Ask a Resume Writer: How Far Back Should a Resume Go?

If you’ve had a successful career and are preparing to make your next move, you likely want to display your entire work history on your resume. And rightfully so. However, could including every job you’ve had on your resume potentially work against you?

You've probably also heard that a resume should be no longer than one or two pages. But what if you’ve held so many jobs that including them all would spill onto a third page (or fourth)?

We asked Erin Steiner, one of iHire’s Certified Resume Writers, how much of your career history you should include on your resume.

Should I Put My Entire Work History on a Resume?

“I generally advise only including roles you've held within the last 10 or 15 years. This helps keep your resume focused and concise, and protects you from possible ageism,” Steiner explained.

Leaving older positions off your resume, especially their dates, will work in your favor. You don’t have to include every role you’ve held, and since your resume is a marketing document, anything you do decide to include should show the reader why you’re the best fit for the job.

“It’s important to consider how relevant some of your previous roles are as well. Will including that experience on your resume help you land your next job? Will that information entice hiring managers to contact you, or will it raise red flags?” said Steiner.

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There are strategies you can use to let prior roles shine on your resume without including dates. For example, you can end your career timeline with an “Additional Experience” section that only includes your title, the company name, and its location. This is helpful if you want to show career longevity or name-drop a major brand you worked for in the past.

“Hybrid resumes are also a great way to highlight key achievements from previous positions that otherwise you wouldn’t include in detail. With a hybrid resume format, you’re essentially creating a ‘greatest hits’ section without dates,” Steiner continued.

How Many Jobs Should You List on a Resume?

"Even if you can fit all of your past positions within a two-page resume, you should still limit your detailed experience history to the past 15 years,” said Steiner. “In most cases, you should be able to fit five or so positions on your resume’s career timeline, though that will depend on how many supplemental sections, like education, certifications, and professional affiliations, your resume has.”

Now that you know how many jobs to include and how far back to go on your resume, update it using our additional resources (or easily create a new one with our Resume Builder tool) and apply to your next job with confidence!