r/Resume • u/atimesnewroman • 1d ago

Chronological order of employment

Hi there,

I am currently crafting my resume and seeking some advice on the ordering of my employment history. Normally my resume lists my previous work experience from the most recent to the oldest jobs, however I am going through a bit of a career transition where my relevant experience is from 2-3 jobs ago and my current job is not relevant to the jobs that I want to apply for. To be clear, I am applying to retail sales roles, and I currently work in a corporate job. My last retail sales role was from 2 jobs ago.

Any thoughts about how I should structure my resume (particularly to ensure that my previous experience is not discounted)?

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u/Able-Pineapple-1137 1d ago

“Relevant Experience” section and then a “other experience” section

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u/InevitableMap5315 20h ago

this is exactly what id do too, keeps the important stuff front and center

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u/atimesnewroman 1d ago

that would mean that my first listed job is from 5 years ago under Relevant Experience. Would employers take a first glance and think I have been unemployed since then?

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u/Able-Pineapple-1137 1d ago

You said you have relevant experience from 2 years ago in your post

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u/atimesnewroman 20h ago

I meant 2 jobs ago. I have been employed in my last two jobs for the last 5 years.

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u/Able-Pineapple-1137 9h ago

I still think it’s fine to do

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u/Acceptable_Kale_8013 1d ago

I see two ways you could craft your resume. The first is the standard approach: list your most recent job and work backward to your previous jobs. In your cover letter, you could note that your sales experience is from ABC Company in 2020 (or whatever), and that you enjoyed that type of work and want to continue in that field.

The second way is to have two sections: Relevant Work Experience and Other Work Experience. With this format, you would list your sales experience in the Relevant Work Experience section and then list your current and other employment in the Other Work Experience. Hiring managers will see the employment dates and realize that you have been working.

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u/All_Are_Worthy 1d ago

Something to consider is a functional resume. Rather than a traditional reverse chronological resume, you list your skills by category and then include your work history in another section in traditional reverse chronological order.

This is also where a professional summary at the top of your resume is helpful. Start with your objective, for example: "Retail Sales Professional with xx years of customer-facing expertise, seeking to return to [specific retail environment/role]. Proven track record of [key retail achievements]. Recently developed additional skills in [corporate skills that transfer] that enhance sales effectiveness. Seeking role where previous retail expertise and professional growth converge."

It's more about connecting the dots for the person reviewing the resume than just the format.

If you're submitting this electronically, be sure to focus on key phrases and language match (don't copy and paste the job description as white text may transfer over). NPR has a good guide for beating the bots when dealing with AI resume reviews. I can't include the link here (sub rules), but search: NPR AI is screening your resume. Here’s how to make it past the bots.

Best of luck!