Work Experience on Resume: How to List Jobs and Achievements Effectively

Your work experience section is the heart of your resume. It tells employers what you have done, how well you did it, and what value you can bring to their organization. This guide shows you exactly how to format, write, and optimize your work experience for maximum impact.

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Work Experience Section Format

Standard Format for Each Position

Job Title
Company Name | City, State | Start Date - End Date

• Achievement/responsibility bullet point
• Achievement/responsibility bullet point
• Achievement/responsibility bullet point

Key Elements to Include

• Job title: Your official or functional title
• Company name: Full company name
• Location: City and state (country for international)
• Dates: Month/Year format (e.g., January 2020 – Present)
• Achievements: Quantified accomplishments and responsibilities

Writing Powerful Achievement Bullets

The Achievement Formula

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Action Verb + Task + Result/Impact

Weak: “Responsible for managing social media accounts”

Strong: “Managed social media strategy across 5 platforms, growing followers by 150% and increasing engagement by 75% in 12 months”

Quantify Whenever Possible

• Revenue/Sales: “Generated $2.5M in new business”
• Percentages: “Increased efficiency by 40%”
• Time: “Reduced processing time from 5 days to 2 days”
• Volume: “Managed portfolio of 50+ client accounts”
• Team size: “Led team of 12 engineers”
• Budget: “Oversaw $500K annual marketing budget”

Strong Action Verbs

Leadership: Led, Directed, Managed, Supervised, Coordinated

Achievement: Achieved, Exceeded, Delivered, Accomplished, Attained

Improvement: Improved, Enhanced, Increased, Optimized, Streamlined

Creation: Developed, Created, Designed, Launched, Implemented

Analysis: Analyzed, Evaluated, Assessed, Identified, Researched

How Many Jobs to Include

• Entry-level (0-5 years): Include all relevant experience, internships, part-time work
• Mid-career (5-15 years): Focus on last 10-15 years, most relevant roles
• Senior (15+ years): Emphasize last 15 years, summarize earlier career if relevant

Handling Special Situations

Employment Gaps

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• Be honest – gaps are increasingly common and accepted
• Brief gaps (few months) often do not need explanation
• Longer gaps: Include relevant activities (freelancing, education, caregiving)
• Address directly in cover letter if significant

Job Hopping (Multiple Short Stints)

• Group contract/temp roles under one heading
• Focus on achievements rather than duration
• Be prepared to explain in interviews

Career Change

• Emphasize transferable skills and achievements
• Highlight relevant projects or responsibilities
• Consider a combination resume format

Promotions Within Same Company

Company Name | City, State | January 2018 - Present

Senior Marketing Manager | January 2021 - Present
• Achievement bullets for current role

Marketing Manager | June 2019 - December 2020
• Achievement bullets for this role

Marketing Coordinator | January 2018 - May 2019
• Achievement bullets for this role

Work Experience Best Practices

• Reverse chronological order: Most recent job first
• Consistent formatting: Same structure for each position
• 3-6 bullets per job: Focus on quality over quantity
• Tailor to the job: Emphasize relevant experience
• Use keywords: Match language from job descriptions
• Recent roles get more detail: Older positions can be briefer

Before and After Examples

Example 1: Sales Role

Before: “Responsible for selling products to customers and meeting sales targets”

After: “Exceeded annual sales quota by 135%, generating $1.8M in revenue while maintaining highest customer satisfaction scores (98%) in the region”

Example 2: Project Management

Before: “Managed projects and worked with different teams”

After: “Led cross-functional team of 15 to deliver $2M software implementation 3 weeks ahead of schedule and 10% under budget”

Create Your Work Experience Section

Our AI Resume Builder helps you write compelling achievement bullets with quantified results. Transform job duties into powerful accomplishments that impress employers.

Browse Resume Templates to see work experience sections in action.

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