Writing Your Employment Dates

Friday, September 28, 2007

Resume: Writing Your Employment Dates

Source: www.professional-resumes.com

As you prepare to write the main body of your resume be aware of the following points:

If you have a history of moving jobs you will want to draw attention away from gaps in employment. To do this you should include only the year of your employment rather than the month and year.

2001 - 2002 as opposed to May 2001 - Jan 2002

By drawing attention to the months of employment you will open the door to questions as to why you left or why you have moved around within your working history.

You will be surprised to learn that many interviewers will be happy to accept the yearly dates without query. While we do not suggest you lie about your employment details, we do encourage you to effectively deflect attention from areas that may cause you difficulty to explain.

However, you should be prepared to answer questions on gaps in employment at the interview stage, as it is possible that you may be asked for details of time in employment etc. The interview will give you the opportunity to explain the details around your work history face to face with your prospective employer.

Remember that whatever format you choose to write your dates of employment be consistent throughout the resume. If you revert from one type to another it will draw attention immediately to your resume and guarantee difficult and awkward questions at the interview itself.