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Here’s How to Write Your Resume
Work Experience Section
If you’ve been blindsided by a layoff, a terminated contract, or a furlough because of the government shutdown, you may already be on the hunt for a new job.
Even if you’re expecting to go back to work shortly, it may be wise to update your resume anyway, now that you’ve had a taste of career instability. Indefinitely postponed pay or the complete loss of work are as good reasons as any to make sure your resume is ready for a hiring manager’s perusal. And it may be important that your experience section receives the most attention.
It’s not uncommon for a recruiter to skip over the rest of the page and immediately analyze your work experience section, the area which outlines your specific employment history and related responsibilities.
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What to Cover in Your Work Experience Section
Certain essential pieces of information belong in your resume’s work experience section:
- Organization names – Write out the full name of where you previously worked. Only mention subcategories and departments if their mention is valuable.
- Job Title/Position – Include the full, formal title you held at every employer on the list.
- Employment Period – Display the month and year you started the job, followed by when you left the position.
- A quick detailing of job duties. Leave a list of your biggest responsibilities beneath each position. Include only relevant duties.
Employment History Example
For a job in which you worked at a post office, you might write the following:
- Defused conflict while maintaining customer satisfaction
- Efficiently worked in a team environment
- Performed competently in a fast-paced setting
How to Format a Work Experience Section
- Using columns conserves page space. You might place the company name in the left column, the business’ location in the middle, and your dates of employment in the right-side column.
- You don’t need to use full sentences. You’ll be dealing with limited space. Full sentences are unnecessary and can be a distraction for recruiters.
- Strong verbs help to reflect your impact. You don’t need a thesaurus for every word, but try to have your job description make use of strong action words.