Work Experience on a CV
If you are looking for your dream job, it is therefore essential to highlight your career path by writing your work experience in your CV in the right way.
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Which Professional Experiences Should Be Put on a CV?
It is strongly advised to list all of your experiences on a draft before writing the resume. Is it a good idea to put all your former jobs in this CV section? It all depends on your profile and the position to be filled.
Writing the Work Experience Section with Little or No Experience
If you are a young graduate or if you have been in the job market for a short time, you can mention everything in your CV. You can even add the summer jobs if they put forward some required soft skills. Recruiters always prefer quality over quantity.
With two or three proven experiences, they can assess your ability to hold the proposed position. Avoid at all costs adding experiences which are not yours. You should never lie on your CV at the risk of tarnishing your reputation in the long term.
Writing the Work Experience Section with a lot of Experiences
The issue is totally different if you already have a long career. In this case, we advise you to take the time to sort out and keep only the experiences related to the job offer. Select only former positions that prove your suitability for the profile the company is looking for.
Most of the time, recruiters and hiring managers do not pay attention to resumes which are too long. One page should be enough, but you can make a two-page CV if you have a lot of experience that would benefit your application. Two pages are the limit!
Writing the Work Experience Section with a Scattered Job History
Many job seekers fear the reaction of recruiters to the holes they have in their work experience. Still, there is nothing to worry about because job hopping is becoming more and more common. Current recruiters have fewer preconceptions. The most important thing is to show that you have the abilities and the skills required for the position.
Opt for the functional resume to better camouflage the holes without lying. In this way, the recruiter will focus more on your professional skills rather than all the jobs you held and your employment duration.
Keep the Section Relevant to the Job Sought
In all cases, the work experience section must remain relevant to the profile sought. The task can be even more complicated if you are in professional retraining. But again, only keep old positions that show you are a good fit for the job.
If you have a lot of experiences under your belt, summarize in order to highlight the ones that benefit you the most. You will be able to better detail your professional background during the job interview.
How to Present Professional Experiences on a CV?
Your work history is the flagship section of recruiters. After selecting the professional experiences that you want to put in your CV, you must detail each of them properly. Specify your missions for each position you have held. Introduce your professional experiences with a short descriptive paragraph. Be clear and concise. Ambiguity has no room in this part of your resume.
What Should the Work Experience Section Contain?
Your job history section layout should include the following bullets:
- The job title
- The company name
- The location of employment
- Month and year started and left the former job
Then, add three to six bullet points which outline your real impact at the company. This part is important because it makes all the difference between you and the other candidates. As far as the writing technique is concerned, use powerful verbs as well as clear numbers and facts. Also mention growth between positions to showcase your assets. Choose the right keywords from the job description.
What to Avoid while Writing the Work Experience Section?
Put yourself in the reader’s shoes to avoid mistakes that could cost you the job sought. The recruiter does not need you to explain everything in this section. You should also avoid rambling even if you have little experience. Always go straight to the point to capture the hiring manager’s attention. Do not explain what the company does. Stay focused on yourself because the recruiter is interested in your profile, not the organization.
Do not repeat all the basic requirements of the position. Only mention it explicitly in the job title and prove it through the result-focused bullet points. Avoid filler words to save space and make your CV more relevant. As a matter of fact, banish anything irrelevant if you want to have a greater immediate impact on the prospective employer.
Use an Online CV Builder to Write the Work Experience Section Properly
The internet is a big help for job seekers these days. In addition to being able to find ads on specialized websites and send your application by email, you can now write your CV online. After defining the type of resume you want to create, chronological, functional or combination of both, all you have to do is find a reliable CV builder. Then, choose an appropriate resume template. All you have to do is fill in the document with the right information.
The advantages of using a CV builder to write a CV
A CV creator saves you time. It allows you to choose an aesthetic, elegant and modern CV example which is perfect to catch the eye of the recruiter. This type of online tool also prevents you from forgetting certain important information, not only in the Work Experience section, but throughout the CV in general.