If you know anything about the resume you probably know that it is a document where you list your professional (work) experience usually for the purpose of getting a job. Resume itself contains much more information than just work experience but everybody understands that what one did in the past for employers matters the most for those who will be making a decision regarding present employment. Depending on how job seekers choose to design and stuff this section prospective employers might either discard a resume or pay a closer attention to its content.
How to Professionally Highlight Your Experience
If you were an HR or the one responsible for selecting resumes and interviewing candidates the very first thing you would want to know from a resume is what a candidate has done in the past for former employers. That's what the professional experience section is for.
First of all, it should contain information about the names of companies you have worked for, titles, and the list of accomplishments/responsibilities and the dates of employment. This information should be listed in reverse chronological order so that the one reading it could start from the most recent jobs that you had. Obviously, job seekers need to pay special attention to what most people call job descriptions. Usually under the name of the company, title, and employment dates candidates specify what they did for the employer. In over 90% of cases, it is a generic list of duties either in the form of a paragraph or bullet points. However, we strongly recommend switching from responsibilities to accomplishments.
Companies are more interested in what you have accomplished rather than what you used to do at your workplace. Result-oriented candidates always have more chances to get an interview invitation because employers need results, not just actions. So the companies are interested in what you can do for the company today. In order to see that they usually go to previous experience. If past accomplishments and achievements relate to what needs to be done for the company today it is likely such a person will be considered for employment. So another rule for writing the work experience section on your resume is to be relevant. There is no need to mention all of your jobs. Include only jobs and accomplishments that are related to the job you are applying for. By doing so you will prove that you are a good match for the opening.
Job Descriptions: How Long Should They Be?
First of all, we recommend our customers to list their accomplishments in the form of bullet points. It is more attractive visually. Also, there is no need to list more 4-5 bullet statements. Everything above this number would be considered as too much. Remember, HRs don't have much time to read your resume, they only scan it to see key points they are looking for. So be concise and relevant. Even if you have done more than 4-5 accomplishments, stick to this number by choosing the most prominent ones.
