How to Write an Employment History That Wows Employers
Hiring managers often have to wade through hundreds, or even thousands, of resumes when they’re filling a position. Resumes are valuable and necessary for hiring managers—but with so many of them poorly written, badly organized, or simply not what the position calls for, the search for qualified candidates can get frustrating.
The good news for job seekers is that it’s not hard to stand out from the crowd and win your way to an interview slot.
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The employment history section of your resume is an essential one, and it’s often where hiring managers look first. Follow these tips to make your employment history shine, and instantly attract the attention of a hiring manager.
Don’t describe “the job”
Many resumes have work experience sections that read like classified ads. This is boring, uninspiring, and not likely to get you any further interest.
Hiring managers aren’t interested in what your duties were at your previous jobs. They already know—in fact, they’ve probably written job descriptions. What they’re looking for is details about your performance of those duties—not what the job was, but how you did it.
Prove your worth
Your accomplishments and positive results are the keys to impressing a hiring manager. They want to know what type of value you’ll bring to their company, and they’ll scan your resume looking for proof of your value as an employee.
You should not only highlight your accomplishments, but quantify them—when possible, with actual figures and percentages. You didn’t just “increase revenues significantly,” you “grew revenues from $100,000 in 2006 to $750,000 in 2008.” You did more than “expand the company’s social media network,” you “quadrupled Facebook followers on the company’s fan page from Q2 to Q3 in 2011.”
Including measurable results on your resume is a great way to make your work history section pop.
Use a readable—and scannable—format
When faced with a huge stack of resumes, the average hiring manager spends just seconds looking at each one. If there’s nothing to hold interest right away, the manager will move on to the next.
You can make your most vital information stand out by changing the format of your resume. Most employment history sections opt for either bulleted lists, or “narrative style” paragraphs to tell a story about the experiences. The best way to present your information is to use both.
Start each work experience with a short paragraph that succinctly describes your responsibilities. Then, follow it up with a bulleted lists of your successes and accomplishments—with facts and figures, if possible. Use headings like “Significant Contributions” or “Key Accomplishments” for even more attention.
Phrasing is everything
Finally, go through your resume and replace dull, clichéd, or passive phrasing with power words and active statements. Skip things like “duties include” and “responsible for,” and reverse problem-action statements to make them action-problem.
For example:
Implemented an efficient website subscription form that increased mailing list signups
Reads better as:
Grew email lists by 400% by implementing an efficient website subscription form
Does your resume’s employment history follow these tips? Make the changes today, and watch your response rate for interviews increase significantly as you impress more hiring managers. For the best tips on resumes that get results, contact the recruiters at PsychPros.[/two_third_last]