How Far Back Should a Resume Go?

There are many considerations when writing a resume. One of them is how long it should be. The problem is that this aspect is often overlooked. However, getting the resume length spot on does matter, especially since managers looking for new staff don’t have time to mess around.

Your resume has a simple role: it showcases your skills and experience and provides ways to contact you. Any other information is irrelevant and less likely to stir interest. Besides, too much information can overwhelm the resume and distract from what really matters.

Not sure where to start? How far back should a resume go? Let’s look at the optimal length for a resume and figure out how much is too much.

What Timeframe Should You Cover?

As a general rule of thumb, your resume should focus on the last 10 to 15 years of your work experience, if you have that many. In terms of years, it obviously depends on how many jobs you’ve changed over this time, as too many jobs could indicate insecurity.

When it comes to the actual positions, ideally, job seekers should focus on the last five main positions. Again, it depends on what you’ve done previously, as you can also go further based on the job’s requirements. Ideally, you should find a middle range between the 10–15-year requirement and the last positions.

Normally, you should mainly focus on recent and relevant experience. At the same time, it has to be relevant to the job you are applying for. If you’re applying to be a warehouse worker but have spent three years knitting for a job from home, they’re clearly unrelated.

Of course, each individual is different. So, how far back should a resume go? More factors can influence the more individualized answer, and they vary from one person to another.

Why Keep Your Resume Short?

The length is one of the features of good resume, and for some good reasons. Your resume is practically a form of marketing. You need to grab some attention, then have a manager want more. Here are some of the reasons why you need to keep it short.

• It’s all about hooking a manager:At this point, your resume is mainly about hooking a hiring manager. The purpose of your resume is to showcase relevant achievements or skills. You need to prove that you’re excellent for the job. Managers won’t care about what you did 30 years ago.
• Tell your story at the interview:Including all your earlier work history may get the hiring manager’s attention. While underlining your career journey isn’t a bad idea, the resume isn’t the right place to do it. Instead, you can do all these and elaborate on the topic during the interview.
• Not much time:You’ll have to put yourself in the recruiter’s shoes when writing a resume. They’ll most likely go through dozens, if not hundreds, of resumes. On average, recruiters spend less than 10 seconds deciding on a candidate. Therefore, your first impression is the most important one.

Why Remove Early Job Experience?

In the attempt to provide more and more information, candidates often stuff their resumes with data that’s not relevant. Not only does it cause the recruiter to miss important details, but it’s less likely to help you anyway.

Prioritize Relevant Skills

Recruiters aren’t looking for the story of your life, but just relevant details. At the same time, chances are you’ve obtained some of your best achievements over the past two or three jobs. There’s no need to focus on positions you had 15 years ago, when you weren’t even qualified.

Achieve the Perfect Length

There are a few unwritten rules when it comes to writing a resume. One of them says you shouldn’t exceed two pages. If your resume is too long, it’s easy for recruiters to miss the best parts. You’ll confuse, rather than trigger interest. That’s why most people only stick to the last 10-15 years.

Overcome Age Discrimination

There are laws against age discrimination, but it doesn’t mean it’s still there. For example, most recruiters would avoid people who are too old or close to retirement, especially if jobs require tech skills. Removing your ancient career history will shift the focus from your actual age to your skills.

Figuring out which early career experience to remove can be tricky. The expert resume writers at CraftResumes can help you figure out what’s relevant and what’s not.

Boosting a team of professional writers, you’ll get a professional resume written from a recruiter’s point of view.

Exceptions to the Two-Page Resume Rule

Bottom line, how far back should a resume go? Focus on the last 10-15 years and try not to exceed two pages. But then again, there are situations when you can forget about these rules, as writing a resume is a flexible job.

Here are a few exceptions to the rules:

• If you’ve worked for a company for a long period, such as 5-10 years.
• If some early skills and certifications are extremely important for your current application.
• If you have to explain employment gaps in your career.
• If the job you apply for requires over 20 years of experience in the respective industry.
• If you’ve worked for large or prestigious companies.
• If you’ve held distinguished and highly ranking job titles.

Apart from these exceptions, keeping the resume length to a reasonable limit is wise. If you’re unsure about it, certified professional resume writers can optimize it based on your information. They know the features of a good resume and can find relevant details you might’ve missed.

How to Add Work Experience to Your Resume?

Knowing how to add work experience to your resume is just as important. It’s one of those things that make a resume stand out, similar to the layout, organization, and the differences between a cover letter vs resume.

Your work experience must be spot on. There’s no need for fluff. Go for a concise approach. Managers should be able to read it at a glance, rather than spend minutes trying to figure out what’s going on there. They’re less likely to waste all this time anyway.

Create Headings

Make sure you have one particular heading for work experience, usually just after education. It should match the resume’s layout and design, so you don’t have to make it stand out with a different font or color. If you have any awards, too, they go after this section.

Use Bullet Points to List Jobs

Use bullets for an easy understanding, and make sure you start with the most recent experience. This way, relevant data about your experience will be right at the top. Unless they’re relevant, go backwards chronologically and skip jobs you had more than 10-15 years ago.

Stick to Simple Information

Include the company names, your position, location, and timeframes. Again, this kind of information requires bullets for easy organization. You want the data to be easy to read, rather than confusing the recruiter.

Bullet Points for Job Descriptions

Organize everything responsibly, and feel free to add more bullets to showcase the work you did in each job. These bullets should be slightly to the right under each position. Keep it simple and concise. Avoid fluff and unnecessary flowery language.

Double-check the Format

Once you’re happy with everything, double-check the format. Review positions to ensure there’s no irrelevant data. The format must be consistent throughout the entire resume.

Last, but not least, revise your jobs and ensure you keep everything under two pages. You can also check for punctuation and grammar errors. How far back should a resume go? Clear out some details if you get over 10-15 years or more than two pages.

You can also add relevant skills or qualifications in a summary, just in case each job has different attributes and responsibilities.

Conclusion

Bottom line, how far back should a resume go? Include everything you need to and keep it under two pages. In terms of time frames, 10-15 years is usually enough. Most people include less than 10 years, yet there are also a few exceptions.

Most importantly, imagine what you’d like to see, so once you finish the resume, put yourself in the recruiter’s shoes. It has to be appealing and easy to read.

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