A few weeks in the past, someone asked me: In general, when you are talking about work experience to place on your resume, what would you suggest for the following situation? You have worked for company for 7 years and in that 7 years you managed to have multiple job titles (System Engineer,
Office Pro 2010, Quality Assurance, Product Manager, Developer). Is this a good situation, a bad situation, or it doesn;t really matter situation? I guess what I am asking is would it be preferable to have a one job at many different companies or multiple jobs within the same company? From my perspective,
Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2010, I see two potential questions and answers here. First, the reader;s direct question: Which is preferable? I realize this topic may cause some debate,
Office 2007 Pro Plus Key, but it;s my opinion that (specifically when it comes to a shorter timeframe) a situation of having multiple jobs at one company is typically preferable to a situation of having one job at many different companies. It;s a broad generalization, and I realize the specifics vary from case to case. Do I mean that it;s better to stay with the same company for 20 years? No. You gain great experience by working at a variety of companies throughout your career. But when you are talking about the amount of companies over a shorter timeframe (like 7 years, as the reader poses), I believe fewer is better. I generally do not see a steady change of job titles or responsibilities within a single company as a “red flag.” Large companies tend to re-org and offer opportunities for employees to move around to new roles. It;s a common occurrence. However, if you work in software engineering, it;s a good idea to try to stay in 1 role through a ship cycle, but even then, ship cycles can last anywhere from 3 weeks to three years so that criteria is not always a good indicator of experience. I think a reason recruiters or hiring managers are wary of people who hold 1 job at multiple companies over a short timeframe is it can seem like the candidate may be job hopping and looking for the next best thing. People who move companies often also may not stay with 1 employer long enough to see a process through from beginning to end, even if they play different roles within that process. Secondly, no matter your work history, you need to know the best way to explain your experience on a resume. If either of these scenarios describes your employment situation, how should you denote your work history on your resume? Here;s what I would recommend: If holding many jobs within 1 company sounds similar to your situation, you could denote your experience on your resume like so: XYZ Corporation 1997 to date Job Title 4 2001 to date (Responsibilities and contributions) Job Title 3 2000 to 2001 (Responsibilities and contributions) Job Title 2 1998 to 2000 (Responsibilities and contributions) Job Title 1 1997 to 1998 (Responsibilities and contributions) If holding jobs at multiple companies sounds like your experience, your resume might look like: XYZ Corporation Job Title 2001 to date (Responsibilities and contributions) ABC Corporation Job Title 2000 to 2001 (Responsibilities and contributions) Reason for leaving: Family relocated CAT Corporation Job Title 1998 to 2000 (Responsibilities and contributions) Reason for leaving: Division closed DOG Corporation Job Title 1 1997 to 1998 Reason for leaving: Took one more job with greater responsibility Bottom-line: While some may perceive 1 type of experience as better than yet another type, it;s up to you as the job seeker to appropriately market your skills and present yourself to an employer as the best candidate possible. Be aware that resume reviewers (both recruiters and Hiring Managers) may have their own preferences, biases, and pre-conceived notions so use your resume to answer as many questions as you can ahead of time. gretchen P.S. As with my previous resume writing advice, these suggestions are my opinion and based on the resumes of successful candidates I have encountered. Yes,
Office 2010 Professional Plus Key, other recruiters and Hiring Managers have differing opinions, and yes, I realize that you can not always predict everyone;s biases. My biggest point is that no matter your situation,
Microsoft Office 2010 Standard, remember your resume is much more than a list of past jobs …. It;s a marketing tool for you to get past the screening stage and on to the interview process. Take a little bit of my advice; take a lot of others; advice. But most importantly, invest thought and time into writing your resume and submit a version that feels right to you.