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Work Experience on a CV
Your work experience is the strongest proof of what you can do.
Which jobs should you include in your work experience CV section?
There is no rule saying you must list every job you have ever had. Focus on experience that proves you can do this job today. As a general rule, go back around the last 10–15 years or your most recent three to six roles, and prioritise relevance.
If you have little or no experience
If you are a young graduate or applying for your first job, you probably worry you don’t have enough work experience. In reality, you usually have more to show than you think.
- Include internships, student jobs, seasonal work and volunteering.
- Highlight experiences that show key soft skills (teamwork, communication, responsibility, customer service, etc.).
- Keep 2–4 experiences that are closest to the job you want and develop them with strong bullet points.
If you truly have no work experience at all, create a short “Experience” section with projects, university work or volunteering, and rely more on your education and skills. Linking to your young graduate CV guide can also help you structure the rest of your CV.
If you have several years of experience
With a long career, the risk is to drown the recruiter in information. Focus on what matters most for the role you’re targeting.
- List your jobs in reverse chronological order (most recent first).
- Keep your CV to one page if possible, and up to two pages if you have strong, relevant experience.
- Group very old or less relevant roles in a short “Earlier career” section with just job title, employer and dates.
- Give more space (more bullet points) to recent roles that match the job you want.
If you have gaps or a scattered job history
Non-linear careers and employment gaps are now common. Recruiters care more about your skills and results than a perfectly straight CV. The key is to stay honest and structure your experience clearly.
- Don’t try to hide gaps with fake dates—explain them briefly or refer to your gaps in the CV explanation if needed.
- Group very short contracts or temp roles under one heading (for example “Temporary retail roles – various employers”).
- If your jobs are very varied, consider a more functional or combination CV type to highlight skills first.
In every case, select the roles that best support your story for this application, not every job you have ever had.
If you are changing careers
For a career change, recruiters mainly want to see transferable skills and proof that you can adapt.
- Keep roles where you used skills that match the new job (management, sales, customer support, analysis, project management, etc.).
- Use your bullet points to connect your old role to the new one (same type of clients, tools, environment, challenges).
- Downplay highly technical or niche tasks that are not relevant to your new target job.
You can also mention your new training, certificates or side projects in the experience section if they are directly related to the role you want.
How to present your CV work experience section?
Once you know which jobs to list, the next step is to present them in a clean, consistent format. Recruiters should be able to understand your career in a few seconds.
Basic layout for each job
For each role in your work experience section, stick to the same structure:
- Job title (in bold)
- Company name
- Location (City, Country)
- Dates (month and year – month and year, or “Present”)
- 3–6 bullet points showing what you achieved in the role
Customer Service Advisor – BrightCall Ltd, London
June 2022 – Present
- Resolved an average of 45+ customer queries per day while maintaining a 95% satisfaction score.
- Reduced average call handling time by 18% by creating new answer scripts and FAQs.
- Trained 4 new team members on systems and communication standards.
Write bullet points that show impact
The biggest mistake in the work experience section is to only list duties (“Responsible for…”, “In charge of…”). Effective bullet points show what you achieved, not just what you were supposed to do.
Use this simple formula for each bullet point:
Strong verb + what you did + how you did it + result (with numbers if possible)
- “Increased online sales by 22% in six months by launching targeted email campaigns and A/B testing landing pages.”
- “Reduced stock errors by 30% by introducing weekly inventory checks and training staff on new procedures.”
- “Improved customer wait times from 12 minutes to 7 minutes by redesigning the appointment schedule.”
Where possible, bring in keywords from the job advert (tools, methods, targets) so your CV is both relevant to the recruiter and ATS-friendly.
How far back should work experience go on a CV?
For most candidates, listing around the last 10–15 years of employment history or your last three to six jobs is enough to give a clear picture of your career. Older roles usually add little value unless they are directly relevant to the position. :contentReference[oaicite:8]{index=8}
- Keep full details (bullet points) for recent and relevant roles.
- Simplify or remove very old roles that add nothing to your current application.
- If an older job is extremely relevant, you can still include it with a short description.
Common mistakes to avoid in the work experience CV section
Even strong profiles can be rejected because of a poorly written experience section. Avoid these frequent errors:
- Listing only duties: write achievements and results, not just responsibilities.
- Adding irrelevant jobs: remove experience that doesn’t help you get this job.
- Writing long blocks of text: use bullet points, not paragraphs, so your CV is easy to scan.
- Repeating the job advert: show evidence of skills instead of copying requirements.
- Leaving unexplained gaps: be transparent and refer to your CV gaps explanation if necessary.
- Inconsistent formatting: keep the same style for dates, locations and job titles throughout your CV.
Key takeaways for the work experience CV section
Before you finalise your CV, use this quick checklist to make sure your education section is clear, relevant and easy to read:
- Be selective: choose experience that matches the job you want, not every job you’ve done.
- Stay clear and consistent: use the same layout for each role and write in reverse chronological order.
- Show results: turn tasks into achievements with action verbs, numbers and concrete examples.
- Adapt every time: tailor your work experience to each job advert and include the right keywords.
- Use the right tools: a professional CV builder and modern templates make it much easier to present your experience properly.
FAQ – Work experience on a CV
Why your work experience section matters?
The work experience CV section (also called employment history or professional experience) is the part recruiters read first. It tells them in a few lines whether you can do the job and how you’ve performed in the past.
- Recruiters skim first: they scan job titles, employers and dates before reading details.
- ATS filters your CV: many applicant tracking systems search this section for keywords from the job description.
- Employers compare candidates here: your achievements, not just your duties, are what set you apart.
Writing strong work experience on a CV means choosing the right jobs, structuring them in a clear way and using bullet points that show results, not just tasks.
How many jobs should I list on my CV?
Most candidates list between three and six jobs in their work experience CV section. If you have a long career, focus on roles from the last 10–15 years and those that best match the job you’re applying for.
Should I include internships and volunteering in my work experience?
Yes—especially if you are a student or young graduate. Internships, volunteering and student jobs are valuable experience. Present them like any other job, with clear bullet points showing your responsibilities and achievements.
Can I include jobs that aren’t related to the role I want?
You can, but only if you can show useful, transferable skills. For example, retail or hospitality roles can show customer service, teamwork, time management and sales skills. If you can’t connect a job to your target role, consider removing it or keeping it very brief.
How do I explain gaps in employment history on my CV?
Be honest and concise. Add your work experience in order, don’t manipulate dates, and briefly mention the reason for the gap if needed (study, travel, family, health, job search). For more tips and examples, see our full guide on gaps in the CV.
What if I have no work experience at all?
If you have no professional experience yet, focus your CV on your education, projects, volunteering, student jobs and relevant activities. Create a short “Experience” section with 1–3 entries and use the same bullet-point structure. Our graduate CV guide will help you organise the rest of your CV.
How do I show promotions in my work experience section?
If you were promoted within the same company, keep the employer name once and list each job title with its own dates under it. This makes your progression easy to see. In your bullet points, mention “Promoted to…” when it helps to show performance, trust or leadership (for example, promotion after exceeding targets or managing a team).
Ready to write your work experience?
Use these tips with one of our professional templates and build your CV online in a few minutes. Start with your work experience section, then complete your skills, education and other sections for a CV that convinces recruiters at first glance.
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