Ask the Resume Expert: How far back should I go in my work history?

 

Frustrated with the response to your resume? Want to gain the attention of employers faster--and with a higher success rate?

Email specific questions on your situation to question@anexpertresume.com for an answer in this column.

Laura,

I'm an IT Director that is seeking the next step up on the career ladder, aspiring to a CIO position. I have a solid career history with recent accomplishments, but even some of my early career included positions at high-profile companies.

I've heard that employers will look my resume over for just a few seconds... and I'm not sure how to keep recruiters from missing the older (and yet relevant) parts of my experience.

This is actually a dilemma that crosses industries and types of positions, and comes up frequently. When you have worked for a prestigious company (say, Microsoft when you're in the tech industry), but it was years ago, how do you get employers to notice this experience?

You actually have a couple of options. The first is to decide what, if any, value was gleaned from your former employment. Was it so far back that you can only count it as formative experience? If so, you may want to spotlight the name of the company, but not your duties there.

However, if you gained valuable experience some time ago that fills in the gaps for your career (such as project management for Dell Computer that demonstrates non-technical leadership), then you'll want to provide more details.

In the first case, I recommend adding a single, bolded line to the top of your resume, either before or after your qualifications profile, that notes your experience. Here is an example:

Extensive technical and leadership career Microsoft, Dell Computer, Sony, & others

Note that this "branding line" does NOT go into detail about your career at these companies, just the fact that you have worked there.

In the latter case, if you have great experience to show from former positions, create an additional section on your resume entitled "Selected Career Achievements." 

Place it directly after your summary, but before your work chronology, and add a few accomplishment statements that show quantifiable work history from the high-profile companies.

This is a great strategy for showing older experience--without dates--that preserves your brand message.

The Executive Director of An Expert Resume, Laura Smith-Proulx is a globally recognized resume expert who collaborates with corporate leaders to open up new career opportunities through targeted branding techniques. A former corporate recruiter, she is a frequent columnist on resume and job search topics for Executive Agent, Business Week's Business Exchange, JobDig, LocalJobNetwork.com, Jobing.com, Secrets of the Job Hunt, and others.