You’ve decided it’s time to start the next chapter in your career — but first, your resume needs some work. Right now, it contains every job you’ve held in your professional life, which is likely a bit much.
Hiring managers won’t read a five-page resume, so you need to pare it down to one or two pages. There’s no hard and fast rule for how far back you should go, so here’s some advice to help you figure out what’s right for your unique situation.
How Far Back Do You Need to Go on Your Next Resume?
Use the 10-Year Rule as a Guide
As a general rule of thumb, it’s a good idea to only list jobs you’ve held in the past ten years on your resume. This gives the hiring manager a solid snapshot of your skills and qualifications without taking them on a trip down memory lane. Extending your resume to include every job you’ve ever had will take the focus away from your fit for the position.
Focus on Relevancy
If you’re applying for a job that isn’t a natural progression on your current career path, some of your early work experience may be more relevant than positions you’ve held in the past ten years. In this case, it makes sense to include these roles on your resume, because they highlight your fit.
A resume is a tool that markets you as the best person for a particular job. Therefore, you need to include positions from your past that support your bid.
Create a Qualifications Section
You’ve picked up a lot of incredible skills over the years. However, you don’t have to list every job you’ve ever had to highlight them. Present transferrable skills from unrelated positions you held more than ten years ago in a qualifications section at the top of your resume. List these skills in bullet point form, and if you’re invited to interview for the job, you can provide additional information in person.
Combine Similar Jobs
If you feel several jobs from your early career are still relevant to the position, you can combine those similar in nature. For example, if you held three different material handler positions with similar responsibilities over a six-year-period, you can list it like this:
Material Handler, 2003-2009
Company W, Company X, Company Y, Company Z
Ready to take your career to the next level in Northern Indiana or Southern Michigan? Wood Staffing is here help you find the perfect fit. Contact us today to get started!
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