How to include work experience on your resume for maximum effect!
If you’re looking at a job description, what jumps out at you?
That’s right! How much and what type of work experience they’re looking for?
Work experience on a resume often holds more credibility than educational qualifications. Reason being, qualifications are largely homogenous. However, work experience is individualistic and separates you from similarly-qualified candidates.
Knowing how to craft this on your resume first entails knowing what belongs in under the heading ‘Work Experience’.
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What belongs in my work experience section?
Not every single job experience you’ve ever held needs to be documented. Considering that you only have 1-2 pages to build an effective resume, the key components of your work experience section should include:
Tailored experiences
For example, if you’re applying for an accounting position, experience with accounting, finance or bookkeeping are relevant. Similarly, if you’re applying for a management position, your work experience section should be carefully tailored to demonstrate companies, departments, projects, brands or portfolios that validate to your managerial skills.
Reflects the responsibilities of the job description
One of the best ways to tailor your work experiences is to mirror the duties outlined in the job description. This is what the employer is looking for and what you will spend your time doing. An effective strategy is to list your work experience in a similar format to effectively demonstrate the tasks they expect from you, are ones you have already successfully performed.
Experiences that can be proven
Beyond understanding how to craft a tailored job experience section on your resume, you have to actually document those relevant and worthwhile achievements that practically demonstrate your skills in action. These actionable skills act as proof. This is proof you are made for this position and can perform as, or even beyond expectations.
How to describe work experience on my resume?
A suitable template for describing your work experience on a resume is the STAR approach:
Situation
What situation you faced required a response? Launching a new product? a need to manage finances better? Increased competition in the market?
Task
Depending on the situation, what tasks needed to be done to alleviate the problem? A marketing campaign? A financial budget or better pricing plan?
Action
Describe the task that you performed as a solution to the situation
Results
What was the (positive) change as a result of the action you took?
How do I write my work experience on my resume?
Having relevant work experience is of no value if you cannot communicate them effectively to the employer. You should therefore:
Structure it well
When listing your work experience, start with the company as a heading, followed by your job title and the time period spent at that company – month and year.
List your work experience starting with the most recent. If you have extensive work experience, keep it within your resume’s limit of 1-2 pages by listing the three most recent companies you worked with. Under each company, state your experiences using numbered or bullet points in concise sentences.
Write in their language
When you look at the job description of a position, pay special attention to important keywords. What are the verbs, adjectives and adverbs they have used to describe their ideal candidate? This in itself, is the ‘employer’s language’. This is what the employer is requesting from the labour market.
When listing work experience on your resume, it’s simply to write using the same verbs, adjectives and adverbs. When you do this, your resume becomes the perfect answer to the employer’s labour request.
How do I know what experience is relevant?
What exactly is relevant to put on your resume depends on the level of experience you have. Work experience that is relevant is usually:
Most marketable
Under each company you’ve listed in your resume, identify three or four of your biggest accomplishments that showcase your highest capabilities and potential.
What’s the job level?
Relevancy in terms of work experience may also depend on the position to which you’re applying. If for example, you’re applying for an entry level position, an ideal timeline is roughly 1-3 years of experience, detailing your most memorable accomplishments. If you’re applying for mid-level management, you can extend your experience to 5-10 years. For senior executive positions, 10-15 years of relevant work experience is ideal.
What if I have a gap in employment?
Employment gaps are more common that you might suspect and having a gap on your resume does not necessarily signal the end of your career path. If explained tactfully and truthfully, you can navigate your way around those gaps and still market yourself as a fitting candidate. Therefore, when addressing gaps in employment, it is beneficial to:
Don’t make it the highlight of your resume
Indicate the time period for your employment gap in brackets. For less emphasis, include just the years of job ‘inactivity’. Afterwards, state the reason very simply for the gap, whether it was:
- A medical issue,
- Furloughed or retrenchment due to Covid-19,
- Layoff due to company downsizing,
- Family issues, or
- Furthering your education.
Leave details for the interview itself
If you wish to shed more light on this gap, you can explain it in greater detail within your cover letter or simply do so during the interview when your employer brings it up.
How did you stay occupied?
Layoffs may not be your fault but not being productive is. Therefore, be prepared to explain some activities that kept you occupied during that gap, (job hunting, freelancing, volunteering, community projects or mentoring) so your employer can know that, despite the odds, you managed to remain optimistic and productive.
If fired, take ownership
If your employment gap stems from getting fired, a suitable strategy is being transparent about the reason for your dismissal. If you’re not trying to hide anything, your interviewer may be more inclined to listen. The most important thing to remember when explaining an employment gap due to firing is taking ownership of the situation. Own your mistake, identify where you went wrong, the lesson you learnt and the measures you’ve taken to improve yourself.
