How to correctly indicate work experience on a resume?

An employer is best impressed by a resume that describes the job experience of the job seeker. Such information helps the manager to draw a conclusion about the knowledge and skills of people, to understand whether they are suitable for the proposed vacancy. However, not everyone knows how to correctly fill in this item. There are many nuances here that should definitely be taken into account in order to stand out favorably against the background of competitors.

The “Work Experience” section of the resume should be concise but complete. Here you should disclose information about your work activity as much as possible, while excluding everything that is not relevant to the case.

Places of previous work should be written in reverse chronological order. That is, the last company is indicated first, then the penultimate one, and so on. If you have already managed to change many jobs, do not list them all. It is enough to indicate the last 3-5 jobs.

In addition to specifying the company you worked for, it is necessary to write what position you held and what responsibilities you performed. Of course, a description of work experience must be directly related to the position you are applying for.

If work in the specialty and other occupations alternate, there is no need to leave gaps in the resume. Otherwise, you will get the impression that you have been just messing around for several years. However, only the job-specific responsibilities should be described in detail.The rest of the places of work can be simply listed with the indication of the time period, company name and position.

If in the last few places you performed the same tasks, do not repeat them. Try to highlight something special in each former job, remember any (albeit minor) achievements you have. The future boss must understand that you are capable of professional growth and fulfillment of a variety of responsibilities.

Many people doubt whether to indicate an unofficial place of work. If you worked by profession, this must be done. Just clarify that you worked without registration. If you have completed some part-time assignments, but they are not related to the vacancy for which you are applying, you can omit this information.

Let's take a closer look at what and how to write in a resume.

You should indicate not only the years when you started and finished working in a particular place, but also the months. Otherwise, it becomes unclear how long you have held a specific position.

For example, if you write "2017-2018", it can be interpreted in different ways. If a person went to work in January 2017 and quit in December 2018, this means that he has been in this company for almost 2 years. If he went to work in December 2017 and left the company in March 2018, then he worked in this place for only 3 months.

When specifying a place of work, you should not be limited only by the name of the company. It is not always possible to understand from it what the real activity of the company is. Therefore, it is important to briefly explain this moment (a laconic formulation in one sentence is enough). If the name is an abbreviation, it needs to be decoded. The exceptions are well-known brands. If the company is located in another city, do not forget to write about it.

The same applies to individual entrepreneurs. If you worked for an individual entrepreneur, in addition to the name and surname of the businessman, indicate what was his field of activity. In the case of self-employment, also clarify what you did.

The position held at the former place of work must be indicated as fully as possible. For example, the word "manager" can raise a lot of questions. But the phrase "sales manager" is already more specific and immediately explains what your role in the company was.

Listing the responsibilities that you have performed in previous jobs is extremely important. This will give your future leader an idea of ​​what you can do. You don't need to schedule your typical working day. It is enough to concisely outline the main functions that were entrusted to you (for example, advising clients, drawing up reports, recruiting personnel).

Here you can also describe your achievements (if any). Write down how many successful contracts you entered into per week, how many percent increased sales with your arrival in the company. Back up the facts with real numbers. Even two impressive sentences about your success can make your resume stand out from the rest.

Consider the main mistakes that job seekers make when writing a resume:

• description of employment in professions that have nothing to do with the new vacancy;
• incomplete indication of the periods of work (without months);
• lack of decoding of company names;
• inaccurate indication of past positions.

You should not write fictitious data on your resume. Don't sugarcoat your professional background, or come up with responsibilities or skills that you haven't encountered.Most of the information can be easily verified.

It will also be a mistake to write vague wordings like "made connections", "led a department." Be sure to clarify how many people you managed, what exactly did you do to get the company new business partners, and the like.

Let's consider several examples of how to correctly fill in the "Work experience" item.

June 2018 - September 2019. O'STIN. Responsibilities: displaying goods, advising clients, working with a cash register, conducting periodic inventory.

April 2017 - October 2019. Leader LLC (wholesale of furniture). Responsibilities: attraction of retail trade enterprises, consulting, conclusion of purchase and sale agreements, document management, work with advertising media.

May 2018 - present. Private practice (without registration). Responsibilities: servicing stationary computers, laptops and network equipment, assembling system units, setting up a network, installing software.

January 2016 - September 2019. Rassvet LLC (construction of private cottages). Responsibilities: processing of primary accounting documents, preparation of tax and accounting reports in the IFTS, Pension Fund of the Russian Federation, conducting cash settlements with accountable persons.