on your skills in the workplace. With this format, you group your skills and abilities into categories and describe them with specific examples. Tailor the categories to match the role you're applying for by using the keywords and skills the job description has listed. You can use this format if you have career gaps or are making a career switch.

Combination format

The combination format is a mix of the reverse chronological and functional formats. It highlights both your work experience and your relevant skills. In this format, you include a summary of your relevant skills before listing your work experience.

6. Tailor your bullet points to the job you want

Review the job description thoroughly and find the key skills and experience the hiring manager is looking for. In your resume, you can then include them in your work experience too with clear and concise bullet points to highlight your skills and achievements.

7. Edit your resume to include keywords and skills relevant to the job

While working on your resume, read through the job description to note the specific skills and work experience that the company is looking for. Integrate the same key skills and experiences you have in your work experience section so the ATS picks them up. For example, if the employer is looking for someone who can use a specific tool or software, make sure you include that in your resume if you have training in it.

How to format your work experience section 

Here are some tips you can use to format your experience in your resume:

1. Create a dedicated section for your professional experience

When creating your resume, include a prominent section titled Work Experience or Professional Experience. This makes it easier for the employer to see where you've worked. If any places outside the workplace helped you develop transferable skills, include them in a section called Additional Experience or Volunteer Experience.

2. List your most recent work experience first

Many employers and tracking systems may prefer looking at your job experience in reverse chronological order. Arrange the jobs you've worked in reverse chronological order. Start with your most recent position and work backwards. This format also helps the hiring manager quickly assess your most relevant and up-to-date experiences.

3. Use consistent formatting and clear, concise points

Maintaining consistent formatting and clarity is important. It enhances readability and makes your resume look more visually appealing. Use a consistent font, font size, spacing, and bullet point style for each job entry. Use clear bullet points to convey your achievements effectively.

Examples of work experience on a resume

Here are some job experience resume examples that you can refer to when creating yours. Whether you're a fresh grad, professional, manager, or someone who is making a mid-career switch, there's a resume example for you.

Example resume work experience for a fresh grad with no experience

As a fresh graduate, you may not have any relevant work experience yet. If you're applying for a new role, you can include extracurricular or volunteer roles you had in and out of school to highlight your skills. Here's an example:

Intern, Fresh Skincare & Cosmetics, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, February 2024–present

• Support marketing campaigns as an assistant to the Marketing Director
• Plan and set up activation events in seven malls across the city

Example resume work experience for a mid-career switch

If you're planning on switching careers, focus on highlighting your transferable skills. Emphasise relevant areas of your previous jobs to show how you can contribute to the new role. Here's an example of how you can tailor your resume if you're moving from a career in marketing to project management:

Senior Marketing Executive, Trust Retail Estate, Malacca, January 2022–present

• Manage marketing projects from start to finish to ensure swift and timely delivery
• Frequently communicate with stakeholders in large-scale marketing campaigns to manage their expectations and requirements

Example resume work experience for professionals

As a professional, you may already have multiple years of experience in your position and industry. Add these related roles, but avoid too many of them and stick to the most relevant ones instead:

Marketing Manager, Ashley & Co., Kuala Lumpur, June 2015–July 2022

• Planned, developed, and executed retail marketing campaigns to increase customer awareness by 20%
• Collaborated with cross-functional teams to organise marketing activations across the country, driving a 35% increase in sales and customer engagement

Example resume work experience for managers

If you're applying for a management role, including your leadership experiences in similar roles may be useful:

Business Development Lead, Rio Vista Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, October 2017–present

Led a team of 10 business development professionals to grow and manage the hotel business, resulting in a 30% increase in sales revenue

Highlighting your career experience in your resume is about more than just listing previous roles. It includes emphasising your skills, career progression, and achievements that are relevant to the job you're applying for. Ensure that you leave an impression by including measurable achievements and action verbs. Keep your resume template consistent and clear. With these tips in mind, you can stand out from other candidates and clinch an interview for the job you want.

Conclusion 

Crafting an impressive resume is pivotal in the job search process, with highlighting work experience emerging as a crucial component. Your work history serves as a testament to your skills, knowledge, and accomplishments, offering recruiters insights into your capabilities and suitability for the role. By strategically incorporating achievements, utilizing action verbs, and tailoring your resume to match the job description, you can enhance your chances of securing an interview.

FAQs 

Here are some FAQs on including work experience in your resume.

1. Can I just put years on my resume?
   Yes, you can include just years on your resume, preferably in an MM/YYYY format. This gives the employer a clearer idea of your work history while matching the format the ATS usually reads years in.
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2. How long should a resume be for a job?
   A resume should ideally be around one or two pages at most if you have a long work history. A long resume usually takes time to read. Hiring managers may not have the time to go through your full resume. Make sure your resume is clear and concise. Limit each measurable achievement to two to three bullet points per job.
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3. What jobs should you put on a resume?
   Include the jobs that are relevant to the position you're applying for. You can also describe the qualifications and skills you have that you see in the job description. This showcases your ability to perform in the role.
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4. What order should work experience be listed on a resume?
   List your work history in reverse chronological order, with the most recent job at the top. This format highlights your most relevant and recent experience first. You can also consider the functional and combination resume formats if you're looking to change careers or have limited experience.
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5. Can you leave jobs off your resume?
   You can leave jobs off your resume if they're not related to the role you're applying for. If you have many years of experience and a long work history, just include the most relevant roles.
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6. How do I address maternity leave on my resume?
   If you've gone on maternity leave, you can include it in the date range you worked for an employer. You can also include it as Parental Leave if you didn't work during the maternity leave period.
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7. How do I overcome an employment gap in my work history?
   It's usually best to be honest about any employment gaps by including them in your resume. There are many reasons for employment gaps, including education, sabbaticals, or health issues. You can describe any relevant experience or skills you gained during the break.
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8. How many years of work experience should be on a resume?
   You can include all your related work experience in your resume but focus on the most recent 10 years unless you have earlier experience that is very relevant to the role. Keep your resume clear and concise while including the skills and accomplishments you accumulated during your career.