To write your work experience section, first, list your past jobs in reverse chronological order. Start with your current or most recent role. Include the job title, company name, dates of employment, and location (city, country). Then, write bullet points that emphasize your impact. Use action verbs to clarify the tasks you carried out. Describe the outcomes you achieved or worked towards. Use numbers to specify your contributions and achievements. Highlight the results of your work, not plain responsibilities.
The resume work experience section should always be reverse chronological. List your current or most recent job first and work your way back from there. For each job listed, write concise bullet points. Begin most bullets with an action verb to showcase how you contributed and what outcome you achieved. Use numbers to specify details.
Hiring managers want to know, “Do you have experience that’s directly related to the job requirements?” In other words—have you done similar things in the past, and are you likely to replicate the results here?
How you write about your work history should make answers to those questions clear.
In this guide, we’ll cover everything on how to write about your work experience. We’ll also go through different formulas and AI tools that you can use to make the entire process easier.
Complete your resume immediately with Rezi AI Resume Builder. Watch your resume write itself—draft the perfect bullet points, a powerful work experience section, and get suggestions on the top skills to include, tailored to the job you’re after. And the design and layout? It will always stay perfect. Just pick one of our 15+ free resume templates.
What to Put in the Work Experience Section
Here’s what to include in every entry in the work experience section:
- Job title, company name, and location (city, country).
- Dates of employment by the month and year.
- Description of what you did, what skills you used, and what outcomes you reached.
- Your proudest achievements and key contributions.
- Numbers to quantify your scope of work and impact.
- Job promotions and increase in responsibilities.
Of all resume sections, the work experience is the most important because this is where you provide proof of your professional abilities and knowledge.
Karolina Gorska, the Senior HR Coordinator at Delante, even mentions that:
“Essential information includes your contact details, professional summary, and evidence-backed skills and experiences.”
Key takeaway: a work experience section that focuses on outcomes is essential.
Examples of Good Work Experience Sections
See the work experience section examples below from some of our top resumes. All of them work effectively because:
- Job duties are specified using numbers, emphasizing the significance of each candidate’s contributions.
- Accomplishments are quantified.
- All responsibilities described are relevant to the target job position.
Sample work experience section for an account executive
Sample work experience section for a CMO
Sample work experience section for a full stack developer intern
If you’d like to get started on a professional resume without worrying about the formatting, you can use one of our free resume templates.
How to Write the Work Experience Section of a Resume
This is how to write the work experience section of a resume:
- List previous roles in reverse chronological order. Include the company name, dates of employment, and the location.
- Under each job, write between three and eight bullet points describing your role. The more recent the role, the more bullets you should use.
- Use action verbs to outline the most important tasks you carried out.
- Describe achievements and outcomes you worked towards using quantitative data.
- Focus on relevant technical skills and responsibilities, using numbers to emphasize your impact.
- Order your bullet points by relevance.
- Tailor your work experience section to match the job description by embedding keywords strategically.
- Double-check and proofread.
Above all, focus on proving that you have relevant experience and achievements.
I’m not the only one who says so. Karolina Gorska, who has over 8 years of experience as a recruiter and HR specialist, also mentioned that:
“The biggest mistake I see every time I read a resume is the intention to convince me (the recruiter) that you know everything about everything. Many [almost write a novel]. We don’t need that. All that is relevant to us is your experience, your skills and your personality. But your personality will be tested after your resume passes on. So you should create a resume that will get your foot through the door. A good resume is short and relevant!”
A relevant resume means one tailored to the job opening at the company you’re targeting. Prospective employers look for specific details—find what matters to them and prioritize these key bits of information.
“Many candidates send generic, one-size-fits-all resumes. There’s nothing more off-putting than seeing a resume so blank and boring, that you know it’s been recycled 20 times already. Recruiters are more willing to hire someone who put in the time to write something specifically for them, relevant to that particular job.”
This means you should:
“Highlight specific skills and experiences that align with the role’s requirements. Show only measurable achievements rather than just listing duties.”
Bottom line: great work experience sections aren’t only outcome-focused, but they’re also relevant and intentional.
1. List your job titles, company names, locations, and employment dates
Start by listing your previous job positions in reverse chronological order. Put your current or most recent role first and go backwards from there. This is crucial so that you can give recruiters and hiring managers an instant overview of your career timeline and progression.
Next, mention the company you worked for, followed by the dates of employment by month and year. Lastly, include the location by city and country.
Here’s an example of this:
- CEO & Founder, Rezi, August 2015–Present, Seoul, South Korea
Aim to list at least three job positions, ideally your most recent roles held. Focus on jobs relevant to the position you’re after.
If you’re applying for a developer role but have only had one job as a developer, preceded by two part-time cafeteria gigs, you can skip the latter. Instead of mentioning those part-time jobs, list relevant developer projects, coursework, and certifications that help reinforce your credentials.
The rule of thumb is for a resume to go back up to ten years, but if you worked at a reputable company like Apple 11–15 years ago, recruiters would still like to know that—so, your resume can go further back if needed.
However, listing more isn’t always the answer. What recruiters are ultimately after is relevant skills and experience.
2. Use action verbs to begin your bullet points
This way, you get straight to the point and inject an ounce of enthusiasm into your descriptions. You’ll also highlight your achievements and responsibilities more effectively.
Here are one of two ways to begin your bullet points using action verbs:
- Select the word that depicts how you contributed. For instance, if you were responsible for setting up an email marketing campaign, you could use an action verb like “created” (e.g., the email flow) to highlight your responsibilities and then follow up by describing the outcome.
- Choose the word that clarifies the results of your contribution. Following on from the same example of setting up an email marketing campaign, you could use an action verb like “generated” (e.g., 100+ leads a month) to immediately highlight your accomplishments and then continuing by describing exactly what you did.
Never use vague verbs that don’t specify your contributions. A few examples of weak action verbs include “worked” and “made.” (Yes, there are exceptions and a lot depends on the context, “Made Company XYZ $10M in ARR” will work if it’s true.)
3. Focus on relevant technical skills and responsibilities
In your bullet points, highlight relevant responsibilities and technical skills applied. These should mirror the requirements mentioned in the company’s job description.
Writing about other skills that aren’t part of the job requirements is a waste of space. Ultimately, the ideal candidate to hiring managers is someone who meets THEIR expectations.
Here’s how to describe skills and responsibilities in the work experience section:
- Consider the “how.” Reflect on how you actually executed a task and what you needed to do.
- Include tools, technologies, and frameworks that you applied. For example, “Developed and maintained an e-commerce platform using Python and Django.”
- Mention other teams or departments you worked with.
- Lastly, focus on the “why.” State the purpose of your job duty to show that you understand the significance of your role and the bigger picture.
Your potential employers will get a clear picture of your skill level and experience if you describe what you did, why you did it, and how you did it.
For more of an impact, use numbers to specify the scope of responsibilities and your results.
For example, instead of “oversaw a remote team of freelance writers,” you could write, “oversaw a remote team of 6 freelance writers across 4 different countries, maintaining a steady flow of 20–25 long-form articles per month.”
4. Describe achievements using quantitative data
“Achievements” on the resume work experience section are positive outcomes resulting from your contributions.
“Quantitative data” means metrics that specify results. This improves the credibility of your claims and emphasizes the impact of your work.
After describing a responsibility or task you carried out, mention the outcome. To punch it up a notch, add quantitative data—numbers, percentages, or dollar amounts to clarify the exact achievement.
Here's how to describe achievements using quantitative data:
- Reflect on your past roles and pinpoint successful outcomes and significant project accomplishments that you were a part of.
- Add metrics to your achievements. Instead of claiming that you “Boosted customer satisfaction ratings,” you could write, “Boosted customer satisfaction ratings from 60% to 85%.”
- To take it a step further, add a time frame for the achievement. Using the same previous example, here’s how this might look, “Boosted customer satisfaction ratings from 60% to 85% within 3 months.”
- Provide context for your achievements. Explain how you achieved the result and what skills you used.
5. Aim for at least three bullet points per role
Each bullet point should showcase key achievements, skills, and responsibilities. The goal is to emphasize the impact you made.
You can add more resume bullet points for your recent roles and fewer bullet points for older positions.
When listing more than 3–5 job positions, especially for jobs you held more than ten years ago, feel free to skip the bullet points. You can just list the job title, company name, employment dates, and location.
Focus on relevance and depth but don’t overload with information.
Aim for a maximum of up to eight bullet points. If there are more bullet points you want to add, do so only if each single one is directly related to the job requirements.
Struggling to come up with bullet points to write? You can use our AI Bullet Point Writer to generate sentences for you based on your background.
Here’s how it works:
- Enter the career field you’re applying for.
- Mention your job level.
- Copy and paste the company’s job description into the provided field (optional).
- Include the job title you’re applying for.
- Click “Generate Bullet.”
Using all the details you’ve shared, our AI resume writer will write sentences based on your background and the best professional writing practices. From there, you can refine and replace certain details to ensure accuracy.
6. Order your bullet points based on relevance
When drafting your resume, just jot down all the bullet points you feel are relevant to the job. Once done, move things around based on their relevance and significance.
Let’s break this down:
- Relevance: how closely a bullet point relates to the company’s specific job requirements.
- Significance: the impact or importance of your accomplishment or responsibility.
Reorganize the bullet points under a job position based on what’s most relevant and significant to the job requirements.
Some bullet points are both relevant and significant. Those go first. Others are relevant but not that important. These come next. Finally, some bullets feel significant to you but are barely relevant to the job—and these can be omitted.
The most important sentences go first. In other words, prioritize bullet points that are directly related to the job description and showcase the impact of your contributions.
7. Tailor to the company’s job description by embedding keywords
A resume that could kind of work for other job openings at other companies is a bad resume. Why?
Because it’s not tailored enough.
To show you’re the perfect fit for this position at this company, you must tailor your resume based on the job description. This means including certain keywords to match the company’s hiring criteria. This shows you have the exact skills and experience they crave.
When looking at the job description, think of it as the company saying, “I need someone who can do this, this, and this, and who can prove they’ve done it successfully in the past.” If you write your work experience with this in mind, it should basically say: “Look, I can do this, this, and this. Want proof? I did this, and achieved that. I did this by using this and that tool or software.”
And voilà, that's what makes a tailored resume.
Here’s a step-by-step process you can follow to tailor your resume work experience section:
- Review the job description carefully. Take note of key responsibilities, skills, experiences, and qualifications that are required for the role.
- Mention results that were only achievable by carrying out certain tasks—the same type of tasks mentioned in the job ad that the company needs candidates to be capable of performing.
- Describe how you applied the same skills from the job description in a previous role.
- Include tools, frameworks, and resources that you used which were also mentioned on the job description.
The easiest way to tailor your resume by embedding keywords is to use an AI Keyword Targeting tool that scans the job description for you and provides a list of all potential keywords to include. This means you won’t have to manually review the entire job description yourself.
8. Double-check and refine based on the best practices
Give your resume a final polish. Typos and formatting mishaps will land your application in the “no” pile faster than you can say “career goals.”
Here's how to double-check and refine your resume based on the best practices:
- Give yourself a break. A few hours or even a day’s break will give your eyes (and brain) some rest so that you won’t miss any small details.
- Use tools like Grammarly (but don’t purely rely on them) to help you find any typos and spelling errors.
- Read your resume out loud as you’re checking to confirm everything flows smoothly.
- Download your resume as a PDF and see if the formatting is on point. If not, go back and adjust the settings.
- Fact-check everything. Make sure you’re not overexaggerating on your resume and have mentioned the right metrics.
- Get an outside opinion. Ask a friend or family member to check your resume to see if they can find anything that seems off.
- Get feedback from an expert. Two options here: pay for a resume coach (which can be pretty pricey) or use a resume checker like the Rezi Real-Time Content Analysis feature to tell you what’s missing based on the best practices (without paying hundreds of dollars).
7 Formulas to Write Bullet Points for the Work Experience Section
Here are effective resume bullet point formulas for the work experience section:
- Describe tasks first, then highlight the results.
- Specify a positive result achieved, then describe the tasks that you carried out.
- Mention a problem you faced, followed by a solution you implemented.
- Write about a key responsibility and then mention its purpose.
- Use the STAR (situation, task, action, result) framework.
- Include the “before” and “after” results of a metric you improved.
- Focus on core skills you applied, and the outcome achieved as a result.
Some of these also work well when you don’t have the exact numbers from the top of your head for quantitative achievements.
And if you’re unsure of the exact numbers, either give rough estimates as long as they’re accurate or mention the purpose of your task.
Anytime you write something that you feel should be reworded or improved, you can use our AI Bullet Point Editor to get instant suggestions. All you have to do is double click to highlight the sentence you want to improve, and then click “Rewrite Bullet.” Our AI editor will provide suggestions that you can choose from.
The Rezi AI writer and editor is how one of our Reddit users managed to create tailored resumes in a few minutes:
“I created a few primary versions of my resume and then would copy them and use Rezi to suggest content for each job description. Rezi was helpful by comparing my resume to the job description and making suggestions for extra keywords. Using Rezi for this instead of doing it myself reduced my time per application from 1–2 hours down to 15 minutes.”
— Kixxx
Anytime your mind goes blank, feel free to use Rezi AI to:
- Generate sentences based on your background so you don’t have to start from scratch.
- Refine any bullet points that you wrote.
- Get a full list of potential keywords for tailoring your resume.
- Receive instant feedback on best writing and formatting practices to improve your overall application.
Now, let’s get back to the formulas you’ve been waiting for.
Tasks + Results
How it works: Describe a task you carried out, followed by the results achieved.
Effective for: Highlighting key job responsibilities and linking them directly to successful outcomes, proving an understanding of how you’re contributing toward broader goals.
Example: Launched a new email marketing campaign which led to a 72% increase in conversion rates.
- Start with a strong action verb: e.g., “Developed,” “Increased,” “Reduced,” “Launched.”
- Quantify your results whenever possible: use numbers, percentages, or metrics to showcase the impact of your work.
- Focus on the “so what”: Don't just list tasks, explain the significance of the results you achieved.
Results + Tasks
How it works: Start with a measurable result you achieved, followed by a description of the tasks or actions you took to achieve that result.
Effective for: Emphasizing your direct impact, showing how your work translates to favorable business outcomes.
Example: Boosted revenue by 15% through strategic client engagement and enhanced contract negotiations.
- Start with an action verb that clearly illustrates the outcome.
- Find a significant achievement or outcome from your role that you can quantify (e.g., increased sales, reduced costs).
- Describe the specific actions or tasks you performed that led to this result.
Problem + Solution
How it works: Begin with a specific problem you encountered in the workplace, followed by the solution you implemented to solve it.
Effective for: Demonstrating your understanding and ability to tackle certain challenges effectively.
Example: Addressed frequent software downtime by developing and implementing a robust troubleshooting protocol, reducing system outages by 40% and enhancing overall team productivity.
- Use an action verb to portray the problem or challenge that was present in your role or organization.
- Describe the specific actions you took to solve the problem.
Responsibilities + Purpose
How it works: Highlight a core responsibility and then outline its importance in relation to the company’s goals.
Effective for: Reiterating the significance of your contributions even when you don’t have the exact numbers off the top of your head by focusing on the strategic importance of your duties.
Example: Managed a portfolio of 20+ client accounts, ensuring optimal service delivery and relationship maintenance to support the company’s goal of expanding market share in key sectors.
- Describe a key responsibility that you were mostly expected to fulfill.
- Mention why you had to carry out the aforementioned responsibility—what was its purpose, and how did it support the company’s goals?
STAR (situation–task–action–result)
How it works: Detail a specific situation you faced, the task you needed to accomplish, the actions you took, and the results of those actions.
Effective for: Providing a clear narrative that demonstrates your depth of understanding and expertise, as well as the impact of your contributions.
Example: Resolved a critical server outage during peak business hours by diagnosing the root cause, coordinating a rapid response team to implement fixes, and restoring full service within two hours, preventing potential revenue loss of over $100K.
- Consider a particular situation that stood in the company’s way.
- Specify the task that you were responsible for in that situation.
- Mention the actions you took to overcome the challenges at hand.
- Highlight the results or outcomes that were achieved due to the actions you took.
Metrics improvement
How it works: Focus on a specific metric you improved. Mention the before and after results, as well as the actions you took to improve it.
Effective for: Showing off your ability to deliver measurable improvements.
Example: Improved email campaign open rates from 15% to 30% over 6 months by optimizing subject lines and segmenting audiences based on user behavior and preferences.
- Select a key performance metric that you significantly improved in your role.
- Describe the steps or actions you took to drive the improvement.
- Specify the starting and ending metrics to clearly quantify the improvement.
Skills applied + outcome
How it works: Highlight specific skills you applied in your role and describe the outcomes that were achieved as a byproduct of your actions.
Effective for: Showcasing your proficiency in certain skills and the practical value of your capabilities in a real-world business setting.
Example: Developed and optimized SQL databases for a high-traffic e-commerce site, improving data retrieval speed by 50% and supporting a 40% increase in user traffic during peak shopping seasons without any lag in performance.
- Use an action verb that best illustrates how you contributed toward a particular project or task.
- Include the context of how you applied the skill and mention any relevant tools or frameworks.
- Highlight the positive outcome or result using data.
How to Write About Your Work Experience Based on Your Career Level
- Seniors will put more emphasis on high-level tasks that are directly tied to business goals and outcomes. They may also present extensive experience for future employers to get a broader view of their professional background.
- Mid-level professionals will benefit from showcasing specific areas of expertise and specialties.
- Entry-level job seekers won’t have as much previous work experience, so the spotlight will be on their academic achievements and transferable skills.
Below, we’ll go through what each job level should focus on when writing the work experience section.
Senior-Level Resume Work Experience
A senior or executive-level resume work experience section should double down on showcasing leadership skills, strategic decision-making, and achievements that you were solely responsible for that directly influenced a company’s success.
Here’s what to focus writing about for senior positions:
- Strategic leadership: how you shaped strategic directions and led large-scale initiatives that aligned with the organization’s long-term goals.
- Impact on key business metrics: contributions that directly affected business goals, objectives, and outcomes.
- Team development: how you build and guide teams towards success.
- High-level problem-solving: examples of how you solved pressing business problems and transformed internal operations or processes.
- Stakeholder engagement: managing relationships with key stakeholders, such as board members and investors.
Senior work experience section example
Mid-Level Resume Work Experience
A mid-level resume work experience section should focus demonstrating specialized expertise and skill sets. Include achievements and responsibilities that indicate your ability to manage projects or teams, and drive outcomes within a particular department.
Here’s what to focus writing about for mid-level positions:
- Technical areas of expertise: how you applied specific skill sets to reach department objectives and get closer to business goals.
- Business outcomes: positive results that you helped the business achieve, such as increasing efficiency and reducing costs.
- Career progression: illustrate continuous growth by including a range of relevant responsibilities that you carried out.
- Process improvements: examples of how you improved a function of the business by implementing certain solutions.
- Collaboration: your ability to work effectively with others and communicate with other departments.
- Project management: instances where you led projects from planning to execution, along with the impact these projects had on the organization.
Mid-level work experience section example
Entry-Level Resume Work Experience
An entry-level resume work experience section focuses on practical application of academic knowledge, internship experiences, and the development of professional skills in a real-world setting.
Here’s what to focus writing about for entry-level positions:
- Academic projects and qualifications: showcase your educational knowledge and achievements. Include any relevant coursework that you’ve completed.
- Soft skills: show hiring managers that you can fit into their work environment. Highlight your teamwork skills, communication skills, and work ethic.
- Adaptability and initiative: demonstrate your willingness to learn, adapt, and take the initiative.
- Relevant experience: list any relevant work experience you have that shows real-world application of your hard and soft skills. This could even include part-time jobs, volunteer experience, and personal projects or extracurricular activities.
- Skills development: include skills you’ve gained or developed, and how you applied them to achieve success.
Entry-level work experience section example
Quality Trumps Quantity for the Work Experience Section
One-page resumes can be more effective than two-page resumes for being more targeted and relevant to the company’s job posting.
Nick Derham, the director of Adria Solutions, who is also an IT and digital recruitment consultant with over 25 years of experience, shares how he reviews a resume:
“As a recruitment consultant, the first thing I look at is the relevant experience of the candidate. I don’t look for X or Z years of experience, but at the tech skills and projects the candidate has worked. If the candidate has the right experience, then I read on. If the resume is written in a clear and concise way, I then call the candidate for a quick pre-screening phone interview.”
It’s not all about how much you add to a resume, but more about what you put on a resume.
Nick continues:
“There aren’t [shortcuts], other than [tailoring] your resume to the role you’re applying for. Read the job description and make sure you include [relevant skills and experiences] in your resume. Many candidates forget to [detail] their individual contribution to group projects: leading, coordinating, doing what exactly? So, I always like it when candidates explain this in their [resume], because I can then assess the soft skills they must have acquired after their experience.”
Bottom line: focus on relevance and clarity when writing your work experience.
Don’t write about your entire employment history. Be picky about what skills, experiences, and projects to showcase. Make sure it matches the job description, and focus on highlighting your individual contributions and achievements.
Your soft skills are also implied based on how you describe certain projects or responsibilities. There’s no need to explicitly mention that you have “strong communication skills” when there’s a bullet point that says you “Led cross-functional team meetings to align on timelines and build strong relationships across departments.”
Summary
Let’s recap how to write the resume work experience section:
- List previous roles by including the job title, company name, employment dates, and location.
- Use clear action verbs to start your bullet points.
- Detail key duties and responsibilities—specify tasks using numbers.
- Highlight the positive outcomes achieved as a result of your contributions using quantitative data.
- Go for at least three bullet points per job title you’re describing.
- Reorganize the order of your bullet points based on how relevant it is to the job requirements.
- Include relevant keywords naturally to get past the company’s applicant tracking system (ATS).
- Proofread your resume to make sure it’s free from error.
The standard resume bullet point formula is to begin with an action verb, describe a task, and then highlight the achievement. There are other variations of this, like starting with highlighting the achievement, followed by key tasks and responsibilities.
And when you don’t have the exact numbers to include when writing an accomplishment, give an accurate estimate. The last resort is to simply mention the purpose of your task.
Now, if you follow all the steps discussed in this guide, you can be sure that you’ll have the perfect resume work experience section.
And if you want to speed up the entire process from writing bullet points to tailoring your bullet points, you can get started with our AI resume builder for free.
FAQ
How to come up with quantitative metrics to use?
Firstly, never lie and say a random number. To find the right metrics, look back on the goals you worked towards and what you directly influenced. Check past performance reviews, project reports, or company dashboards to get the data you need. If you don’t have access to any of this, one option is to make a rough estimate based on your exact responsibilities and the goals you were working towards. However, explicitly state that the figures included are an estimate. If you’re entirely unsure, focus on specifying your responsibilities using numbers and mention the purpose of your task. You can also consider timeframes. For example, you could write that you “Oversaw a $10,000 marketing budget” or that you “Implemented a new CRM system within a tight 12-week timeframe, streamlining the sales process for a smoother customer experience.” To avoid the problem of not knowing the exact metrics, you can create a “win portfolio” the next time you’re employed at a company. This is where you save certain reports and note any achievements that demonstrate your impact.
How many previous roles should I describe?
Describing three previous roles is usually more than enough. You can go up to five (or even more) when you have enough relevant experience to highlight. To determine the best answer, I’d suggest starting with an outline for your resume before diving into bullet points, so you can create a more intentional and targeted job application.
What if I have no relevant work experience?
If you have no relevant professional experience, focus on transferable skills. Consider any type of significant accomplishments from side projects, academic work, volunteering, and internships. For students and graduates, you can focus on listing qualifications from your educational background and any relevant coursework or certifications. Still, when you get to the resume work history section, emphasize the impact you had in any type of previous role to give recruiters confidence that you’re capable of making a tangible difference. Start with an action verb to describe a task, followed by an achievement.
How to list a current job?
List it as how you would any previous role, but mention that it’s “present.” When writing the dates of employment, include the start date, followed by “Present.” For example, add “May 2024–Present” to indicate that it’s your current role.
What details are high priority for the work experience section?
Prioritize relevant quantitative achievements and responsibilities. Quantitative achievements emphasize your impact, and describing key responsibilities helps reiterate your depth of skills and knowledge. What’s most important though is that these are relevant to the job requirements. So, make sure to include keywords from the job description—this is one of the steps to go from a standard resume to an ATS resume.
What’s the best format for your work experience section?
Use the standard reverse chronological format. This is the best resume format for almost all job seekers. It works by listing previous job titles starting with the most recent position and working your way backwards from there. It also puts the work experience section first after your summary so that it immediately shows recruiters your career timeline.