Should i include dates on my resume

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:. See more cover letter templates and start writing.

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But are their resume templates what hiring managers want to see? To learn more visit our Privacy Policy Got it! This guide will show you: How to list dates on a resume to show your experience.

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What Resume Dates to Include Your resume needs months and years for every job in your work experience section. Write a Short Resume Keep your resume short. Show Tech Skills in Your Resume While you have to show dates on resumes, proving tech skills can help. Read more: Employability Skills: List and Examples 4. Create my resume now. Rate my article: resume dates.

Average: 4. Thank you for voting. Tom Gerencer. In fact, many experts recommend this approach, to ensure that your resume is as seamless and gap-free as possible.

In the end, it can be a difficult decision to make, as you have to balance the need for honesty with your need to properly shape your narrative. There is another argument along these lines, of course, and it's simple to understand. It basically relies on the fact that there is rarely a requirement to list every job you've ever had. For most resumes, you should only include truly relevant work experience - and that may offer some flexibility in how you list those dates.

The best bet is to focus on being as direct as possible when listing employment dates. If you had a three-month gap between jobs, and you were struggling to land an interview, say so. If you took six months off to focus on taking care of a sick relative, be sure to tell the prospective employer or hiring manager about that time away. And if you had a lengthy period of unemployment while you pursued additional skills training, note that as well.

Read more in our post devoted to how to deal with employment gaps on a resume. The important thing is to be honest on your resume because those gaps are often not as dire as you might imagine.

The key is to focus your attention on the value you can provide as an employee. If the rest of your resume is rock-solid in that regard, your explanation for that work history gap will probably be sufficient to allay any serious concerns. Honesty goes a long way in any job search effort. That's why you should always list employment months on your resume!

Here are some simple tips to help you with that formatting, as well as an example to show you what it should look like. For example, you need to consider the required qualifications, your industry, and years of work experience.

Each of these factors will determine how far back in time you can go with dates on your resume. You should include a position that gave you valuable experience and skills even if it dates back ten years ago.

If you have shifted to different careers, you may want to include only jobs you did in the past five years. Most experts including us insist that including years of work experience on your resume is the ideal range.

For example, suppose you are a year-old procurement manager. In that case, 10 years of work history will include the time it took you to earn your degree — 2 years working as an intern, 3 years as a junior employee, and one year in your current role. Being honest about your job history and accomplishments and even gaps on your resume will go a long way to enhance your hiring chances.

Your employer may overlook smaller fabrications, but it will hurt your job satisfaction or, worse, your career in the long run. Inappropriately filling employment gaps to meet job qualifications is a dangerous strategy. A certain red flag, hiring managers are trained to shake out dishonesty in your resume. Even one infraction may cost your job. Employers will often use ATS to scan through resumes, perform online searches, and reference checks to ensure that the details are precise.

Any variability will diminish your chances of winning the job. If there are unusual circumstances in your career history, you should disclose them clearly in your cover letter, rather than on your resume. If you have recently graduated from your institution, you should list your graduation dates on your resume.

This tells hiring managers you may have less professional experience because you've been attending your institution. It's best to keep your graduation date on your resume for at least five years, or until you've gained a significant amount of professional experience. If it's been over 10 years since you've graduated from your institution, you can leave your graduation date off of your resume if you desire.

Keep your other education information listed, including the degree you've earned and the institution you attended to prove to hiring managers that you have received relevant education. If you haven't received a substantial amount of professional work experience, you can list any internships you've participated in that are relevant to the role you're applying for. List the month and year you served in the internship and try to include the word "internship" in the job title.

This tells employers that you worked in a temporary position so they know the short-term dates you've mentioned apply to an internship and not a full-time role. As hiring managers review your resume, they search for dates to make sure you've received the required years of experience they've listed on their job posting. Therefore, you should mention the dates you've worked next to the job title and location of employment. Many companies use an applicant tracking system to scan your resume and may only pass it along to the next stage of review if it includes dates.

To ensure your resume catches the hiring manager's attention, include the month and year of employment in the work responsibilities section. To save room, you can refrain from listing the exact day you started and ended your role. If you have many years of experience, try to include only 10 to 12 years of relevant work experience to keep your resume from looking cluttered. If you hold over 12 years of experience that you believe applies to the role, include it in your resume, followed by the jobs you held after that one.

This helps keep employment gaps from appearing in your resume. If you want to make sure you have enough room, try to shorten your work duties to responsibilities directly related to the role. Earning a certification related to your role can be an impressive element that makes you stand out from other candidates. When adding a certification, list it in its own "certifications" section.