Developing the Work History Section of Your Resume ...

Once you have the first three sections of your resume completed – (1) the Heading and Contact Information; (2) the Targeted Objective Statement; and (3) the Skills and Experience Section (also targeted to the job specific requirements posted in the advertisement for the job) – you are ready to complete the “Work History” section of your resume.

Because you have already shown that you have the skills and experience necessary to fulfill the job requirements, the “Work History” section can be a chronological listing of the jobs you’ve held. In most cases, it does not have to be as detailed as you may have made it in previous versions of your resume.

Here are some things to note:

·       The “Work History” will remain the same on most of the resumes you send out.
·       You only need to go back 10 to 15 years or so.
·       It is the “chronological” listing of work history, and blends in your education and volunteer work in a timeline.
·       There should be no huge gaps showing here.
·       The timeline always starts with the most current job and works its way backwards.
·       Watch your formatting to make certain it is consistent throughout.

Here is how the section could look:

Work History

     ABC Plumbing
     Tacoma, WA
     July 2007 to Current
     Apprentice -- all basic plumbing skills

     Amazon Warehouse
     Seattle, WA
     January 2001 to June 2007
     Warehouse Worker -- Shipping and Receiving

     Home Health Care (for Grandmother)
     Puyallup, WA
     January 2000 to January 2001
     Admistered basic home health care services 


Nice and easy. No gaps in the history.

Tomorrow, I'll show you how to fill in the gaps if you have any -- and we'll finish the final sections of your resume.

Until then, good hunting!

:)  Dana