Job seekers often wonder how many positions they should include on their resumes. Although there isn’t a set number for how many jobs you can feature, ensure the information provided benefits your current career goals. Determining whether the content you’re including will strengthen your application is a fundamental building block for constructing an accomplishment-driven document. Throughout this guide, we’ll help you identify the right approach to older experience during resume building.
Ideal Number of Jobs to Include on the Resume
A strong resume typically includes your three most recent positions if they align with your career goals, while older roles should be summarized or omitted unless they showcase key achievements, career progression, or relevant transferable skills.
But contrary to popular belief, there isn’t an ideal number of jobs you should aim for as you build your resume. Instead, evaluate whether your previous positions are relevant to your career goals. In most cases, it’s best to include as much content as possible for your three most recent positions and keep older jobs brief. If you’re an experienced job seeker, you can include as many positions as you’d like; just don’t exceed the two-page mark. You can also visit our topical authority page for more information on creating a concise resume for the job search.
How to Identify Relevant Work Experience
Identifying relevant work experience can be more complex than you might think. For example, if a position isn’t directly related to your current field but has objectively impressive accomplishments, you may want to consider keeping the job on your resume. Remember that some achievements and skill sets are transferable across fields.
For instance, if you were managing a team to execute a multi-million-dollar project, you wouldn’t omit this detail simply because you’re pursuing a role in a different field. Consider whether the information you provide will help you to make a positive impression on the hiring manager and remove content that doesn’t support this objective.
Eliminate Internships if You’re an Experienced Job Seeker
You can remove old internships from your resume if you have 10 or more years of experience. Including bullet points describing entry-level experience isn’t ideal for a senior-level professional applying for a management position. The only situation where you may want to consider mentioning an internship at this career stage is if removing the content will disrupt your professional timeline. In this case, you can simply list the internship in an additional work experience section to avoid a timeline gap.
Maintain a Complete Professional Timeline
One issue with eliminating jobs from the resume is that this tactic may create gaps in your employment history. This is normally an area of concern for hiring managers, so ensure that you avoid fully omitting positions that will cause a break in your timeline. If you feel a position is irrelevant or may hurt your application, one potential solution is to include the dates, company, and employment title in an Additional Experience section. This will allow you to save space on your document and keep your content focused on your relevant work experience.
Combine Similar Experience
If you received a promotion at your current company and held many of the same responsibilities across multiple roles, you may want to consider combining this experience to save space on your document. Here, you could include the dates for each position above the company title and craft bullet points that feature your most impressive accomplishments during your time with the organization. This way, you can showcase the promotion without redundant content, which will make all the difference during the job hunt.
Include Additional Information on Your LinkedIn Profile
You could include these details on your LinkedIn profile if you omit older experience because it doesn’t fit your current career goals or you don’t have room on your document. While it’s best to avoid creating an employment gap on your resume, you can use LinkedIn to provide a fuller overview of your professional experience. Unlike the resume, there isn’t any real downside to having a lengthy profile, so you can feel free to incorporate older experience here.
Focus on Accomplishments
When describing roles from the earlier phases of your career, avoid mentioning day-to-day job responsibilities and instead focus on highlighting your most significant accomplishments. If the hiring manager is evaluating a position on the second page of the document, the expectation is that you have a good reason for including it, and they won’t be interested in reading through a list of mundane job duties. Using numbers and metrics to your advantage can also be a valuable tactic to help older bullet points stand out.
Example: Managing Work History for a Career Change
Let’s say you are transitioning from marketing to project management. Your past job titles may not directly reflect your new career path, but specific accomplishments can make you a strong candidate.
Before (Marketing-Focused):
- Led digital marketing campaigns, increasing lead conversion by 25%.
- Managed a team of five marketing specialists to execute client projects.
- Created content strategies that improved website traffic by 40%.
After (Project Management-Focused):
- Spearheaded multi-department initiatives, coordinating efforts across marketing, sales, and IT.
- Managed project timelines, vendor relations, and budgets exceeding $500,000.
- Led process improvements that reduced campaign turnaround times by 20%.
By emphasizing project management aspects of your prior roles, you make your experience relevant without listing unrelated tasks.
Here’s a resume example with an appropriate number of jobs listed:
John Doe
[Phone Number] | [Email Address] | [LinkedIn Profile] | [City, State]
Professional Summary
Detail-oriented and results-driven Project Manager with over 15 years of experience leading cross-functional teams, managing multimillion-dollar budgets, and optimizing workflow efficiency. Adept at coordinating complex projects, implementing process improvements, and delivering measurable business outcomes. Proven ability to translate strategic goals into actionable plans while maintaining high standards of quality and execution.
Professional Experience
ABC Corporation – New York, NY
Senior Project Manager (2018 – Present)
- Led a team of 10 professionals to execute high-profile corporate initiatives, successfully delivering projects valued at $5M+.
- Implemented a new project tracking system, reducing inefficiencies and cutting operational costs by 20%.
- Spearheaded cross-functional collaboration between IT, marketing, and finance departments, improving project alignment and execution speed.
XYZ Company – Boston, MA
Project Manager (2013 – 2018)
- Managed the full lifecycle of multiple projects, achieving a 95% on-time delivery rate.
- Developed training programs for junior project managers, enhancing team efficiency and knowledge retention.
- Negotiated vendor contracts, securing cost savings of 15% on annual procurement expenses.
LMN Enterprises – Chicago, IL
Operations Coordinator (2008 – 2013)
- Coordinated logistics for national product launches, overseeing distribution and supply chain operations.
- Streamlined internal processes, reducing turnaround times for project approvals by 30%.
- Managed stakeholder communications, ensuring alignment between leadership and department teams.
Education & Certifications
- Master of Business Administration (MBA) – University of Illinois
- Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification – PMI
Key Skills
- Project Lifecycle Management | Process Optimization | Budget Oversight | Team Leadership
- Risk Assessment | Cross-Functional Collaboration | Performance Metrics
FAQs on How Many Jobs to List on a Resume
Should My Resume Only Cover 15 Years of Experience?-
This again comes down to whether the content will enhance the strength of your job application. Many resume writers and career coaches recommend only covering up to 15 years of professional experience on the resume, but there are exceptions. If the experience helps further substantiate you as a thought leader within your space, it might be worth mentioning a position, even if it was from 20 years ago.
Focus primarily on content from your three most recent jobs, but feel free to include older accomplishments if they can help you to tell your story better.
Will Older Positions Invite Age Bias?+
One concern that many job seekers have is the risk of inviting age bias by including older positions on the resume. While this can be true in many instances, if you feel that a position from 15 years ago has accomplishments worth highlighting, don’t let the fear of potential age bias prevent you from doing so. Emphasizing your career achievements is often the right approach for overcoming these obstacles during the hiring process. If information doesn’t provide valuable insights to enhance your application, you’re probably best leaving off some of your older experience.
What If I Had Multiple Jobs in a Short Period?+
You may be concerned about appearing like a job hopper if you've held several short-term positions. The best approach depends on the situation. If the roles were contract positions or temporary assignments, make that clear by labeling them as such (e.g., "Contract Role" or "Freelance Project"). If the jobs were permanent but short-lived, focus on accomplishments rather than timeframes to highlight your contributions rather than the brevity of each role.
Can I Omit a Job That Ended Poorly?+
Yes, you are not obligated to list every position you've ever held. If a job ended on bad terms or is irrelevant to your current career goals, leaving it off is a valid option. However, if omitting the role creates an unexplained gap in your work history, consider including it without extensive details, such as listing just the company, job title, and dates. If asked in an interview, be honest but concise about why you left.
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