How to describe work experience on a resume
Last updated May 31, 2026
The work experience section is where you win or lose the interview. The structure is standard; the difference is whether each entry shows impact or just lists duties.
The structure of a job entry
For each role: job title, company (and location), dates, then 3–6 bullets. Keep the header line consistent across entries so it's easy to scan.
Write bullets, not paragraphs
Lead each bullet with a strong verb and a result. Recruiters skim - a wall of prose gets skipped. See how to write resume bullet points for the formula.
How much to include per job
- Recent/relevant roles: 3–6 bullets, the meatiest content.
- Older roles: 1–3 bullets, or just the title/company/dates.
- Irrelevant roles: trim hard or drop them - relevance beats completeness.
What to cut
- Routine duties everyone in the role does.
- Anything older than ~10–15 years unless it's directly relevant.
- First-person pronouns and "Responsible for".
Put this into practice
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