Listing multiple positions from one company on a resume is tricky for several reasons. You must convey these jobs succinctly without taking up a lot of space on the page. Plus, you need to make sure applicant tracking software picks up on the fact that you spent 10 years with one company at three different positions. On top of that, the resume should look great, with the right amount of bullet points and white space. Take the guesswork out of multiple positions with this comprehensive guide to showing your promotions and positions within a single organization.
Why Showing Promotions and Multiple Jobs Is Important
Your resume should show the narrative of your professional life. Listing promotions or multiple jobs is important because it gives your future boss a way to look at your experience. Did you start as a sales associate and then move to the marketing department? That's one part of the story your resume needs to explain clearly.
Did you earn a promotion to team leader after you came in as an entry-level computer programmer? This shows you have leadership qualities that a future employer needs to see if you apply for a managerial job. How you show these incremental steps becomes important because you want an employer to see a logical progression from one job to another.
Chronological Order
You do not want your resume to appear as if you spent less time at a company than you really did. You also want your highest level achieved to appear first on the page. Therefore, it becomes important to list jobs chronologically, starting with the most recent.
Within the time you spent at each employer, you also need to show the months and years you spent at every position. The time at each position should add up to the overall time you spent at the employer. This is where clear formatting comes into play.
Stacked Entry Format
Viable formatting is crucial for two reasons. First, you want to make sure the applicant tracking software knows that you spent a certain amount of time at one firm. Second, humans’ eyes need to scan the resume quickly.
A stacked entry format creates one area that shows the entire time you spent at one company. Start with the company name and location first on a single line. Below that, list the most recent position you held with that company and the dates you held that job. Go to the next line and list the position you held at that firm previous to the most recent one.
After you list all of your positions, it's time to list your greatest achievements and experiences at the company. Four or five bullet points should suffice. One entry for the same company works well if your job duties remained similar during your time there.
If you worked at a company for a long time further back in the past, consider placing a stacked entry into a separate section, but without the bullet points. This shows your employer that you moved forward in your career awhile back. If the HR manager wants more information, he can discuss that job with you in person.
Separate Entries
Separate entries illustrate that you obtained two distinct positions. These positions had different duties, responsibilities, achievements and accomplishments. Separate entries allow you to go into more detail with each position. However, they take up more space on the page.
Each separate entry lists the name and location of the employer on one line. The line below that has the job title and the dates you held that position. The next line starts three or four bullet points about what you accomplished. The very next entry on the page looks just like it, except you input a different job title and different achievements from the entry right above it.
For example, the most recent position you had with Acme Brick was the head of marketing for three years. This job entailed overseeing a team of eight people, developing relationships with the media, planning regular outreach events and creating a monthly newsletter. Previous to that, you were a copywriter in Acme Brick's marketing department for five years. You worked within the team as opposed to leading it. You wrote press releases, edited the company's website, called the media to arrange interviews, and pitched articles for the company newsletter.
These two jobs at Acme Brick should show how you progressed from one to the other. List the most recent one first, but include the accomplishments and duties of the previous position to show you have a wide range of experiences.
The most important aspect of multiple positions to get down involves showing that you spent many years at one firm. Make it clear that you spent 10 years at one company instead of fewer years at three different jobs. This illustrates promotions, lateral moves to a different department and loyalty to one company. Clear explanations of multiple positions helps an employer talk to your supervisors when someone calls for references.
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