Since you’ve landed on this page, chances are you are looking for a new job. Maybe you think it’s time to quit because you have nothing to do at work. Or maybe you are currently unemployed and are feeling resignation regret. You might even hate your current position, which is the worst scenario of all – in this case, we recommend that you take a day off from work as soon as possible in order to recharge and take a fresh look at your career.
Whatever the case is, you need to prepare a strong resume that will help you move on. In this article, you will learn how to list promotions on a resume so that potential employers can see your accomplishments and progress.
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Top 3 Reasons to Reflect Promotions on a Resume
Career promotions show growth, determination and relevant accomplishments. No matter your career path, there are several reasons you might want to fill your resume with promotions:
- Recruiters want to see growth. You might be an expert in your field, yet you need to demonstrate consistent progress. This way, hiring managers will know that you evolve professionally and stay relevant in changing business environments.
- Promotions make your resume stand out. Since competition for jobs is getting tighter, you need to do your utmost to get hired. Listing your job titles and responsibilities might not be enough to succeed as recruiters need proof that you are eager for professional growth. And what better way to provide it than by showing recognition for your achievements in the form of promotions?
- You show that you are ready to take more responsibility. Promotions on your resume let recruiters know that you are open to new career opportunities and can adapt to change. Flexible workers are highly sought after by employers, so when crafting your resume, let your career elevations shine through.
How to Show a Promotion on a Resume: General Tips
Your resume must show career progression and present your experience in the most effective way. Here are a few workable tips that will help you achieve that:
- Tell your personal story
Hiring managers want to see the reasons for a promotion on a resume. Obviously, there is something remarkable about you that helps you climb up the career ladder, so make it a point to showcase your uniqueness and impact. A well-crafted list of promotions with proper comments and explanations will reveal your work history in the right light, connecting all the dots and highlighting your wins.
- Focus on your achievements
While it might be tempting to compile a long list of impressive job titles, we recommend that you make your accomplishments the focus of your resume. They should be measurable, so make sure to add data and numbers. They will quantify your resume and make it more attractive to your potential employers.
- Use action verbs
When describing your achievements, use action verbs. This strategy is proven to be the most effective in boosting your resume’s attractiveness. Action verbs are powerful because they show that you are capable of putting your knowledge into practice. They paint a vivid picture of your actions, which is why HR experts like them so much.
How to List Linear Promotions at the Same Company
When it comes to a clear career progression, stacking entries on your resume may be the best idea. This approach works if there is a job title promotion but your duties remain similar in nature.
Here is how you can show multiple positions at the same company:
- To start with, introduce the company and its location.
- Then list each job title along with the dates of your employment.
- Finally, use bullets to describe your accomplishments.
This template may help you:
Company Name, Location
Job Title #2 | dates
Job Title #1 | dates
- Accomplishment #1
- Accomplishment #2
- Accomplishment #3
…
Here is an example of a linear promotion within the same entity:
ABC Company, New York, NY
Marketing Manager | November 2022 – Present
Marketing Specialist | January 2022 – October 202– Promoted within 10 months for exceeding goals, generating rapid sales growth, improving customer satisfaction, strengthening social media accounts, and expanding sales channels
– Improved customer satisfaction by 40% in just 3 months by creating an efficient customer complaint system
– Built profitable Instagram advertising campaigns with a monthly budget of $30,000
– Created an engagement strategy for the company’s social media channels, capturing 90,000 profile visits up to now
Keep in mind that your jobs should be listed in reverse-chronological order. Also, make sure to explain your promotion using one of the bullet points.
How to Show Lateral Promotions at the Same Organization
Sometimes, you might want to take a step sideways instead of up. If your professional path is non-linear and involves unconventional career moves, you need to show them as advancements rather than a series of isolated roles in order to put your experience in the best light.
Positions with different responsibilities should have separate entries on your resume. You can use this template to update your resume for a lateral move:
Company Name, Location
Job Title #2 | dates
- Accomplishment #1
- Accomplishment #2
- Accomplishment #3
- …
Job Title #1 | dates
- Accomplishment #1
- Accomplishment #2
- Accomplishment #3
- …
Here is an example of how to list promotions on a resume if they are different in nature:
ABC Company, New York, NY
Product Manager | October 2022 – Present– Managed A/B testing, which resulted in the conversion rate improving by 20 basis points
– Conducted a pricing experiment that increased the number of customers by 15%
– Supervised the design, planning, and implementation of 3 new features
Sales Manager | January 2022 – September 2022
– Promoted within 9 months for increasing employee satisfaction rates by 25% and creating a robust sales pipeline
– Conducted a pricing experiment that increased the number of customers by 15%
– Supervised the design, planning, and implementation of 3 new features
How to List Multiple Promotions (10+ Years of Experience)
If you are an experienced hire, you most likely have multiple promotions to boast on your resume. Your list of accomplishments may be truly impressive, but if you fail to organize them properly, your resume will seem cluttered. To give it a neat look and attract recruiters, you need to demonstrate your career progression while pointing the reader to the most relevant experience.
To list your older roles, create a separate section called Prior Professional Experience. List each position separately under a company heading without bullet points:
Prior Professional Experience
Company Name, Location
- Job Title #3 | dates
- Job Title #2 | dates
- Job Title #1 | dates
Once you are done with your older jobs, use the templates from the sections above to demonstrate your most recent experience. You might need to list the same organization twice. It is necessary if you left it and then returned for a promotion. In such a case, create a separate entry for each experience with the same company.
How to Show a Temporary Promotion on a Resume
Whether an experience directly related to your professional path or a lateral move, your temporary background should be described on your resume as a valuable asset to your career. Otherwise, the reader might see it as a red flag and think that you are a job hopper. All your job titles must showcase growth and development, and temporary work is by no means an exception. So, when filling your resume with promotions that are short-term experiences, make sure they demonstrate that you’re capable of professional development rather than looking like gap fillers in your career.
There is a strong similarity between how temporary and full-time positions should be reflected on your resume. The only difference is that you should put “temp”, “temporary” or “contract” next to a temporary job’s title.
You can stack multiple temporary jobs together if they are similar in nature:
Company Name, Location
Job Title #2; Temporary | dates
Job Title #1; Temporary | dates
- Accomplishment #1
- Accomplishment #2
- Accomplishment #3
- …
Here is an example:
ABC Company, New York, NY
Office Assistant; Temporary | April 2022 – August 2022
Receptionist; Temporary | January 2022 – March 2022– Promoted for demonstrating top customer service skills and strong attention to detail
– Maintained records for 90 clients
– Filed 300 documents a day
– Answered over 70 phone calls a day
Promoted for demonstrating top customer service skills and strong attention to detail
Maintained records for 90 clients
Filed 300 documents a day
Answered over 70 phone calls a day
Temporary jobs with different responsibilities should have separate entries:
ABC Company, New York, NY
Job Title #2; Temporary | dates
- Accomplishment #1
- Accomplishment #2
- ….
Job Title #1; Temporary | dates
- Accomplishment #1
- Accomplishment #2
- ….
Here is how this template is applied in the example below:
ABC Company, New York, NY
Healthcare Accountant Clerk; Temporary | April 2022 – December 2022– Promoted for handling cash, debit, and credit transactions with no errors
– Prepared payroll for 200 employees per month
Medical Receptionist; Temporary | January 2022 – March 2022
– Managed schedules for 10 medical officers
– Checked in 50-60 patients a day
Formatting Tips
No matter how impressive your career path is, incorrect formatting can make your resume look unprofessional and easily ruin your job search. To avoid that, we recommend that you apply the following formatting tips:
- List your jobs in reverse-chronological order
Most recruiters are used to reverse-chronological resumes. This format has been the standard in the job market for years, and it is often the only accepted option by companies using Automated Tracking Systems (ATS). To comply with this convention, put your most recent position first and proceed backwards.
- Use bullet points
An impenetrable block of text is sure to scare off the reader, so you need to present your accomplishments in digestible chunks. Bullet points are perfect for this job, which is why you should stick to them. While you might be tempted to highlight your achievements using arrows, circles or stars, doing so is a mistake.
- Include both years and months
While listing only the years of your employment might help your resume look more concise, this strategy is by no means winning. Hiring managers need to see months on your resume – otherwise, they might assume that you are hiding something. Candidates often avoid months if they want to cover a work history gap, so the warning bells start to ring whenever such kind of formatting is applied. Your best bet here is to avoid ambiguity. List employment months for each job and position, and if there is a gap, provide your explanation for it.
- Be consistent
Consistency in resume formatting is of vital importance. You should stick to the font and color you choose throughout your text when listing your promotions. Punctuation should be consistent as well: if you end a bullet point with a period, especially if it’s a complete sentence, make sure to apply this formatting option to all relevant bullet points. Also, text spacing should be consistent throughout the entire document – use the same distance between all bullet points or paragraphs. Last but not least, ensure that you have a consistent capitalization strategy.
Conclusion
Promotions on a resume will give your job search a fighting chance. They show that you can deliver provable results. We hope our tips on how to show a promotion on a resume will help you get things right and move up further.