What should you include in your work experience?
Your work experience section gives employers context about the roles you've held, the work you've performed and the skills you've developed.
For each relevant position, provide enough information for the reader to understand where you worked, what your role was and what you contributed.
Start with your most relevant recent experience
A common approach is to list work experience in reverse chronological order, starting with your current or most recent position and then moving backward.
This makes it easy for an employer to understand what you've been doing recently and how your career has developed.
Example Company
Example Company
Example Company
Describe what you actually did
Avoid descriptions that are so broad they could apply to almost anyone in the same position. Give enough detail to explain the type of work you performed.
Responsible for planning materials.
Planned raw material requirements based on production schedules, inventory levels and demand forecasts.
Start with clear action verbs
Action verbs can help make descriptions more direct. Choose verbs that accurately describe the work you performed.
Show achievements when you can
Responsibilities explain what your job involved. Achievements can show what changed because of your work.
Not every bullet needs a number, and you should never invent metrics. But when you have a meaningful result that can be described accurately, adding context can make your contribution clearer.
Managed inventory levels for raw materials.
Improved raw material planning processes, helping reduce inventory while maintaining material availability for production.
Include percentages, revenue, volume, time savings or other metrics only when they are accurate and provide useful context.
A useful formula for experience descriptions
When you're stuck, break your description into three questions:
Start with the action or responsibility.
Add useful context, tools or scope.
Add an outcome when relevant.
Coordinated material requirements with suppliers and production teams to support availability for scheduled manufacturing while controlling inventory levels.
Examples for different types of roles
The wording should always reflect your actual responsibilities. These examples show how experience descriptions can be structured.
Project Coordinator
- Coordinated project schedules, deliverables and communication across cross-functional teams.
- Tracked project progress and identified risks that could affect delivery timelines.
- Prepared project updates for stakeholders and supported follow-up actions.
Mobile Developer
- Developed and maintained mobile application features based on product requirements.
- Investigated application issues and implemented fixes to improve reliability.
- Collaborated on UI improvements and iterative product releases.
Customer Support Specialist
- Responded to customer requests and provided clear information about products and services.
- Investigated customer issues and coordinated with internal teams to support resolution.
- Documented recurring questions to improve support information.
Materials Planner
- Planned material requirements using production schedules, inventory and demand information.
- Coordinated with suppliers to support material availability and manage delivery risks.
- Monitored inventory coverage and adjusted plans based on changes in production demand.
Add your experience in Make Resume and use AI assistance to improve the wording of your description.
Tailor experience to the position
You may have performed many different tasks in a role. Your resume does not necessarily need to give each one equal attention.
Read the job description and identify the experience most relevant to the employer's requirements. When your actual experience matches those requirements, make that connection easy to see.
Learn how relevant terminology and clear formatting can help communicate your experience.
Common work experience mistakes
Explain your actual work rather than simply reproducing generic responsibilities from a vacancy.
Give enough context for the reader to understand what you actually did.
Quantify achievements only when you have accurate information to support them.
Prioritize information that helps explain your fit for the position.
Use the same date format throughout your work history.
Work experience checklist
Turn your experience into a stronger resume.
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