How Far Back Should a Resume Go?
How far back a resume should go depends on your experience level and the job requirements. A resume should go back 10–15 years at most and only include jobs that are relevant to the position you’re applying for.
You don’t need to go back 10 years if you’re in the early stages of your career, and you don’t need to include every past job.
In fact, you might only have room for 3–4 past jobs if you want to achieve a concise resume format and a 1–2 page resume length.
No matter how far back your resume goes, QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker will help you submit job applications that are polished and error free.
The main requirement on the job posting is “5–7 years of accounts payable experience with 2–3 years in a senior-level accounting position,” and the job entails invoicing and paying vendors.
On your resume’s “Employment History” section, you only include jobs from the last 7 years, and you focus each job description on the skills that this particular position requires.
How many years back should a resume go?
One of the most common resume-writing dilemmas is deciding how many years back a resume should go. Too little work experience might make you seem underqualified, but too much experience makes a resume too long and adds to the workload of busy recruiters.
No matter how much experience you have, your resume should go back no further than 10–15 years. In most cases, a resume will have 10 years of work experience or less. The number of years to include on your resume largely depends on your level of experience.
Student and entry-level resumes
If you’re a student or recent graduate seeking an entry-level role, your resume will probably cover 1–3 years at most. Keep in mind that everyone starts somewhere, and recruiters won’t expect your resume to have many years of experience.
At the entry-level stage, your resume may include internships, volunteer positions, and early part-time jobs where you demonstrated the soft skills or hard skills you’ll need for success.
A functional resume includes a subsection for each skill with examples of when you successfully demonstrated each skill.
For help getting started, you can personalize the QuillBot functional resume template or chronological resume template with details about your skills or work history.
Early to mid-career professionals
If you’re an early to mid-career professional, how many years back your resume should go will depend on two factors:
- How many years of experience you have
- How many years the job requires
If the job posting includes a specific number of years (e.g., 5–7), stay within that range on your resume. If the posting doesn’t specify or says something open-ended like “5+ years,” include as many of your previous roles that are relevant to the job requirements in reverse chronological order.
Depending on how much detail you give for each job, you may need to omit earlier roles to stay within a 2-page maximum resume length.
Late-career professionals
In the later stages of your career, especially for senior-level management positions, your resume may include 10–15 years of experience. Unless longer resumes are the norm in your profession, stay within a 2-page maximum to keep your resume focused and reader friendly.
When you have more previous roles than you can include in 2 pages, try one of these strategies.
- Limit the description of each role to 3–7 bullet points.
- Provide the most detail for the role that is most recent or most relevant.
- Include fewer bullet points for jobs that go further back.
- Omit bullet points that aren’t relevant to the job posting.
- Delete the least recent roles.
How do you include work experience on a resume?
The work experience section of a resume includes a subsection for each previous role going back no further than 10–15 years. Include work experience on a resume by following these steps.
Focus on the most relevant jobs
To decide which jobs to include, make a list of all the previous jobs you could potentially include. Review the job requirements, and decide which of your previous jobs are most relevant. Those are the jobs you’ll include and provide the most detail for. Then, review the oldest jobs to decide how far back you’ll go.
- 2019–2025, Lead Sales Rep, Monarch Landscaping Design
- 2017–2019, Associate Sales Rep, Luminescent Exterior Lighting
- 2015–2017, Sales Rep, Lawn Boys & Co.
- 2014–2015, Office Manager, Buddy’s BBQ & Catering
- 2013–2014, Sales Rep, Haven Direct-to-Consumer Cosmetics
- 2010–2013, Sales Rep, Touch of Distinction Landscaping
The jobs that you’ll include go back 7 years. Even though you worked at another landscaping company 12 years ago, it’s not as relevant as the most recent positions, and omitting it helps you avoid a resume gap.
Use reverse chronological order
Arrange your jobs in reverse chronological order, starting with the most recent position. The reverse chronological order helps recruiters and hiring managers see the most relevant information first. The last job in your work history section should be no older than 10–15 years.
If the job posting has an experience range (e.g., 4–5 years), don’t go back further than the top of the range if possible.
Write a subheading for each job
Once you’ve chosen the relevant jobs and arranged them in reverse chronological order, write a subheading for each job that includes the following information:
- Employer
- Years of employment
- Title
- Location
You can also place the title first depending on your preference. Use bold formatting or underlining for the subheading and plain font for a bulleted list below each subheading.
Summarize your achievements for each job
Beneath the job’s subheading, write a 1–2 line summary of the role followed by a bulleted list with your top 3–7 achievements at each job (e.g., “Spearheaded CRM training sessions for entry-level sales reps to reduce onboarding costs by 50 percent”).
Use the same keywords from the job posting in your bullet points. For example if the job posting uses the action verbs “streamline” or “coordinate,” use the simple past-tense forms of these verbs. Also include keywords for any of the required technologies or skills.
You can also forego a bulleted list for jobs that are less relevant but that you opted to include to avoid a resume gap.
Work history on a resume examples
The following examples illustrate how to concisely summarize work history on a resume. Each example would be one of 3–5 jobs on a resume that’s a maximum of 2 pages.
In this first example, a property manager focuses the work history section on the previous two jobs to keep the resume focused. Earlier jobs in food service and event management have been omitted because they’re not relevant, and the job posting asks for 4–5 years of experience.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE Property Manager | Oakwood Luxury Apartments | Boca Raton | 2021–Present Oversees all aspects of property management for a 75-unit multi-family complex. Assistant Property Manager | Shady Pines | Tampa | 2019–2021 Assisted the property manager in daily operations of a 120-unit complex with a focus on independent 50+ living.
In the next example, an applicant for a Data Officer role that requires 3 years of experience has curated their work history section to focus on the most recent and relevant work. The resume goes back 5 years.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Senior Data Officer | Bachman Foundation | Shelbyville, KY | 2022–Present
Maintains and operationalizes data for a high-performing Research, Learning, & Evaluation team to improve program efficacy and reduce poverty.
- Implemented internal data management approaches that expanded the impact of food banks and job training programs for 1M families citywide.
- Developed and maintained a comprehensive data warehouse, integrating data from multiple sources including program participation and socioeconomic indicators.
- Leveraged data visualizations to address external stakeholder requests, leading to a 100% retention rate of major donors and community business partners.
- Implemented robust data quality assurance protocols, resulting in a 20% reduction in data discrepancies and improved accuracy of program impact assessments.
Data Manager | The Opportunity Initiative | Remote | 2020–2022
Managed data collection, data storage, and data analysis for a high-impact employment placement program for adolescents living at or below the federal poverty level.
- Collaborated with program managers to identify data needs and develop data-driven strategies to enhance program effectiveness.
- Implemented data collection tools that improved efficiency for tracking progress, outcomes, and impact by 50%.
Data Analyst | Feeding the Future | Coffeeville, KY | 2019-2020
Conducted data analysis to assess the impact of food assistance programs on nutrition and food security for low-income families.
- Delivered large dataset analysis that improved resource allocation and increased the number of families served by 10%.
- Prepared data visualizations and reports to communicate program needs to staff, partners, and stakeholders.
Frequently asked questions about how far back should a resume go
- How long should a resume summary be?
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A resume summary (aka a professional summary) should be a few lines at the top of the resume just below your name and contact information.
In 3–5 lines or a few phrases, summarize the following:
- Your professional role and years of experience (e.g. “Resourceful and results-driven retail manager with over 5 years of experience exceeding revenue goals and mentoring sales associates”)
- The main accomplishments or strengths that are relevant to the job you’re applying for (e.g., “Spearheaded recruiting and training programs that increased employee retention by 50%”)
This section used to be called an objective, but a resume summary is the current standard practice.
When you’re revising a resume to achieve the ideal resume length of 1–2 pages, QuillBot’s free Paraphraser can help you with concise word choices.
- What is a resume for a job?
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A resume for a job is a one- or two-page formal document that you create for job applications. It provides hiring teams, managers, and recruiters with your contact information, work history, skills, education, and other professional details.
A job resume has headings and bulleted lists that readers can quickly scan to learn about your qualifications.
For some jobs, you may need to use a CV instead of a resume.
Have you tried QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker extension for job applications? It can help you automatically find and fix errors because after all, what is a resume without impeccable grammar?
- Should a resume be one page?
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A resume can be one page when you’re in the beginning or early stages of your career. A resume can also be up to two pages when you have a lot of experience (e.g., 5 or more years) or when the role requires a wide range of projects, achievements, and/or skills.
If the job posting is asking for a lot of specific information, you may need to send a CV instead. One of the main differences between a CV and resume is the length.
Have you tried QuillBot’s free Paraphraser for your career writing materials? It can help you achieve a concise resume length.
- How many years of employment should be on a resume?
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A maximum of 10–15 years of employment should be on a resume. The number of years on the job posting (e.g., “5–7 years of sales experience”) can also determine how far back a resume should go.
Your resume should only include past jobs that are relevant to the job you’re applying for.
Focus on jobs where you used the skills that are listed on the job posting. If you have more than 10–15 years of relevant experience, omit earlier jobs to achieve the ideal 1–2 page resume length.
However far back your resume goes, make sure it’s free of errors. QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can help you do just that.
