Progressively Responsible Experience or Years of Experience

Progressively Responsible Experience or Years of Experience Do you want to know how to turn off a recruiter or hiring manager just as they start to read your resume? Good. I can help. Here’s one of my favorites: Lead by telling them how many years of experience you have.Like ThisTwenty-two years of experience in…Over twenty years of experience in…More than 17 years of experience in…Why is This a Fail?1. If the most compelling thing you can say about your work is how long you have done it, there’s a problem, a scary potential mediocrity problem.2. Your  readers might ask themselves, “Hmm, I wonder if that is 17 years of progressively responsible experience or if it’s one year of experience 17 times?”3. If your reader is more than ten years younger than you, they are going to de facto think you are old.4. If you spell a number when you should have used numerals, or you use numerals when you should have spelled the number, you will put Grammar Nazis on alert.What if the Posting Specified Years of Experience?Format your employment dates well enough that your readers can easily do the math. You can see a helpful formatting template here.Show Your Progressively Responsible ExperienceIn addition, make it easy for recruiters to see that you have had progressively responsible experience. Youll find a helpful sample resume  here. Look at how each job entailed more responsibility than the previous job.SummaryRecruiters and hiring managers read your resume looking for the answer to two basic questions: “Can this person do the job? Will this person do the job?” Put that way, their needs are pretty simple.Rather than emphasizing your years of experience, tell them compelling stories about your leadership skills and  accomplishments. Show them that you did the job and how you did it.Image: Fotolia/Drobot Dean Updated March 2019 2010 2019, Donna Svei. All rights reserved.Donna SveiDonna Svei, an executive resume writer and former C-level executive, retained search consultant, and CPA, writes all of AvidCareerists p osts. She has written for and been quoted by leading business, general, and career media outlets, including Forbes, Mashable, Fast Company, Entrepreneur, Business Insider, Lifehacker, Ask.com, Social Media Today, IT World, SmartBrief, Payscale, Business News Daily, and the Muse. Let her background and experience inform your job search strategy and decision making.Learn more about Donnas executive resume writing service or email Donna for more information. Resumes â€" Best Worst Words (4 Posts)