Whether you have been working for a long time or have started recently, and are now mapping out your resume, you may be wondering if all your experience belongs on it.
Many assume that their chances of selection are increased if they list everything they’ve ever done, but that can be the contrary.
Here is when you should and should not list all your jobs on your resume.
Should you list all jobs on your resume?
Only list all your jobs if they are relevant, long-term, if you have noteworthy skills to demonstrate from all your experiences and if there might be a background check. Don’t list all jobs if some are old and entry-level, if you are over 2 pages, or if any were short-term and you were fired.
List all jobs on your resume if they are relevant
If you are applying to a field that correlates to all your previous work experience, then you should be listing all the jobs on your resume.
It is important to show that you’ve got a diverse range of extensive experiences within the relevant industry.
List all jobs on your resume if they are long-term
When all your jobs have been long-term, then you might have to add all of them to your resume.
If you leave some out there will be unexplained employment gaps on your resume and it can be a bad reflection on you.
In long-term positions, you would have also acquired transferrable skills that can be useful in your new job, so it would be best to include them.
To fit all your long-term jobs in 2 pages maximum, you do not have to give lengthy details for all of them, only for the most relevant and noteworthy ones.
For the rest, you can simply mention the job title, company name, date of employment, and provide 2 to 3 bullet points if the space on your resume allows it.
List all jobs on your resume if you have achievements and skills to show
If in all your positions, you have attained remarkable accomplishments, awards, and skill proficiencies that will be appealing to the recruiter, then list all the jobs.
If you decide to focus on your achievements and skills mainly, you can use a functional resume format.
A functional resume lists all your skills and proficiencies right on top of your resume with a section dedicated to your main accomplishments right underneath.
This will save space and highlight your relevant capabilities above all else.
List all jobs on your resume if there is a background check
If the job description states that a background check will be conducted, it would be better to list all your jobs on your resume to not seem as if you are hiding any for an unappealing reason.
You can also list security clearance on your resume if it is required.
Don’t list all jobs on your resume if some are old jobs and entry-level
If you have jobs from 10 or 15 years ago or those that are too entry-level to be irrelevant, then leave them out from your resume.
Recruiters want to see recent jobs on your resume that are on at least somewhat the same level as the one you are applying to.
Don’t list all jobs on your resume if you are exceeding 2 pages
No recruiter wants to go through pages and pages of all your work experience.
That’s why you should keep your resume between 1 to 2 pages at most.
As mentioned previously, they only care about recent relevant experiences.
So, if you notice that you are exceeding 2 pages, remove the least relevant ones.
Don’t list all jobs on your resume if you were fired from a short-term position
If there was an instance where you were fired from a short-term position, then it is fine to leave it out.
The employment gap would not be as noticeable as one from a long-term position, so it is unlikely that it will concern a recruiter.
How to list all jobs on your resume
When listing all your jobs on your resume, follow a reverse chronological format or group your jobs by skills and only add a few details. You should also limit your bullet points to 4 if you choose to provide achievements or duties under the jobs.
Follow a reverse chronological format
When listing all your jobs on your resume, you should follow a reverse chronological format to stay organized and concise.
A reverse chronological format means you start with your most recent job at the top and your oldest one at the end.
Reverse chronological format in a resume example:
Work Experience:
Development Manager
ABC Company | Charleston, South Carolina | Apr 2017 – Mar 2020
- Increased sales by 70% through innovative sales strategies.
- Conducted existing and target audience needs assessment and introduced 5 new programs accordingly.
- Analyzed market needs and clients’ behaviors.
Assistant Sales Manager
XYZ Company | Charleston, South Carolina | Apr 2010 – Sep 2010
- Managed 10 members in the sales department.
- Handled all sales operations including the client accounts, creating new accounts, and managing the performance of the sales team members.
- Assisted with event management and planned 3 events overall.
You can group jobs by skills, giving a few details
If you have too many jobs to follow a reverse chronological format and stay within 2 pages, then you can group them by skills.
When grouping jobs by skills, you can just mention the main skill practiced at the set of jobs, and underneath, the job title, company name and date of employment without further details.
Grouping jobs by skills in a resume example
Skills Summary
Marketing Skills:
Marketing & Relationship Manager
Abc Inc. | NYC, NY | March 2013 – June 2015
Marketing Executive
Xyz Inc. | NYC, NY | Sep 2010 – June 2011
Real Estate Skills:
Realtor
- Associates | Buffalo, NY | June 2015 – June 2017
Realtor
AB & Co. | Buffalo, NY | June 2011 – Jan 2013
Limit bullet points to 3 or 4
To fit all your jobs on your resume, it would be better to only list 3 to 4 bullet points of achievements on your resume.
Make good use of these limited bullet points by providing quantifiable achievements, awards or recognition instead of just listing your duties or responsibilities.
Hey fellow Linguaholics! It’s me, Marcel. I am the proud owner of linguaholic.com. Languages have always been my passion and I have studied Linguistics, Computational Linguistics and Sinology at the University of Zurich. It is my utmost pleasure to share with all of you guys what I know about languages and linguistics in general.