How To List Your Work Experience On Your Resume

Surveys show that 91% of recruiters prefer applicants with work experience. (1) If you want to land a role in today’s job market, showcasing your professional experiences is critical. 

However, learning how to list work experience on your resume in a way that makes it clear that you are the best candidate for the job can be tricky, especially when you have to worry about appropriate language and formatting.

In this article, you’ll learn what information to include in your work experience section and how to format work experience for maximum clarity and impact. You’ll also learn what to do for those with gaps, volunteer work, or no work experience, as well as how to highlight your freelance and contract work and how far back a resume should go.

Clear examples will show you exactly what to do to highlight your qualifications and position yourself for job hunting success.

How to include work experience on your resume

When it comes to your resume, work experience is key.

Statistically, 82.6% of HR professionals head straight to the work experience section to see whether you’re a viable candidate. How you present this information can make or break your chances at an interview.

For each job that you list, include your job title, the company that you worked for, the location of the company, and the dates that you worked there. The order and arrangement of these details is up to you, but be consistent throughout with whatever you choose. For dates of employment, the standard format includes months and years, but you might choose to include years only (to gloss over short employment gaps), or no dates at all (typical in a functional resume).

Here are a few resume work experience examples to illustrate this:

Where you place your work experience section depends on the format of your resume and cover letter templates, and your years of experience:

• Resumes formatted in reverse chronological order should have work experience at the top, just under the summary
• Functional or combination resumes should place this section right below the list of skills
• Students and recent graduates with no work experience should place it right after the education section

As for the question of “How should job experience be listed on a resume?”, you can add up to 5 bullet points under each job listing, focusing on quantifiable achievements wherever possible instead of simply listing your job duties. As outlined above, in some cases you only need to briefly touch on jobs that aren’t relevant to your goal job, going into more detail for pertinent positions as well as your current or most recent position.

Make sure to use keywords from the job description in both your cover letter and work experience bullet points to help you pass applicant tracking system (ATS) filters. Additionally, keep each to a single line. These resume work experience examples can help you visualize this:

How much work experience to include on your resume

You may be asking, “How far back should a resume go?” Unfortunately, many resume articles don’t offer a consensus on this, mainly because the advice differs based on your experience and seniority level. 

No work experience

List and include details about any unpaid work experience you have, like internships, practicums, volunteer work, roles in student or community organizations, etc.

Entry level (0-2 years)

List all the paid work that you’ve ever done and include detailed descriptions regardless of relevance. Include internships, part-time work, temp work, freelance gigs, independent projects, etc.

Moderate to senior level (3-10 years)

Include all of the positions you have held, going into detail for relevant positions and briefly mentioning other positions (outside your desired field, internships, temp work, freelance gigs, etc.).

Very experienced team leads, managers, and executives (10+ years)

List up to 15 years of relevant experience with detailed job descriptions. Of course, if you’ve only worked for one company for your entire career, you may wish to outline all the various positions you’ve held there to show the progression of your promotions, which may encompass more than 15 years. Otherwise, only mention pertinent experience within that time frame, even if it might mean leaving some time gaps.

How to format work experience on your resume

Knowing how to list work experience on a resume is just as important as understanding what to include in your work experience section. Here’s a brief explanation of how to format your work experience depending on the type of resume examples you’re working from. 

Reverse chronological resume format

On a reverse chronological resume, list your relevant work experience starting with your most recent position first. For each entry, include your job title, the company name and location, the dates (months and years) you worked there, and a few bullet points outlining your achievements.

Functional format

When it comes to work experience, resumes in the functional format should include a list of past roles without dates to make resume gaps less prominent. For the entry itself, simply include your job title and the name and location of the company.

Combination format

If you’re using a combination resume, work experience should be listed under your skills summary. You can list them in reverse chronological order or just stick to a list of relevant roles — the choice is yours. All you need is your job title, the company name and location, and a few bullet points about your skills and accomplishments.

The Jobseeker resume builder takes the frustration out of drafting an impeccable work experience section. 

With plenty of professional resume templates to work from, and AI-powered suggestions centered around ATS-friendly fields, you can simply enter your relevant information and get a properly-formatted, easily scannable document that’s more likely to make it to the hiring manager’s desk.

Special cases for listing work experience

It’s challenging enough deciding what to include in your work experience section when you are an experienced candidate with a traditional career pathway. However, how should job experience be listed on a resume when that isn’t the case? 

Here are a few resources to help you learn how to list work experience on a resume in unique situations.

Gaps on resume

Though resume gaps used to spell trouble for candidates, many employers have taken a more relaxed stance in recent years, especially if you have already returned to relevant work.

What are examples of work experience gaps? Imagine you worked from January 2018 to June 2018 and then didn’t return to work until the summer of 2019. In this case, you can provide a simple explanation for the resume gap, such as traveling, raising children, or regaining your health. 

If you aren’t comfortable sharing, you can choose to omit dates from your work experience using a functional or combination resume format.

Volunteer work

You should only include volunteer work in your work experience section if you have less than 5 years of paid work experience. Otherwise, you can include volunteer work in its own section if you have enough room on your resume.

If you have little or no professional experience, including volunteering in your work experience section can show potential employers that you have a strong work ethic, you are altruistic, and you care about your community. Use bullet points to highlight skills and experience that you gained in each volunteer position.

No experience

Many people wonder, “How do I mention work experience in my resume when I don’t have any?” 

Fortunately, you can still create a compelling document with no experience. Just pick a layout that isn’t as dependent on work experience, such as a functional or combination resume, as this will allow you to highlight your education, awards, honors, and other achievements.

Additionally, scatter your skills throughout all sections, including your resume objective, languages spoken, certification, and hobbies and interests sections. This prevents too much white space and gives potential employers an idea of who you are. 

Don’t forget proper formatting, and use strong cover letter examples to draft a full package that will grab and hold potential employers’ attention.

How to include freelance, contract, or gig work experience?

If you’re a non-traditional employee, you may be wondering, “What are examples of work experience for freelancers, independent contractors, or gig workers?” If this describes you, make sure to:

• Label this work clearly
• Describe roles and notable achievements
• Include quantifiable results
• Highlight transferable skills

Feel free to include this work either in your work experience section or in a dedicated section of its own. 

Key takeaways

One common question is, “How do I mention work experience in my resume?” When it comes to work experience, resumes can stand out by:

• Having it in the right place
• Using consistent formatting
• Including relevant positions
• Including job titles, company names, and dates
• Using concise bullet points with quantifiable achievements

Jobseeker’s professional resume creation tool transforms your job history details into a polished work experience section in seconds. Simply choose your ideal format and style, and in just a few clicks, you can download a resume poised to impress the next hiring manager who sees it.

Sources:

(1) TeamStage: Job Interview Statistics: Applications and Hiring Rates in 2024