how to write a resume with 20 years experience

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How Do I List 20 Years of Experience on My Resume?

7 min read · Updated on October 15, 2021

When it comes to the length of your resume, more isn't always better — even if you have a long and accomplished career history.

Each week, TopResume's career advice expert, Amanda Augustine, tackles your questions live on Facebook . We'll be republishing those answers here. As a certified professional career coach (CPCC) and resume writer (CPRW), Amanda has been helping professionals improve their careers for over 10 years. 

In this Q&A, Amanda helps make sense of how long is too long for a resume, and what you should keep — and omit — from your resume if you're an older professional. 

She answers: 

Can I use a one-page resume for networking, even though my regular resume is three pages long? 

How do I put 20 years of experience on a resume? 

How do I showcase additional duties on your resume?

Q: Can I use a 1-page resume for networking? I was thinking of having a 1-page resume to circulate to unsolicited contacts to spark the conversation.

There was a great study done by ResumeGo where they looked at thousands of resumes and found that a two-page resume is the ideal length , regardless of years of experience. 

If you are newer to the workforce, I would always recommend a one-page resume. If you have enough information that warrants a second page, you should go for it — but you shouldn't force it, either. The same thing applies to a three-page resume. In general, I recommend a two-page resume over three pages, unless there are extenuating circumstances. 

Even at a quick glance (recruiters spend less than 10 seconds looking at your resume before making a decision) the top third of your resume needs to set the stage for everything else. That's what needs to catch the reader's eye. 

You need to have your name, your contact information, your professional title, and a short professional summary, which really is the elevator pitch for the rest of your resume. Make sure to incorporate your strengths and skills so that the recruiter has a high-level understanding of what you're about from the get-go, with your most recent experience on that front page as well. 

Overall, I think professionals are trending toward two pages instead of one because a two-page resume presents recruiters with everything they want to see. 

TopResume completed a study where we looked at self-written, DIY resumes and compared them to professionally written resumes . As part of the study, we asked recruiters different questions to understand which they were more impressed by and, more importantly, why. What's the difference? 

The professional resumes looked and read as more polished, leaving recruiters feeling more confident in the prospect of presenting these candidates to their hiring managers. We also asked the recruiters to estimate the candidates' value in the job market, and those with professionally written resumes were valued at seven percent higher than those whose were self-written. 

Anyone can make sure their resume is typo-free or grammatically correct, but we found the big differences between a professionally written resume and a DIY resume were that:

A professionally written resume presents a compelling career narrative.   Your resume tells a story . How well do you weave a story that shows your background and why you're now qualified and would make a good candidate for a certain role?

Quantifying your achievements allows you to showcase the value you could bring to a company or role. It's more than just saying that you did X, Y, and Z. What was some of the output? How did you improve efficiency? How did you make the company more money? What did you do that benefited the organization? If you missed a day of work, what wouldn't get done because you weren't there?

Q: How do I articulate 20 years of experience on my resume? 

You only want to focus on the most recent 15 years of work experience, and the amount of detail you include for each role should decrease as you go back in your career. The reality is employers are going to say, “That's great what you did 10 years ago, but what have you done recently that's relevant to what I'm hiring for?”

That's great what you did 10 years ago, but what have you done recently that's relevant to what I'm hiring for?

For someone who has a lot of experience, what I typically recommend is: In addition to having your Professional Summary and Areas of Expertise, include a Career Highlights section on the first page. A highlights section is three or five bullets that show off the headliners from your 20-year career.

Not sure how to do this? You can see how a Career Highlights section is formatted in my article about ways to improve your senior-level resume . 

Include anything that is highly brag-worthy, as well as particularly relevant to what you're pursuing today. That way, if the role does fall toward the bottom of page two, it's still getting a nod on the first page. Remember to look at each role and curate the information you're providing based on what your current goal is.

Q: How do I articulate additional duties on a resume? 

A resume is not your transcript from school where every single detail of every job you've ever held is included. Instead, a resume is a marketing document . You get to curate the content you provide, which means determining what details you want to share and what details you want to downplay or omit because they aren't relevant to your goals. 

While you may have had many responsibilities in your role, you want to focus on the responsibilities that are relevant to the role you are pursuing. When it comes to resume writing, we have soft guidelines about what this means. We can only work with the information we are given, so things get tweaked depending on what we have to work with. 

In an ideal world, assuming you're not fresh out of school or entry-level, for each job role we like to provide:

The job title

The company name, and perhaps a little bit of information about the company to give the reader context, especially if many of the employers on your resume are not self-explanatory or well-known

How long have you worked there, start date to end date

A short paragraph, maybe three to five lines, to describe your relevant roles and responsibilities 

We then save your bullet points for your bragging points. How did you help the company? How did you contribute? How can you show you're an achiever versus a doer?  

Some people say, “Well I had a 'doer' job.” Well then, ignore those words — those are just labels. Instead, it's about how you show that you were good at what you did.

It could be that you were given the best shifts, had to train the new hires, or were asked to let the new hires shadow you. It could also be that you were promoted, had a title change, or were given a bigger budget. These are all things that show you were excellent at your job, which is what a recruiter wants to know. These are the bragging points they are looking for. 

If you need to include jobs that aren't necessarily relevant but would leave a hole if not included, you still want to mention them . Just don't give them a lot of space on your resume.

Looking to update your resume but don't know where to start? Use our free resume review as a guide. 

Recommended Reading:

Between Jobs When You're Older: Is It Time for a Career Change or Early Retirement?

4 Ways to Invest in Your Career

What Is an ATS? How to Write a Resume to Beat the Bots

Related Articles:

7 Signs Your Resume is Making You Look Old

Why a Simple Resume Layout is a Successful Resume

Software Developer Top Needed Skills

See how your resume stacks up.

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I've been interviewing for 20 years—and these are the 3 best resume examples, based on experience level

There is no one-size-fits-all template for a resume that will guarantee a job interview or offer. But there is one major message that every resume should illustrate : "This is how I made things better for my employers."

The secret to making that point as clear and compelling as possible depends on how many years you've been working. Here are solid resumes examples from candidates across three common experience levels: Mid-level, junior and recently graduated:

* Note : These are hypothetical examples; the people, experiences and companies are not real. Numbers and percentages represented by "X" are meant to show style and format.

1. The 'mid-level professional' resume

(Click here to enlarge.)

Mid-level professionals typically have a strong background in managing teams or directing departments. Since they have anywhere from seven to 15 years of experience, their resumes can be longer than one page.

Essential tips:

• Make the first section your professional summary. For a highly experienced candidate like Jonathan, adding a professional summary at the very top is a quick way to concisely convey his core competencies.
• Highlight relevant skills. Notice how Jonathan uses strong keywords and phrases like " strategic planning," "cost management" and "financial planning & analysis" — as noted in the job description. Whether it's being scanned by a human or by a machine, this is what gets a resume noticed.
• Make your recent position the most comprehensive. The professional experience is the bulk every resume, and details from your most recent (or current) position should account for about 75% of this section. Also, you do not need to include your first job.
• Include company descriptions . I consider this a universal rule: If you worked at a company that isn't a household name, adding notable details about the organization (i.e., what it does, number of employees, annual revenue) will save the hiring manager time from having to look it up.
• Numbers, numbers, numbers . If your marketing plan contributed to a 35% increase in sales, make it loud and clear! No need to explain  how you did it; the hiring manager will ask for more details during the interview .
• Emphasize select achievements. Limit your job responsibility descriptions to just two or four of the most important points. By keeping things brief, you can dedicate more space to your proudest and most relevant achievements . This is a more powerful way to showcase what you can contribute to the next employer.

2. The 'junior-level professional' resume

(Click here to enlarge.)

Junior-level candidates usually have two or less years of work experience and tend to require close supervision, especially for complex tasks. These resumes should be one page, tops.

• Showcase strong teamwork skills. One of the most important skills hiring managers look for in junior-level candidates is the ability to work well in teams, large or small. Contrary to popular belief, using words like "we" or "our team" doesn't dilute your achievements; rather, it strengthens your impact. And it's far more effective than saying, "I'm a team player."
• Only include relevant work and internship experience.  Listing each and every internship or job you've held only weakens the resume, mostly because it distracts the hiring manager from focusing on how qualified you are for a specific job.
• Leave out the professional summary.  Unlike those with seven or more years of experience, junior-level professionals don't have enough relevant work to warrant a summary. Instead, their resumes should immediately focus on initial jobs, key accomplishments, education and extracurricular activities.
• Leave out the objective.  What you don't see in Grace's resume (or any other resume here) is an objective. What so many candidates fail to realize is that  objectives are pointless . Even if you truly are "seeking a challenging team leadership position," saying so still reveals nothing about what you can do for a prospective employer.

3. The 'recent college graduate' resume

• Put your education in the first section. Resumes of recent college graduates or workforce entrants should start with the college or university attended, degrees obtained, GPA and any academic honors.
• Keep details about your internships short.  Let's be honest: You were an intern — and there's no way you held as many relevant responsibilities as a non-graduate with years of experience. Going on and on about all the tiny things you did will just make the hiring manager think you're exaggerating or being dishonest. Focus only on the tasks that are important to your field.
• Use extracurricular activities to tell a story.  Be thoughtful about what extracurricular activities you include. It can be something as big as being president of a club or something as small as a weekend of volunteer work — as long as it's interesting enough to tell a story about your hobbies, accomplishments and who you are as a person.
• Keep it to just one page.  Fight the urge to oversell. Prospective employers know that you just graduated, so don't try to make yourself look like something you're not. Otherwise, you'll lose credibility.
• Make your resume pleasing to the eye with lots of white space. Hiring managers don't expect college graduate resumes to be jam-packed with a ton of details. Keep it clean, clear and presentable; use bullet points and strong actions verbs. It's assumed that you have references, so no need to list any or say they're "available upon request."

Gary Burnison has been in the business of hiring and interviewing for more than 20 years. Currently, he is the CEO of Korn Ferry , the world's largest executive recruiting firm. Gary is also the author of "Advance: The Ultimate How-To Guide f or Your Career" and the New York Times best-seller "Lose the Resume, Land the Job." Follow him on LinkedIn here .

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How to Write Years of Experience on a Resume

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How many years of experience should be on a resume?

How to write years of experience on a resume, should you include all work experience on a resume, is it ok to leave jobs off your resume.

When considering how many years of experience to write on a resume, take a look at the job posting you’re applying to. The number of years you show for work experience can be a crucial indicator to the hiring manager. This article explains how you can include years of experience on your resume to accurately highlight your work history.

As a general rule, try to keep your work timeline as solid as possible and without any major gaps or holes. While companies may be interested in your work five years ago, they may not be as interested in unrelated work 25 years ago. You can make your resume more appealing by cutting less relevant experience from your work history and saving it to discuss during the in-person interview.  

Follow these steps to properly include years of work experience on your resume:

1. First, include only the essentials

When in doubt, try to keep your resume as straightforward as possible. One of the biggest problems with having 20 to 30 years of experience on a resume is that it can create a cluttered look and feel. Try to keep your resume free of this type of clutter so that a hiring manager can make their decision as easy as possible. An interesting resume that captures the attention of the reader is a resume that employers are more likely to fully read. This, in turn, makes it more likely that you get called in for an interview.

2. Second, keep the length to no longer than two pages

The ideal length for a resume is one to two pages long, which may mean you have to do some trimming to optimize your space. If you feel like you are running out of room on your application, you can try using a smaller font or removing less relevant jobs from your resume.

To minimize the space that you’re using for your resume, you can also try writing the title and dates for the positions you have worked in the past, without including multiple bullet point details about the job. You can also condense your resume by abbreviating the months for the dates of employment for each position or even listing the dates of employment on the same line as the job title separated by commas. 

3. Third, check the job posting for the required years of work experience

Consider a job posting that requires 20 years of job-related experience. In a scenario like that, you can still apply with 15 years of work-related experience. Ultimately, the reason that companies might list a requirement for someone with that many years of experience is to indicate that they’re looking to hire someone for a senior position. It’s not actually about a specific number of years.  

4. Next, keep some information for the in-person interview

If you are a more seasoned applicant who might have experience stretching beyond 10 to 15 years, you don’t necessarily need to add that older work experience to your resume. Some industries view it as irrelevant for you to share information about job experience that dates back farther than 15 years. 

You should be careful how much information you share directly on your resume so that it doesn’t seem like your skills might be outdated or that you’d be a risk to hire. This information can be kept until an in-person interview when you can mention it as a bonus to your interviewer.

5. Finally, create an impact with relevance

One of the most important keys to having an impactful resume is to include the most relevant information to the position. While it might be tempting to add everything to your resume, quality carries more impact than quantity, and taking the time to edit your previous work experience can be what ultimately helps you get hired for the position. Try to take the extra time to cut and refine the information you do put on your resume to make sure it’s presented as efficiently as possible. The effort is well worth the time, as your resume is often the first impression you give to a hiring manager.

The goal of your resume is to provide insight into why you’re the best fit for the role that you are applying for. This means that if you’ve held positions that are not relevant to the role, you might not want to highlight them in the same way as others. Whether you omit jobs entirely or condense them into title and dates (without the details), be sure to organize the information on your resume so each section is clearly defined.

When you’re considering information about relevant jobs, a good rule to follow is to list your experience without gaps in employment. For example, if you want to include a position that you held 10 years ago, then you should include job information leading up to the present. The purpose of keeping this consistency is so that a hiring manager can see that you’ve been employed consistently for the time leading up to your application. 

If you are trying to consolidate information, you can trim the jobs that are the farthest back in your work history. Showing a solid list of jobs can help indicate that you are a reliable team member. Your work history can be a hidden trait when hiring managers are looking for a candidate who remains loyal to a company over time.

Work Experience on a Resume - How to List It Right

Imagine you’re an HR manager for a second, and someone sends in their resume for you to go over.

What section do your eyes jump to first?

If you guessed work experience , then you’re right.

And if you spot a few relevant keywords in the past job experience section, then you’d continue on their background , contact information , and so on.

When applying for a job, the number one thing most recruiters want to know is if you can really do it right .

And one way to know that for sure is to look at your past work experience.

So, we know two things: most HR managers spend on average 6 seconds to go through a resume. And the work experience is one of the most important sections you can have.

Where does that leave us with?

Basically, if you want to get that call back for the interview, your work experience section really needs to be top-notch. 

Now, when it comes to writing a resume - the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Meaning, other sections need to be up to par as well.

But for now, we’re going to focus on arguably the most important section of any resume - the work experience.

How to Put Work Experience on a Resume [W/ Template]

How to stand out with your work experience section, 5 real-life work experience examples (for different fields), how to list other resume sections.

But before we dive right in, you’ll need the right tool to build your resume.

Want to save yourself the headache of trying to craft the perfect resume section-by-section from the ground up?

You can get a head start and use our resume builder instead.

Our templates were developed with recruiters and employers in mind, so that your resume format is easy to follow and scan. 

The work experience section is where you get to really sell yourself, so you have to make sure you really iron out the details and the formatting makes sense.

This is where you get to show off your best qualities.

Because, if the recruiter is going to pick between 10 different candidates, you know for a fact they’re going to narrow down the list starting with the most relevant experience.

To get your work experience to really shine on your resume, first, we’re going to cover the basic formatting , and then get to the best practices on how to stand out with your work experience section.

What’s that? You don’t have any experience to begin with? No problem!

Check out our no experience resume guide if you’re trying to get your first professional job.

Now, here’s what you need to know about structuring your work experience section.

Basic Formatting

A good resume tells a story of who you are, what your background is, and why you’re the perfect candidate for the job at hand.

Now, that doesn’t mean you should tell your whole life story, because after all, the ideal resume length is still 1 page .

Instead, this is where you sell yourself , brag about your past achievements and responsibilities.

When listing your previous job roles, you should follow a reverse-chronological order (though, also consider other resume formats ).

To make sure your resume is easy to follow, we recommend going with the standard work experience format, which looks a bit like this:

• Job Title and Position
• Company Name / Description / Location

Dates Employed

• Responsibilities and Achievements

Or, here’s how it looks like in practice:

Now, let’s explain what goes in each part:

Job Title / Position

Your job title goes first . 

When the HR manager scans through your resume, this will most likely be the first section they’ll check. 

Be prepared and make it easy for them to find this.

There is not a lot to say here except that your job title should be accurate to what you did.

To make things simple, you can use the exact name you saw in the original job ad.

• Digital Marketing Expert
• Online Marketing Magician

Company Name, Description, and Location 

If the position checks out, they’ll want to know more details. 

If the company isn’t famous, you can also describe in 1-2 sentences. And you should always mention the location of the firm, too.

Try to keep the total section under 3-5 jobs and only remove other job experiences if you’re running out of space and absolutely can’t remove any other part of your resume.

Achievements and Responsibilities

When listing achievements in your resume , you should add any specific change you made happen (we’ll explore how to do this more in-depth below) that the HR manager can apply to their company.

When possible, you should always list accomplishments over responsibilities. 

After all, the HR manager already knows what your responsibilities are - they’ve probably gone through similar resumes over 100 times now with the same bland responsibilities

• Hit and exceeded monthly sales KPIs for 5 months in a row.
• Carried out sales operations.

If that’s not possible because of the nature of the job (e.g. cashier , entry-level, etc.), however, you can simply list out your daily responsibilities and tasks.

While describing your job responsibilities, try to limit them within 6 bullet points at most.

Sounds obvious, right? 

Simply list how long you worked at your previous role for. And relax , if you don’t remember the exact day you got hired, you can give an approximate timeframe. 

The standard format for dates employed is mm/yyyy .

Digital Marketing Manager

06/2015 - PRESENT

June 20 of 2015 - PRESENT

If you decide to use the mm/yyyy format, aim for consistency and make sure your other work experience listings look the same way.

Work Experience Q&A

Have some questions on your work experience section?

Maybe you have a giant gap in your work experience, or you’re a recent graduate looking for a job with 0 work experience . 

In this section, we’re going to cover the most common questions about the work experience section...

Do You List an Internship?

Not sure if an internship belongs on your resume?

Well, are you applying for an intermediate or senior role?

If it’s either of the two, then you might want to leave out the internship you did 4-5 years ago.

Meanwhile, are you a recent college grad with not a lot of practical work experience?

If so, an internship is a great way to show some substance and that you’re serious about your career path.

Everyone has to start somewhere, and if you’re struggling to fill up your resume, you should definitely include any internships, even if you weren’t hired full-time afterwards, or the internship was in a completely different field.

What If You Don’t Have a Lot of Experience?

If you’re applying for an entry-level job haven’t worked a day in your life, you can focus on other ways to present yourself.

For example, you can focus more on your soft skills , university achievements , and other personal qualities .

If you’re a recent college grad, the recruiter is most likely not expecting you to have a whole page worth of work experience - so don’t sweat it.

Instead, you might consider including the following contents:

• Summer Job - Ever worked a summer job? Include it! This can show the recruiter that you have SOME work experience, even if it’s not related to the job you’re applying for.
• University Projects - Pretty much all team-based project exercises work. Created a mock product for a business class? Add it!
• Personal Projects - Done anything interesting with your free time? Published videos on Youtube? Coded mini software applications? Add them to your resume!

How Do You List Gaps In Your Resume?

Gaps on a resume can be a red flag - only if you provide no explanation.

If the HR manager sees an empty gap in your work experience section, they’re going to assume the worst case scenario.

So, it’s better to ease their expectations and be honest.

In a line or two, explain what happened and move on, no need to dwell on it.

• July 2018 - February 2019, due to my medical situation, I had to take time off to fully recover and focus on my health.

The good news is that you don’t have to tell the whole story, especially if it’s personal, but be prepared to briefly go over it if it comes up during the interview.

And now, if you really want to stand out from other candidates with your superior work experience listing, here’s what you can do.

Do you want to hear some good news?

When it comes to listing their work experience, many people simply mention their daily responsibilities and call it a day.

Want your application to stand out from the bunch? Do this:

Write Achievements Instead of Responsibilities

One of the best ways you can summarize your job experience is by showing your achievements .

In most cases, the HR manager can already guess what your responsibilities were. Especially if it’s anything like the one you’re applying for - they probably know the position inside out.

Instead, to stand out, what you can do is show your impact , in that role.

• Increased landing page CTR by 4% in the first month through A/B testing and changing the copy.
• Worked with email marketing and launched social media campaigns.

If you increased the overall revenue growth from 5% to 15%, and implemented a new marketing plan for the year, this is something recruiter will want to know.

They’re looking for information and any kind of quantifiable change that you can also apply to their company.

However, if you were in a position where you could not leave behind any notable achievements (e.g. sever in a restaurant, cashier in a supermarket, etc.), feel free to simply list your responsibilities and tasks .

Tailoring your work experience to a specific job

When reading a resume, the HR manager is looking for information relevant to that specific position, with its own unique requirements.

Because, guess what, if you send the same resume to every job ad you can get your hands on, it’s going to be very obvious that you’re using a generic resume, not optimized for any of them in particular.

To avoid that, show the recruiter that you actually took the time to read the job ad (which you should) , and that your resume is tailored to their requirements.

To do this, actually read the job ad in detail, not just give it a quick glance and call it a day.

For example, take this ad:

They’re looking for someone:

• With 5+ years of experience in creating digital experiences
• Proficient in standard UX software
• With specific knowledge of interface patterns for mobile, web, and responsive design (i.e. specific areas)
• With good understanding of HTML, CSS , JAVA , and more

The point is that they’re looking for specific knowledge within the general position.

So in this case, they want someone with a B.A. degree , 5+ years of experience and with a good understanding of basic front-end development. 

You can mention how you excel at all this within your work experience entries…

• Developed mobile applications with Java, optimized for both Mobile and Web

Now, with all that knowledge combined, let’s take a look at some exceptional real-life resume examples that work.

Not sure how to list work experience for your field?

Looking for some inspiration?

Here’s a few practical work experience examples:

Marketing Work Experience Example

As a marketer, you probably know all about the importance of tailoring your message to your target market.

So, your resume needs to reflect that.

Don’t be afraid of using some marketing-specific language and tools within your resume.

Look at your resume as an ad, with the intention of selling yourself .

The above professional experience section does a number of things really well.

They made sure to:

• List their achievements in a clear way with a quantifiable number to it
• Include only the previous positions that are relevant to marketing
• Follow a clear, easy-to-read structure that the HR interview can skim through.

In terms of design, you might want to choose your approach based on the company. 

If they’re a tech startup that values creativity - you can use a template similar to the above one.

If not - go with a more conservative one.

Teacher Work Experience Example

Teacher resumes can be more complicated because of the formality behind it and the necessary certificates required.

Let’s take a look at the above example of a teacher resume applying and see what they did well:

In this example, everything under the teaching work experience is listed as responsibilities - which is fine, in this case .

Because, chances are, you won’t have a lot of achievements as a teacher.

• Taught SO well that one of my students went on to become the president of the United States

Since the teacher’s only worked 1 job in this case, they also added a volunteering experience to the resume .

This is a great way to boost their chances and back up their qualifications. 

Though volunteering is not the same thing as teaching , it can still help you stand out from the rest of the applicants?

Cashier Work Experience Example

There are no essential credentials business owners expect to come up on a cashier’s resume .

Though, basic arithmetic and computer skills always help, so it’s a good idea to mention your educational background.

Customer service is another important area, which you can focus on in your work experience:

And this is one of those times where it’s perfectly acceptable to simply list out your daily responsibilities instead of any noteworthy achievements in your work experience.

The HR manager isn’t expecting a cashier to have changed the way the store works completely, increasing revenue by 20%. Instead, what they want to know is if you can do the tasks as expected.

Be direct and honest with your work experience here to show you’re qualified and you’ll be fine.

Software Developer Work Experience Example

Working within IT, there are also a lot of different ways you can list your work experience section - depending on the job, which might have been full-time or freelance work .

As an IT, you will most likely have to include achievements as well as responsibilities .

Though if you’re a developer, you might not be able to show your achievements through your code.

Instead, you can show the impact of your code (or software) through the frame of the bigger picture.

For example, let’s say you worked on an internal software project:

• Developed a new internal HR approval software and significantly increased the speed for processing applicants in the company

Look into how you assisted the overall project development through your code.

When it comes to most tech jobs, your work experience is the single most important section on your resume.

Make sure you include all the relevant details, and try to keep your list of responsibilities up to six bullet points at most.

Feel free to also include any technical details and examples you can come up with (quantifiable data always helps), as the HR manager will have some knowledge of what you’re talking about.

But on the other hand, don’t fill up your work experience with jargon and buzzwords either.

For more examples, check out our guide to a software engineer resume .

Student Work Experience Example

Finally, what if you’re a student with not a lot of experience under your belt?

Then your work experience section might look a bit different, something like the above example. 

Yes, that’s only one listing under the work experience. And yes, that’s fine.

Why’s that?

Because no one’s expecting you to actually have 5+ years worth of experience as a recent graduate.

Your lack of work experience shouldn’t hold you back. Simply list any experience you do have , and move on.

Though, this is where your other type of experience can help.

Consider your volunteer experience or an internship you’ve gone through.

The HR managers typically are looking for people who are devoted and ambitious in student and graduate resumes .

So, don’t get too hung up on your actual work experience .

Your resume has other sections as well.

Here’s what you need to know about that:

While your work experience might be the single most important section of your resume, at the end of the day, it works in sync with all the other resume sections .

Even if they might not be relevant at first glance, your soft skills , personal qualities , and hobbies and interests can be the deciding factor between you getting the job or not.

There are going to be cases when the recruiter has to make a decision with candidates with near-identical work experience.

Here’s where the other resume sections come into play and how you can boost your chances of getting picked:

Conferences, Courses and Certificates

This can either go in your education section or in a category of its own, depending on the context.

Generally, your approach here should vary depending on the relevance and the importance of your certification or course.

For example, if you’re applying for a job in education , your certificates are probably going to be more important. Especially if you know you’re going to be working closely within those fields in your applied job.

For example, if you’re going to be teaching social studies to high-school students, you might want to include your relevant certificates within the field.

Of course, any other general education certificated can also help.

The language section is particularly interesting, because while it might not provide any specific examples of how you do your job better, it’s still a good thing to have.

Simply because most companies are international nowadays, with clients all over the world. Being bilingual is a great way to stand out and offer a competitive advantage.

When listing your languages, consider how you can rate yourself. You can say that you are:

• Intermediate

They’re not going to take up a lot of space in your resume, so you might want to include this section if you’re confident about your language skills.

Personal Projects

Everyone loves a side-gig.

It’s one of the best ways you can show your passion and dedication.

Any personal passion project you’ve been working on that is relevant to your current job position can help you stand out and show that you’re not making stuff up.

If you’re a student with not a lot of work experience, for example, you can use your personal projects section to back up your soft skills and your dedication.

How you spend your free time says a lot about you.

And if it’s spent focusing on what you’re truly passionate about, then the HR manager should know about it immediately.

Anything that’s not as relevant, however, like your 3rd grade lemonade stop project , should probably be left off to make space.

Create your Europass CV

The Europass CV builder makes it easy to create your CV online. You can use it to apply for a job, education or training opportunities as well as volunteering.

The best-known CV format in Europe

The Europass CV is one of the best-known CV formats in Europe. It is easy-to-use and familiar to employers and education institutions.

You will first have to create your Europass profile with information on your education, training, work experience and skills. After you complete your Europass profile, you can create as many CVs as you want with just a few clicks. Just select which information you want to include, pick your favourite design and Europass will do the rest. 

You can create, store and share CVs in 31 languages . You can download your Europass CV, store it in your Europass Library share it with employers, with  EURES  or other job boards.

How to create a good CV

Remember that your CV is your first opportunity to communicate your skills and experiences to a future employer. It is a snapshot of who you are, your skills, your educational background, work experiences and other achievements.

Present your experience clearly

Highlight examples of your skills and experiences matching the job you are applying for. Pay close attention to the details published in the vacancy notice.

Tailor your CV

Make sure you update the ‘About Me’ section to highlight why you are the best person for the job. Do not include a full detailed history. Focus on facts and main points that match the job you have in mind.

Make it readable

Make sure your CV is easy to read. Use clear and simple language.  Use strong verbs (e.g. ‘managed’, ‘developed’, ‘increased’).

Use reverse chronological order

Always list the most recent experience on the top followed by previous ones. In case of long gaps in working or learning, include an explanation.

Polish and fine-tune

Check for spelling and grammar mistakes, provide a professional e-mail address, and add a professional photograph of yourself.

Your Europass profile

Your Europass profile is the place to keep a record of all your skills, qualifications and experiences. If you keep your Europass profile up-to-date then you will always have all the information you need to create tailored CVs and job applications quickly.

Good luck with your applications!

Find support through EU services

Eures the european job mobility portal, working abroad in other eu countries, education and training in other eu countries, you may be interested to read.

Create your Europass Cover Letter

Develop your skills through volunteering

Managing your personal information in Europass

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When is the next total solar eclipse in US after April 8, 2024?

North America will not experience another total solar eclipse for decades.

"Eclipse Across America" will air live Monday, April 8, beginning at 2 p.m. ET on ABC, ABC News Live, National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD, Disney+ and Hulu as well as network social media platforms.

If experiencing totality during the April 8 total solar eclipse makes you hungry for another celestial spectacle, you may have to wait decades.

"Solar eclipses are sort of like potato chips -- once you eat one, you want another one," Fred Espenak, a former astrophysicist from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and author of "Road Atlas for the Total Solar Eclipse of 2024," told ABC News.

MORE: 'The sun has been eaten': Inside the history and mythology of total solar eclipses

"Every eclipse is unique and exciting," Espenak continued. "I would say it's the most spectacular, natural phenomenon that you can see with the naked eye."

On Monday, the total solar eclipse plunged a path through the contiguous United States into an eerie twilight showcasing the sun's corona and the atmosphere's array of stars as the moon passed in front of the sun.

For the 31 million Americans who live inside the eclipse's path of totality, the experience was brought right to their doorstep, while millions of other eclipse chasers traveled to the 115-mile-wide path for the historic day.

"Many people will definitely get the bug and join the cohort of eclipse chasers, who go to any reasonable means of traveling around the world to see nature's most dramatic sight," Michael Zeiler, expert solar eclipse cartographer and founder of Greatamericaneclipse.com, told ABC News.

Next total solar eclipse in the U.S. after 2024

The next total solar eclipse to occur in the contiguous U.S. won't be until Aug. 23, 2044, and will only shadow three states in its path, Montana and North and South Dakota, according to NASA.

In Canada, British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan will also experience totality, according to the agency.

Next coast-to-coast total solar eclipse

The next year, on Aug. 12, 2045, a total solar eclipse will span coast to coast, according to NASA.

MORE: How to photograph April 8's solar eclipse with a camera or a smartphone

The far-reaching path of totality will cover parts of California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida and Georgia, the agency reports.

Similar to the total solar eclipse in 2017, the 2045 eclipse offers a chance for many Americans to experience totality within their states.

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Adding to the decades-away excitement, since the 2044 and 2045 eclipses are slated for August, the summer season increases the likelihood of clear, cloudless skies during the event.

Next total solar eclipse internationally

If you can't wait two decades for the next chance to experience totality, another total solar eclipse will take place in Europe in 2026.

On Aug. 12, 2026, a total solar eclipse is set to sweep over the Arctic Ocean, Greenland, Iceland, Atlantic Ocean, Portugal and northern Spain, according to the National Solar Observatory .

"Witnessing a total solar eclipse is a deeply emotional experience for anyone," Zeiler said. "And the first question you may ask after the eclipse is: When is the next one? And you may want to go see the very next eclipse in Spain in 2026."

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