According to the Eye-Tracking Study by Ladders Inc., recruiters skim each applicant’s resume for an average of 7.4 seconds. In this short time, you need to arouse interest in your candidacy to move forward in the selection stage. Your career progress within one company significantly increases your chances. It proves that you were in good standing with top management and were able to upgrade your skills. Your main task is to reflect this valuable information correctly. In this article, we will show all the effective ways of putting multiple positions and promotions on a resume.
How to put a promotion on a resume: writing models and examples
Career progression is a perfect reason to update your resume. The main challenge is to add a new paragraph and preserve the logic, clarity, and readability of the document. To handle it, review the following four templates used to reflect the promotion on the resume and choose the one that matches your professional background.
Stacked entry
A stacked entry strategy involves placing multiple job titles under one company heading. This option applies when you have performed similar duties in each role. A stacked entry significantly saves space and the recruiter’s time, as you don’t list duties twice. To implement this strategy, you should:
- Indicate the name of the company and its location
- Arrange posts in reverse chronological order with dates
- List common responsibilities
- Indicate the reason for career progression in the first line of duties
To avoid errors, follow this sample:
ABC Corporation, New York, NY
Advertising Manager – March 2017 to April 2024
Advertising Assistant – September 2016 to March 2017
- Promoted for the development of POS strategy, which increased profits by 20%;
- Developed a unique selling proposition for the target audience;
- Choosed communication channels for message delivery;
- Measured the effectiveness of promotion strategies.
Separate entry
According to ResumesPlanet resume writing service, , this method is also used to demonstrate multiple jobs within the same company on your resume. But unlike stacked entry, it works when your posts included different duties and accordingly required different qualifications. The separate-entry model implies the following sequence:
- Name and location of the company
- The current or last job title with dates
- List of job duties
- The previous job title with time frame
- List of work-related responsibilities.
The following example will make it more clear:
Simon Brothers Inc., New York, NY
Content Manager – June 2018 to May 2024
- Developed a content plan based on the company’s business goals, which increased audience engagement by 25% and sales by 15%;
- Distributed tasks between copywriters;
- Compiled an editorial calendar and monitored its compliance;
- Checked articles and posts before publication and recommended edits.
Copywriter – April 2016 to June 2018
- Wrote articles for a company blog based on SEO requirements, which increased web traffic by 20%;
- Created posts for social networks following the content plan;
- Designed engaging headlines;
- Picked up writing techniques for accurate message delivery.
Double mention of the company
Sometimes specialists change employers but then return to the company again. In this case, it is appropriate to mention the company twice since your experience was divided into two stages. You can reflect this career trajectory in your resume by simply following our sample:
Global Solutions, New York, NY
Marketing Director, April 2019 – Present
- Monitored competitor strategies to develop a unique selling proposition;
- Organized and coordinated marketing researches;
- Developed and launched marketing campaigns aimed at brand recognition, which increased the awareness of the target audience by 30%;
- Measured the success of a marketing campaign and identified beneficial communication channels.
Warner Inc., San Diego, CA
Marketing Manager, May 2017 – March 2019
- Researched market trends, competitors, and target audience for developing a marketing strategy;
- Developed a strategy for product positioning and launch, which exceeded the sales plan by 15%;
- Worked closely with the creative team to produce promotional materials;
- Monitored the budget allocation.
Global Solutions, New York, NY
Marketing Assistant, January 2014 – April 2017
- Helped in organizing marketing researches;
- Processed and analyzed research data which increased the effectiveness of the marketing campaign by 20%;
- Participated in the organization of press conferences and presentations;
- Assisted in launching an advertising campaign and measuring its effectiveness.
Separate section
If your position has changed many times, but your employer remained the same, create an additional section for long-standing job titles. This section is relevant only if you held these positions more than 15 years ago, and they are of value to the work you are applying for now. In this case, use the stacked entry format. Place the posts after the company name in reverse chronological order with dates but do not list responsibilities and achievements:
C&C Corporation, New York, NY
Editor, September 2003 to March 2005
Proofreader, April 2002 to September 2003
How to indicate promotion on resume and stick to ATS format
Applicant tracking system (ATS) software allows recruiters to quickly filter applications by keywords, skills, company name, experience, and education to weed out candidates whose resumes do not meet the company’s basic requirements. The following tips will help you optimize your document, which will significantly increase your chances of getting an interview.
1. Indicate the month and year. Regardless of whether you show current roles on a resume or focus on long-standing jobs, always specify the exact time frame for each post. It helps ATS analyze your overall track record and evaluate your professional growth.
2. Use standard bulleted and numbered lists. Some applicants want to impress the recruiter with a creative resume approach. For this purpose, they experiment with the format and use non-standard figures such as stars or hearts for a list of responsibilities. But ATS does not read such characters, so an essential part of your work history can be lost, which will undoubtedly filter out your candidacy. Therefore, the traditional formatting of a business document is the best solution.
3. Use keywords. ATS is an artificial intelligence that is programmed to find matches between your resume and the job description. The more matches, the higher your chances. When writing a list of responsibilities and a skills section, keep the selected vacancy in mind. The described requirements and job duties contain the right keywords that ATS is looking for.
4. Try to avoid the stacked entry format. It can play a dirty trick on you if you do not send a resume to a recruiter’s mail and prepare an ATS-optimized document for posting on job boards and other online platforms. ATS assigns all the listed responsibilities to the nearest position, which in the stack format is the most junior position. Therefore, your career progress will not be reflected.
How to show job promotion on a resume: common tips
Choosing the right method to reflect the promotion in the resume is half the battle. The rest of the success will depend on your ability to catch the recruiter’s attention and prove your professional value. The following rules will help you accomplish both tasks.
1. Combine duties and achievements. Even small professional victories speak volumes. Your contribution to the company’s profit, the prosperity of the team, or customer satisfaction demonstrates that you not only performed routine duties, but also knew your stuff, set goals, and pursued them step by step. Therefore, try to add at least one achievement to your list of responsibilities. To consolidate the success, expand on your accomplishments in the cover letter. If you do not know how to create a cover letter, Get Cover Letter online builder can break it down for you.
2. Use specific numbers. Submitting a resume with a typical list of responsibilities is a bad idea, because it runs the risk being lost among dozens of identical application documents. Another failed tactic is filling the resume with big words and groundless statements such as “increased sales”, “increased department efficiency”, and so on. The potential employer appreciates not just the fact that you got promoted, but also the reasons for your success. Therefore, use hard numbers. They always reinforce achievements, increase credibility, and bring you closer to the coveted job offer.
3. Stick to the one-page format. Your resume should not be a long read that contains an exhaustive amount of information about your work history and student life. Too much information and clutter will make it hard for the recruiter to trace your career path. Remember, they spend only 7.4 seconds on each resume, so only focus on the experience and skills relevant to the desired position.
Wrap Up
Promotion is a reward for your hard work and a recognition of your qualifications. It gives you an immediate competitive advantage in the labor market. All you have to do now is put this new chapter in your professional life on paper. You can easily cope with this task following the detailed instructions and examples from our guide. Remember, the resume is your passport as a specialist, so make sure it represents you perfectly.
