Highlighting Long-term Employment on Your Resume

5 Resume tips to present long-term employment in a positive light

As we’ve already discussed, long-term employment isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Long-term employment can show loyalty and dedication to the employer, and that the employee is committed and hard-working. Recruiting and hiring employees is an expensive and time-consuming endeavor. Companies want to make sure that the employees they do hire are in it for the long haul. They aren’t interested in candidates that are going to leave after a year.

But when people start looking for their next position, that period of long-term employment can sometimes be viewed as a negative. Employers are often worried that the individual might not be capable of learning new things and taking on new challenges, and that their skills are outdated.

If you’ve been employed with the same company for a long time, there are a few changes you should make on your resume to help present your long-term employment as a positive attribute, and overcome any objections that hiring managers may have regarding your background.

  1. Include a well-written career summary at the top of the resume. This will be your best friend, presenting your career in a positive light, demonstrating you are qualified for the position.
  2. Rather than group your employment with one company together, list difference positions within the company separately. Include phrases such as, ‘promoted to’ to show advancement in your career.
  3. Display achievements and special projects you worked on. This is especially important for any-cross-functional teams you were on, as it can show other areas you are experienced in outside of the department you formally worked in.
  4. Highlight any advanced training you received, including seminars and continuing education courses you took.
  5. Remove outdated office skills and software from your resume. Having skills such as ‘Word processing’ and ‘Using the Internet’ are no longer relevant. Include skills on your resume that are either specific to your industry/position, or are included in the job description.

Your resume is a marketing tool to show prospective employers why they should hire you. So the goal should be to portray your skills and abilities in the best manner possible. For more tips like these, check out our resume writing section of our blog.

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email