I have a question about writing a resume.

[Lucian]

How far back do I go on my employment history on a resume? Do I put my total employment history? Or do I only go back about five years?

I've been in the work force for about thirteen years now, and I've worked several jobs, but I don't know how far back I should go. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thank you! :hi:

Edit to add that I went to a college for 4 1/2 years, but I never graduated from there. Should I include that on my resume?

[HEyHEY]

1. Go back three jobs is what I do.

As for the college thing, that's always tricky. I transferred into my school from another institution. And they wouldn't transfer ONE class, so I have no actual piece of paper. I always just put on my resume that I went, but never mentioned "Diploma received" or anything like that. If they ever asked I tell them I can produce a letter from my department head explaining why I don't have the paper and that I'm not a drop out.

[cherokeeprogressive]

2. 10 years is what I was taught.

I used to teach Vocational Ed for adults. I did it for 10 years.

Go back 10 years. In every section where you describe your duties with a particular employer, begin every sentence with a verb: Assisted, monitored, facilitated, transported, whatever.

Limit your resume to a single page. There are many ways to do this if you have things you CAN'T leave out: Line spacing of less than 1, wider margins, an 11 point font or maybe even 10, and fewer words.

[yankeepants]

3. The new rule for resumes is

that with so many applicants for jobs, employers have a few seconds to view each resume and in those few seconds they don't want to know what you did for other companies but what you can do for them.

Your emphasis right up front needs to be what you are bringing to them by way of skills, areas of expertise, etc.

History and education can be concise and factual.

Good luck

[Deep13]

4. Anything that looks good and will fit on one page. nt

[Arkansas Granny]

6. It's very important that it fit on one page. A one page resume that lists

pertinent information in an easy to read format is much more likely to be read by the person making hiring decisions.

[TZ]

5. Make sure the most relevant experience to what you are applying for is on there.

Remember, its not about quantity of jobs but about QUALITY or how relevant your experience is.

[bluedigger]

7. It depends.

If you are applying for a mcjob, keep it to one page and ten years. If it's in your career field, you get one page per ten years experience (assuming multiple employers/positions) with a three page max. If you have specialized skills and unique experience you need to be able to demonstrate it.

As for the college, if "some college" is a job requirement, yes. Otherwise, it's a judgement call. Four and a half years studying astrophysics looks a lot better than the same time spent on basket weaving...

I keep two resumes...

[Curmudgeoness]

8. This is not what experts recommend, but has worked well for me.

At one point, I had several jobs in a relatively short period of time. I did not want to look like I job-hopped, so I did not list any employment history. What I did do is list what I had done in the past and what industries I had worked in. Example would be: Twenty years experience in the accounting field. Experience includes all aspects of accounting through financial statements with analysis. Have supervised up to five people. Blah blah blah.

This tells them more than a list of employers. And it did not leave a bad impression that a list would have given. And I often got interviews from this, even if it is not the standard way you are told to do a resume. Push your experience.