Work it out

Written by: Peter Panayotou  Posted: 28th November 2011

There are two main factors to consider when including work experience in your CV: the first is whether to separate the relevant from the non-relevant; the second is to focus on the job descriptions themselves.

Is it relevant?

If you have work experience that is relevant to your targeted career, it is best to list that separately from any non-relevant work experience. It is important to make this distinction so the potential employer can see you have placed the emphasis on the experience you wish them to focus on rather than listing everything chronologically, as is the usual convention. This means it may be necessary to create two employment sections: ‘Relevant Experience’ and ‘Other Employment’.

Where did you work?

When listing the details of each position, there are four main pieces of information you need to give: what was the job title, who did you work for, when did you work for them, and what did you actually do. Generally speaking, the job title should come first. It makes sense to give this priority, as your actual role is more likely to be of interest than the employer’s name. With dates, be as accurate as you can. You need to list the start and finish date for each position, and include month and year if possible.

What did you do?

Job descriptions need not be a comprehensive list of tasks – remember that your CV is only a summary – so only give the reader as much information as is necessary to provide an accurate picture of what you were doing. Remember that the role itself is not always reflected in the job title, so you may need to explain the nature of the work involved. Mention actual tasks and duties, not just vague responsibilities. For example, “providing a high standard of customer service” will not do. But “promoting sales, demonstrating products and assisting customers with their queries” might provide a more accurate description. 

Presentation

Finally, it is always good to consider the way your job descriptions are presented. Generally, it is best to write your tasks, duties and responsibilities as a list of bullet points. Try to avoid solid paragraphs of text where possible and break down each sentence into individual bullets. This not only improves the appearance of your CV, but is easier to read. Also, think about how your bullet points are worded. A good rule of thumb is to try and use an ‘action’ word to begin each bullet, which should deal with an individual task or duty. Examples of ‘action’ words are: developed, implemented, managed, assisted, facilitated, monitored, planned, etc. These give the impression of a dynamic, proactive employee, and not just someone carrying out mundane tasks

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