AN EFFECTIVE EMPLOYMENT FORMAT

The format you choose for your employment section can make a big difference in the visual appeal and readability of your resume. I have tested formats extensively and find that the format below is the one that most employers prefer.

EMPLOYMENT

Balboa’s Steak House, 7/92 to Present

General Manager, Miami, Florida, 10/98 to Present. Took over a troubled restaurant which had had six managers in two years and had incurred losses each month during that time. Resolved serious morale problems, instituted an effective training program, and redesigned the menu. During the first nine months increased lunch revenue 38% and dinner 29%. Losses were eliminated within two months and a consistent profit margin of 14% has been maintained.

Assistant Manager, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, 7/96 to 10/98. Redesigned the menu and helped introduce wine sales. Provided extensive staff training that enabled the restaurant to become number one in wine sales in the chain of twenty restaurants. Purchased all food and supplies.

Saga, Inc., Tallahassee, Florida, 9/94 to 6/96

Student Manager ‑ For this college cafeteria, prepared food, scheduled part‑time workers, purchased supplies, and oversaw lunch and dinner lines.

Following are sample treatments of various types of work histories. One of them should conform fairly closely to your own.

Same Company, Three Positions, All in the Same City

EMPLOYMENT

Douglas Bolt Company, St. Louis, Missouri, 8/83 to Present

V. P. Purchasing, 7/92 to Present.
....
Directory of Purchasing, 5/89 to 7/92.
....
Manager, Stock Parts Purchasing, 8/83 to 5/89. ....... .....

Same Company, Three Positions, Three Different Cities

EMPLOYMENT

Horizon Gear, 8/82 to Present

Regional Sales Manager, Houston, Texas, 7/93 to Present.. ....... .....

District Sales Manager, Atlanta, Georgia, 3/89 to 7/93. ....... .....

Sales Representative, Little Rock, Arkansas, 8/82 to 3/89. ....... .....

In a situation like this you might want to indicate where the headquarters is located. In that case you would show it as: Horizon Gear, Chicago, Illinois, 8/78 to Present.

One Position With Each Company

EMPLOYMENT

Shannon Electric, Garden City, Michigan, 5/91 to Present

Installer ‑ ....
.....

Preston Electric, Detroit, Michigan, 6/88 to 5/91

Installer ‑
.....

Work for a Subsidiary or Division of a Major Company

EMPLOYMENT

Antac, Inc., Subsidiary of A&R Industries, Buffalo, New York, 5/86 to Present

It is seldom necessary to specify the parent company. If you choose to, however, this is the easiest way to do it.

PRIOR EMPLOYMENT

A prior employment section is particularly useful if you are trying to shorten your resume or de‑emphasize your earlier jobs. A prior employment section is an effective way to explain how you’ve gotten to where you are without making the employer spend a lot of time reading about it. Other titles for this section include Previous Employment, Prior Experience, or Additional Experience.

The example below shows the most commonly used format for the prior employment section. The Assistant Purchasing Manager position is the sixth job description position on his two-page resume.

Assistant Purchasing Manager - 3/81-5/82. Set up and developed an inventory control program to reduce inventory and operating costs. Over the next year reduced inventory by 20%.

PRIOR EMPLOYMENT

Counterperson, Zenith Electronics, Los Angeles, CA, 3/80-3/81
Expediter, Hughes Aircraft, Los Angeles, CA, 4/78-3/80
Parts Manager, High Lift Equipment, Long Beach, CA, 9/76-4/78

In the example above, the person has included title, name of company, city and state, and dates. Generally this information would be included. In the remaining examples, however, you will see how personal taste varies. I generally include city and state, but if it seems like unnecessary detail for some distant jobs, feel free to leave city and state off.

In the example below, the person provides the job title, name of employer, and dates, but not the city and state.

Example (starting with the person’s fifth position on a two-page resume):

National Computer Stores, Spokane, WA, 5/86-6/87

Sales Representative - Sold hardware and software for this IBM authorized dealer. Consistently exceeded monthly sales goals.

PRIOR EXPERIENCE

Food Service Specialist, Johnson Nursing Home (8/84-5/86); Cook, Boyd’s Restaurant (7/82-8/84); Cook, Iron Pig Restaurant (6/81-7/82)

In the following example the individual did not feel it necessary to give specific time periods or list the names of employers.

Example (starting with the person’s seventh position on a two-page resume):

Xytelin Electronics, Mountain View, California, 1971 to 1975

Internal Auditor ‑ Discovered weaknesses in the parts inventory control
procedures and recommended remedial action. Responsible for quarterly
and yearly audits.

Prior Experience, 1964 to 1971: Airline Internal Auditor, Cost Clerk, Production Scheduler.

In the example below, the person listed dates, but did not list employers.

Example (starting with fifth position on a one‑page resume):

Department of Social Services, Winston‑Salem, North Carolina, 3/74 to 4/75

Eligibility Specialist ‑ Assisted families in obtaining all of the Medicaid
benefits they were legally entitled to. Provided psychological and social
support services.

Previous Experience:

Cashier/Hostess, 1/73 to 3/74; Sales Clerk, 6/72 to 1/73; Long Distance
Operator, 7/70 to 6/72.

The remaining examples will simply give you more options.

PRIOR EMPLOYMENT

Cashier ‑ Pay Less Drugs, Elgin, Illinois, 1974-1976
Cashier ‑ Don’s Rexall, Carbondale, Illinois, 1972-1974
Stocker ‑ Jewel Foodstores, Peoria, Illinois, 1971-1972

PREVIOUS EMPLOYMENT

Truck Driver (1967‑1971); Warehouseman (1967); Machine Repairman (1966-1967)

Sometimes a person will choose not to describe all the positions with a particular company, especially the first one the person worked for. The person below has worked for Boeing since 1976.

Production Inspector - 3/84-4/86. Performed final interior, flight line modification, and wing line inspections on Boeing 737 aircraft. Verified that the production department installed assemblies according to specifications.

Prior Boeing positions: Assistant Production Inspector, 4/81-3/84; Tooling Inspector, 5/79-4/81; Jig Builder, 3/76-5/79.