We all know how crucial resumes are. They’re your first impression—a highlight reel of your skills and qualifications. They’re the tool that can land you an interview (and, ultimately, the job).
Your past experience makes up the biggest part of your resume, showing potential employers what you’ve done so far and why you’re a great fit for your next role. So when it comes to writing about your experience, the pressure can feel a little intense. Figuring out what exactly belongs there—let alone how to describe it and format it—can be trickier than it seems.
But don’t worry. As a recruiter and career coach, I’ve seen thousands (and thousands!) of resumes—so I know my way around an experience section. Let me answer all your questions:
What Belongs in My Experience Section?
When you think about what experience to include on your resume, past jobs probably come to mind first—and for good reason. Your full-time work history will usually be the main source of material for your resume. But your experience can include so much more than traditional jobs. Internships, volunteer work, freelance gigs, temp roles, and part-time jobs all count as experience too.
The types of experience you include will depend on where you are in your career. If you’re more established and not making a big career change, you can likely fill your experience section with your most recent full-time jobs. But if you’re newer to the workforce, breaking into a new industry, or making a career pivot, you might need to include less traditional experience. Before adding something, ask yourself: Is this relevant to the jobs I’m targeting?
OK, So How Do I Know What Experience Is Relevant?
Relevant experience is simply experience that applies to the jobs you’re pursuing. For example, if you’re a software engineer, you’d include your current and past engineering jobs and internships—but you might leave off that brief paralegal stint from years ago (unless you’re applying to work as a programmer at a law firm!). Or if you’re applying for a senior marketing role in publishing, you might trim your first marketing job in the beauty industry to make room for more relevant publishing experience.
Beyond just listing roles, think about how you describe what you did and achieved. Say you’re currently a restaurant server applying for receptionist jobs. You’d want to highlight customer interactions, answering phone calls, and managing schedules—skills that transfer well to the new role—while skipping less relevant duties like busing tables.
If you’re not making a big career change, most of your work history will likely be relevant. But since every job posting is different, you’ll need to pick out the most applicable responsibilities.
To tailor your resume for each job, read the posting carefully and note the skills and duties mentioned. Then list the responsibilities you’ve handled before. Voilà—you’ve found your most relevant experience!
When writing about this experience, include keywords from the job posting. This is key for two reasons: First, most applications go through an applicant tracking system (ATS), which scans resumes for keywords to find the best matches. Second, a well-tailored resume makes it easy for recruiters to see why you’re a great fit.
How Should I Format the Experience Section?
Every experience section should start with a clear heading, like “Experience,” “Work Experience,” or “Relevant Experience.” You could also highlight your field with something like “Accounting Experience” or “Entertainment Industry Experience.” The goal is to make it easy to spot for anyone skimming your resume.
If you want to include unrelated experience (like from a past career), you can add another section with a heading like “Additional Experience” or “Additional Professional Experience.” You can also separate volunteer work under “Volunteer Experience” if it doesn’t fit in the main section.
For most job seekers using a chronological or combination resume, list past jobs in reverse chronological order. For each entry, include:
- Position details: Job title, company name, location, and dates (month and year). Example:
Graphic Designer | Evergreen Industries | San Francisco, CA | May 2018 – April 2020 - Job duties and achievements: Include three to seven bullet points per job, starting with a high-level overview of your role and then diving into specifics. Focus on the most relevant experience for the job you’re applying to. You can mix achievements with duties or create a “Key Achievements” subsection. Quantify your impact where possible—it adds context and impresses employers. Use this formula for strong bullet points: Compelling verb + job duty = tangible number/result. Example:
*Redesigned new hire onboarding program to include welcome week, 1:1 mentoring, and interactive training, resulting in a 60% increase in 90-day retention.* - Promotions: If you were promoted, you can either list the roles separately (if duties were very different) or group them under one entry. Example:
UX Designer | Caterpillar Collective | Kansas City, MO | July 2019 – Present
Associate UX Designer | March 2018 – July 2019- *Collaborated with marketing team to create user-centric designs, contributing to a 30% customer increase over 2 years.*
- *Conducted 50+ interviews and 12 surveys (200+ users each), analyzing results for stakeholder recommendations.*
- Led website redesign focusing on accessibility, increasing retention among visually impaired users by 50% (per surveys).
Is It Ever OK to Tweak My Job Titles?
Never lie or exaggerate, but there are times when adjusting a job title is fine—as long as it clarifies, not misleads. Two common scenarios:
- Your employer gave you an unconventional title. A startup might call someone a “Data Guru,” while a traditional company would say “Data Scientist.” In this case, tweaking the title is usually safe.
- You handle multiple roles. If your job covers many responsibilities (like an office manager who also supports marketing), you might adjust your title for clarity. Example: “Office Manager – Marketing Support.”
If tweaking feels like a stretch, focus on strong bullet points or use your summary to add context.
How Far Back Should My Experience Section Go?
Since recruiters care most about recent and relevant experience, you don’t need to list every past job. A concise, one-page resume is ideal—they’re busy and don’t have time to read decades of work history.
As a general rule, include no more than 10–15 years of experience (with some exceptions). Check out detailed guidelines based on your career stage and special situations.
What If I Have a Gap in Employment?
Employment gaps are common—people take time off for caregiving, parenting, education, travel, or job loss. If your gap is short (under six months), you likely don’t need to address it. For longer gaps (over a year), add a brief line in your experience section. Examples:
- Professional Sabbatical | June 2016 – August 2019
Provided full-time care for a sick family member. - Traveled throughout Southeast Asia, including Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia.
- Authored a memoir about growing up on a Christmas tree farm.
You can also explain gaps in more detail in your cover letter. If you went back to school, listing education (with relevant projects/coursework) can help bridge the gap.
Can I See an Example Experience Section?
Here’s how a well-tailored, quantified experience section might look for someone who transitioned from accounting to writing (now targeting lifestyle/wellness writing roles). Notice how they highlight relevant achievements in “Key Achievements” subsections. (They’d also link to their portfolio for employers to review.)
