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How to Write Work Experience on a Resume: Tips for 2025

We all know that work experience needs to go on a resume no matter what kind of resume format you choose.  That being said, there is an art to listing work experience on the resume and it’s not something that is often thought about when even an experienced resume writer sits down to refine a resume for the position in which they’re applying.  If you’re ready to make sure that you get that experience section right, here’s what you’ll want to keep in mind.

What does the work experience section do?

Before we can take a look at the actual format and content when it comes to the work experience section, it’s important to understand why you’re listing work experience in the first place.  Sure, it’s to show that you have worked at a company for more than 2 months, but that’s just the start.

This section on your resume is going to show what you’ve accomplished within the various jobs that you held.  How long did you stay?  How long did it take you to find another job?  What kinds of roles did you fill within the job?  Are any surprising considering how low or high up the company ladder you were? 

This is where all of that is going to be listed in proper format and depth.  It’s also incredibly important to get it done right, whatever that means for you in particular.

What to include in the work experience section:

Now that you can truly appreciate the importance of this experience section, here are some critical details to make sure that you always include within the section:

• Quantifiable information they can follow up on: Within each position, you don’t want to simply describe the role that you are filling.  The recruiter already knows what a teacher’s assistant does, for all.  Use quantifiable information such as statistics to show off what you did for your employer within the role.  Did you boost test scores?  Did you help improve attendance rates?  Whatever you put should be quantifiable and, of course, easy to follow up on.

• Training and certifications that show off your worth: Within the position, you can go ahead and list certifications as well as any kind of award or notable mentions that you got within the role.  These will not only show your dedication to the role, but they’ll also be helpful within the role that you’re applying for now and that you don’t simply show up to work and do your job.  You strive to do the best possible job you can.  Showing off these certifications is a way for you to say that without actually, you know, coming right out and saying it.

• The job title, company, location, and dates employed: They seem like monotonous details, especially if they’re all local companies and positions.  That being said, they show that you are taking the section seriously and that you can move around the community to take on different roles as needed.  Make extra sure that you don’t have any typos, either, as it implies that you aren’t paying very close attention to the official details.  An experienced resume is going to have several jobs listed here and having them all with their own details in the company, job title, and position as it changed, are important to show your progress.

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Tips for your work experience section:

With that context in mind, let’s take a look at how you actually list that job experience in a way that is going to be comfortable for recruiters to read and also unique enough that it makes an impact.  Here are some reminders to help you make each position pop on your resume:

• Limit it to 3-6 bullet points: Once you’ve got the position and company and location all listed, you’ll want to take the time to properly put a description into the entry in the form of bullet points.  While some use standard sentences, you should go with the bullet point approach,  They are fast to read and your recruiter will enjoy the ease of browsing.  Keep the bullets short and sweet and stay between 3-6 points per entry.

• Focus on active and powerful verbs: When listing your job description stay way from pronouns and filler words.  Use active, unique and power verbs that imply action and encouragement.  If you need to use the help of a thesaurus, that’s okay. Just rely on functional words within the description that imply movement and work ethic.

• Work in keywords: It’s important to keep the texts short and sweet.  But, when listing previous work experience, try to work in keywords from the job in which you’re applying for.  If they use the word “organized” in the listing, trying to use it in part of the description of a past position if it fits.  This will help them see that you do have the experience that they’re looking for.  On that same note, though, don’t over-stuff the keywords.  Just pick a few and use them sparingly.

When you are listing your job experience, you’re doing more than just listing your job experience in itself.  You want them to see why it matters and that you are as good for the position as you know you are.  While the other parts of your resume are important and should get focus, make sure that you give the proper focus and time and effort to the work experience section too.  Take a look online to find examples of resumes and read through different types until you get a true sense of what you’re looking to create.  You’ll love the confidence it’ll give you and it will come through in helping you to put into action a true impactful resume that will show you off in all of the right ways.

You deserve to get the job you’re applying for, and preparing the work experience of your resume is going to be a huge part of making sure that you get the best chance at getting their attention for the right reasons.

Frequently Asked Questions

What To Include in a CV: Tips for 2024

When you apply for a job, the CV that you send off with your application is going to determine whether or not you make it through to the next round.  While we can’t necessarily change the things that are on (or not on) our CV, we can absolutely make sure that what we are presenting is the best possible version of itself.  If you need a little support, here’s what you should know about your CV format.

What is a CV?

This is the abbreviation of curriculum vitae and it means that you are highlighting your experience and accomplishments as they pertain to the job in which you’re applying.  This is very similar to a resume, but a CV is typically what is used outside of North America in job applications and formatting explanations. 

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The absolute must-haves in your CV

There are a few types of CVs out there and you can decide what format to choose based on the information that you’ve got to put on it (or lack there-of) as well as the position for which you are applying.  Here’s what you will always need to make sure is present:

• Your contact information: At the top of every CV template and example that you see is the contact information.  This should be accurate, up to date and, of course, typo-free.  Make sure you choose channels that you are comfortable being contacted on. 

• A succinct, polished professional statement: A professional statement should also be near the top of the CV.  You’ll want to focus this on who you are, what you are looking for, and why you make a great candidate for the job.  This should be no longer than a short paragraph. 

• A section with your core skills and abilities: Make sure you include professional skills as well as abilities.  This should be focused on the ones that are most relevant to the job, of course.  Work from most relevant to least relevant.

• Past work experience and why it matters: You’ll want to also include professional experience on the CV.  This shows what you’ve done as well as why your potential employer cares about it (what you learned from it that you can now take to them).

• Education and certifications: You’ll also want to take the time to list your education (including high school if relevant) and any associated certifications or awards that will show them how dedicated you are to doing things properly.  It should go without saying, but don’t fudge details that aren’t accurate.  If you didn’t get a 3.7 GPA, don’t say that you did.  Those details can be fact-checked and will immediately disqualify you if you fudged them.

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Tips to help with your CV format:

Other than making sure you’ve got the right skills and professional experience listed, there are also some details that you should think about simply in the formatting and the form of the CV itself. 

• Try to keep it to 2 pages or less: When you’ve got al long list of skills, professional experience, and education, your CV can be upwards of 3 or 4 pages.  While it’s great to see your accomplishments all laid out like that and it is important to note, it’s also important that your CV, you know, gets read.  Since recruiters are busy and don’t have time to flip through all 4 pages, you’ll want to do your absolute best to keep it to 2 pages or less. If it must be 3 pages (that is the unofficial maximum), make sure you’ve got all of the critical details on pages 1 and 2 just in case they don’t get around to page 3.

• Keep the format simple and sweet: The format that you use is also recommended to be simple and to the point.  No fancy fonts or flowery language.  This is intended to tell your core details and important features that make you useful to them.  They will not (and should not) appreciate how pretty your CV looks.

• Research the different kinds of CV: Just like a resume, there are different kinds of CVs that you can create.  A chronological resume is a carefully organized roadmap of where you’ve been in terms of work experience and education.  This is great for those that have targeted experience and want to show it off.  It’s not so great for those that have work gaps or don’t have much experience in the field of the job they’re applying for.  A functional CV is going to put its effort into how you’re useful to them regarding skills and certifications, education and a few work details.  The focus is more on you as a professional person rather than your work history.  Lastly, a combination CV helps you combine work experience with a chronological appeal to the functional form and play both against each other to show them that you’re the real deal in all of the important features.

• Use a CV template: When you’ve chosen a CV format and the time is now to actually put it together, do yourself a favor and use a CV template.  There are all sorts around and you’ll be able to use it to guide you in making sure that one part isn’t too big or too small or that it looks strange or, even worse, it’s unprofessional. Templates are available in a few forms, too, so that you can get the one that looks professional but still feels like you.

Give yourself a leg up on the competition by putting together a CV that is honest, authentic and exactly what the recruiter is looking for.  You know that you’re the best person for the job and if you put that kind of enthusiasm and focus into the CV in all of its details, you’ll convince them as well, and that’s what applying for a position is all about.  Put the proper effort into your CV and it’ll get you to the next stage of interviews faster than a little extra padding would

Frequently Asked Questions

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How To Write A Personal Statement in a Resume

How To Write A Personal Statement in a Resume

Resumes are fantastic when you know how to format them. Past job experiences, education, and certifications, special skills, they all matter. But what often gets pushed to the side is that tiny little section between your contact details and your past work experience. This is known as the personal statement or the career statement, depending on what format or template you use.  Do you omit that section completely from your resume because it seems to useless?  You aren’t the only one, but it could be hurting your chances.

What is a personal statement?

The role of the CV personal statement is to help recruiters understand who you are, what you can do for them, and why they want to hire you instead of the other guy. It’s designed to be short and sweet but chock-a-block full with all of the information that makes you a good candidate.

There are thought to be three main sections of a personal statement. The first section introduces who you are as a professional.  The second section shows how you can be useful in the role they are hiring for. The third section will help them to see what your goals are if they hire you.  Are you a long-term solution or just something who is looking to gain some experience and then pop off somewhere else?

The personal statement will tell the recruiter, in a nutshell, whether the rest of the resume or CV is worth reading or not. It often can be the only thing that they read. As such, if you don’t even have one, it may immediately put your resume on the “no” pile.

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How do you format a resume statement?

Now that you know the importance of this resume statement, it’s time to make sure that you are formatting it the correct way to make for easy scanning of the right, intended information for both you and the recruiter.  Here are the details to remember.

• Make sure all 3 parts are present: You need to make sure that you’ve addressed all their parts properly in 1 sentence per section (2 at the very most):
  • Who you are: Why are you important to them as an individual?  What part of your career and field do you like?  These are details to include in this sentence.
  • Your importance to them: That’s all great, but why should they care?  What achievements do you have that make you the ideal candidate for the position?  Use this sentence to highlight the most relevant details.
  • Your goals: Make it clear what you’re looking for. Do you want short-term or long-term?  Part-time or full-time?  All of this matters and it should be in the last part of your introduction.

• Choose a first or third person to match the rest of your CV: You can choose between writing in the first person, “I” or third person, “s/he”.  If you decide on the latter avoid the actual pronoun of her or him.  Frame it so that there is no pronoun needed.  After all, they know who you are already.

• Consider tailoring it per job (and per position): You don’t have the space or the time (from the recruiter) to address the position that you’re applying for, so make sure that you write a fresh one of these for every single position.  It’s excellent practice and the fact that it is tailored will show up to the recruiter — in a good way.

Details to remember when creating your career statement:

Now that you understand its importance and how to go about creating it, it’s time to do just that.  When you sit down to actually put this important introduction together, here are some details to keep in mind to help it stand out as well as make the writing process itself a little easier.

• Short and sweet: This was stated above, but it’s important enough to put here.  This statement should be between 50-200 words.  Ideally, closer to 50 if possible.  The focus on this is to give your recruiter a quick read. If you go on for sentences and sentences, even if you have the best intentions, they’ll simply toss it aside and move on,  Harsh, yes, but certainly the truth.

• Give yourself time to adjust: It takes time, patience and practice to nail a resume statement.  Give yourself time to get used to making them. Practice as much as you can and don’t be afraid to take a look at the many, many samples online to help guide you if you don’t know where to start.  The more you practice, the stronger it will be.  This will all do good things for your resume as a whole as well.

• Easy on the keywords: While including keywords is always good in an introduction, don’t go overboard.  Use a few select keywords directly from the job advertisement and then let the other ones (“self-motivated”, “professional”, etc) ones slide.  The only ones you should use are the ones that pertain specifically to the job application itself.

• Make it you: While it’s important to hold a professional tone and to keep it focused on the job, don’t make it too generic either.  Ir should reflect you as a professional and you as a person.  Something that reads like it’s copied out of an SEO guidebook isn’t going to go over well with the recruiter, as they’ll feel as though they are just being told what they want to hear.

Your resume is important from top to bottom, including its personal statement.  These tips will help you make the most out of the small section so that the hiring committee can see that you are dedicated to the job, excited about applying and that you are qualified. Since most of them spend less than 10 seconds reading resumes during the first round of cuts and considerations, it could be just what gets you to the next stage, then an interview, and, ideally, the final job position itself! 

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Articles:
How to Write a Resume
What is a Functional Resume?
Best Resume Formats

Chronological Resume Format: Writing Guide & Tips

What is the Chronological Resume Format?

Without question, a chronological resume is the most commonly used option when job hunting.  Sure, it’s one of many resume formats, but this tends to be the one that you learn about in school or post-secondary institutions that help you prepare for the commercial world that is waiting for you.  But what do you actually know about it?  Are you using it in the best way for your job prospects?  Here’s what you should know about the chronological resume format and how it can best work for you.

What features does a chronological resume have?

This resume, as the name may tell you, focuses its power on the story of your life throughout the years.  This resume emphasizes your work history, going from the most recent job and working its way back to the first job you ever had.  This gives your potential employers an easy, detailed look into your work history and helps them understand what positions you’ve held as well as for how long.

There is also a section for your education, also listed in reverse chronological order. There is space in this area to outline the focus of your degree(s) as well as emphasize how high an academic level you achieved as a whole (B.A, M.A, Ph.D., etc). 

At the bottom, there are a section for special skills and/or achievements.  You can list (also in reverse chronological order) any academic or work-related achievements that you think might interest in your employer.  The skills area is intended to be short and sweet, targeted to the job position that you’re applying for.

How is a chronological resume effective?

As mentioned, the chronological resume format is thought to be the most popular used in schools, entry-level jobs, and even higher-level positions.  If it’s that popular, there’s got to be a reason or two, right?  Here are some of the biggest ways in which this format can be effective in helping you land your job.

• All work and educational experiences are laid out for potential employers to see: Whether good or bad, an employer will be able to learn a lot about how helpful you could be to their company by taking a look at your work history and experience.  If you are someone who jobs hops, it might be a red flag.  However, if you’ve held similar positions in a few companies over the years, it could be a huge asset.  Showing that you’ve worked several jobs is always good, too.  It shows that you have initiative and that you can hold a job for more than 2 months.

• It gives you a place to put your education in detail: While it isn’t at the top of the resume, there is still a large section for your education.  If you are someone with a few degrees, especially those that are related to the positions of which you are applying, this will give you the space to list degrees, educational focuses and even GPA, if applicable.

• It’s their favorite: Those who are reading resumes to hiring someone don’t want to waste time trying to figure out what you’ve got on a resume when it looks different from the others.  As such, some recruiters will actually hire someone in part due to the use of this resume style.  They can scan work experience quickly and see what they need to and then add you to the maybe pile.  That’s not to say that you have to use this format to get a job, but it is a detail to think about.

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How to make your resume the best it can be:

Since recruiters and hiring teams are used to seeing a chronological resume, you won’t stand out from the crowd.  While it can mean that you will be considered along with everyone else, it can also be a bad thing because, well, you are being considered along with everyone else.  It’s important that you do what you can to make your resume stand out.  Here are some chronological resume tips that will make your pop and stay memorable even amongst the sea of others.

• Cherry-pick your past jobs: While the focus on reverse chronological order is on your employment history don’t make the mistake of thinking you need to include every single job on your resume, especially if you’ve worked quite a few.  For example, if you’re applying for a mid-level position in a law firm, they don’t care that you were a paper carrier 15 years ago. 

• Tighten, tighten, tighten: When you are listing your previous jobs and the brief explanations that go with them, make sure that you keep them short and sweet.  Include only the critical details and cut out anything that isn’t necessary for respect and comprehension of the job you’ve done.

• Choose a template: To help with detail, spacing and heading use, find a template to help you out.  Since this is the most popular resume format, you’ll find tonnes and tonnes of templates online.  Choose one that feels right for you and allow it to guide you on what goes where, what gets bolded, etc. 

• Don’t leave a section for references: This is a detail that most people don’t even know about.  This kind of resume speaks for itself, so do not create a section for references or even have a statement in there about having reference information on request.  When you get the interview for the company, bring your reference information with you so that you can offer it to them then if they request it.   You can still be prepared o give it to them without actually giving it to them.

You are a hard worker and you’ve put in the time at other companies.  This effort and focus will show up with the use of the chronological resume if you use the right tips and guidance to help you make the most out of it. These should help you certainly get to the maybe pile and hopefully the job!

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Articles:
How to Write a Resume
What is a Functional Resume?
Best Resume Formats

What is a Functional Resume? Writing Guide & Tips

What is a Functional Resume?

Despite what those around you may tell you, there is more than one way to write a resume.  There are quite a few options out there for resume format and the one that you choose doesn’t necessarily have to be the same as the person beside you.  What works for one person doesn’t necessarily work for all. Interested in making a functional resume work for you? Here are some tips to do just that.

Why a functional resume is used:

To determine if this is, in fact, the right resume format for you, let’s take a look at why it’s used in the first place.  This appropriately named resume is for when you are someone who wants to show off their function (or, importance) as a candidate.  You craft a resume that shows off all of your job-specific perks and gives the reader a sense of who you are a professional person.

The focus of the functional resume is on qualifications, skills, experience, and accomplishments.  The experience section (normally the work experience area that has dates and descriptions on a traditional chronological resume) is still taking into consideration the experience that you do have, but it’s not as focused on timing or amount of time spent in the job itself.  It’s more the role and its relevance to the job that you’re applying for now.

This kind of resume is going to be really effective if you have gaps in your education or work experience, regardless of the reason.  It forces the employer to see you as a qualified individual and reminds them that timing isn’t everything.

How to make the most out of your functional resume

Now that you’ve decided that this is the kind of resume you want to use, it’s important that you take the time to make the most out of this format for yourself as an individual. Here are some tips for guiding points to show you how it’s done.

• Focus on suiting it to the job description: When you write a resume, you’ll want to take the time to really know what you’re applying for and get a feel for the company as a whole as well.  If the company likes short sentences with short paragraphs, match that with short bullet points and to-the-point explanations. If they use flowery language, do the same with your resume.  The format is still the same, the technique just changes.

• Make sure you match it with a strong cover letter: Even if a cover letter is not specifically asked for, create a cover letter to go with the resume. It should highlight the same details that are emphasized on the resume and it should also match in tone, style of writing and word use.  The only time NOT to include a cover letter is if the application instructions state that cover letters are not accepted. 

• Don’t go after this format to hide anything: The last guide to help you make the most out of your resume is to remember that this format is not used to hide anything.  You aren’t hiding the fact that you only worked in one position for 6 months, or you took a 4-year break from work to go to school.  If that is your main motivation for using this resume, it’s important to take a look at why. This is simply another way of stating the same things with more of a focus on the skills.  All details will still be there for them to see, as they should be. They’re just less of a focus.

Create your professional resume for free using our resume builder!

Tips for writing a functional resume:

When you’re ready to sit down with the format and plug your information in, here are some tips to make it as effective as possible.

1.  Use a template: there are all sorts of templates online that you can read through and download to put your own information. Don’t go about it on your own if you have the help freely available to you, ready to go.

2.  Choose a template that resonates with who you are as a candidate: When it comes to choosing the right template (color use, justifications, amount of space per section, etc), you’ll want to make sure that you have a template that represents who you are, too.  Even though the resume should be tailored to the job you’re applying for, not at the expense of who you are as a person. It will be a reflector of you, after all. Make sure it’s an accurate one!

3. Use keywords wisely: Within each section, go back to the position information and pull keywords to use.  They’ll appreciate the time it takes and it will make your resume stronger because you’ll be explaining clearly that you are qualified for the job itself.

4. Categorize it by theme: When creating the resume and listing your skills (this is often the biggest part of the resume itself), you’ll want to categorize it by theme and then elaborate in bullet points.  Don’t have 40 unique skills listed. Use headings to group them together. They’ll be easy to scan and will still give out the right information to the potential employer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

The moment that you decide to apply for a job that is right up in your area of expertise, a functional resume could be just what gets you there.  It accentuates the details that make you a good candidate, it highlights that you have experience in the industry, and it lessens the importance that you haven’t worked a job for a few months.  The focus is on how professional land right you are or the job that you’re applying for.

Is a functional resume right for every single job application and/or applicant?  No, definitely not. But knowing when to use it and how to use it best will give you the power to make sure that you put it to use when and where applicable.  The right resume can win you the job of your dreams if you know when to use it and what kind of information to put on it.