When you’re updating your resume, capturing your entire professional journey at a single company can be challenging, especially if you’ve been promoted or held different roles. Showcasing each role and promotion effectively can make a big difference in how recruiters and hiring managers view your career trajectory. Here’s a guide to help you decide how to best add promotions to your resume and why they’re important to include.
Why Should You Add Promotions to Your Resume?
Promotions are a testament to your growth, skills, and dedication within a company. They demonstrate to potential employers that you’re adaptable, reliable, and able to handle increasing levels of responsibility. Including all your roles and promotions allows you to provide a fuller picture of the breadth of your experience, making it easier for hiring managers to see the skills you’ve acquired over time. By showcasing each position, you can give insight into your professional development and the contributions you made at every stage.
Adding Promotions vs. Using the Most Recent Job Only
Some job seekers may consider only listing their most recent role, especially if they think it saves space or if the earlier role was unrelated to their current career path. However, even if some of your earlier responsibilities don’t align perfectly with the position you’re now pursuing, they likely demonstrate foundational skills, adaptability, or growth. It’s almost always best to show a complete history within a company, especially if your earlier roles helped you build toward your current expertise. Ultimately, showing multiple roles at the same company creates a narrative of advancement that can be very appealing to employers.
Add Promotions in Stacked Entries
One of the most common ways to show a promotion is to use a stacked entry format. In this method, you list the company name only once, followed by the different roles beneath it in chronological order. Using stacked entries is a practical way to display multiple roles within the same company in a compact format, especially if they’re related or show a natural progression. This approach involves listing the company name once, followed by each position held in chronological order. It allows you to showcase your growth without taking up too much space on your resume, making it easy for hiring managers to see your advancement over time. For example, if you started as a Marketing Coordinator and progressed to Senior Marketing Manager, stacked entries let you highlight each role’s specific accomplishments while keeping the focus on your cumulative experience at the company. This format is ideal if you want to emphasize career growth and continuity within one organization. Here’s an example:
ABC Corporation
Senior Marketing Manager
January 2022 – Present
- Oversaw marketing strategy development and increased social engagement by 40%.
- Launched a successful rebranding campaign that boosted brand awareness.
Marketing Coordinator
June 2019 – January 2022
- Developed and executed social media strategies, reaching a monthly audience of over 1 million.
- Supported product launch campaigns and coordinated with external agencies.
In this format, the stacked entries clearly show the progression within a single company, making it easy for recruiters to follow your growth and the skills you developed along the way.
Add a Promotion with Two Separate Entries
Alternatively, you can list each position as a separate entry, as if they were roles at different companies. This approach allows you to emphasize the specific duties, achievements, and responsibilities of each role more distinctly. This method can be especially useful if the positions were vastly different or if the promotion marked a significant shift in your responsibilities. Using separate entries for each role treats each position as its own job, even if they were held at the same company. This format is useful if each role is distinct, with significant changes in responsibilities or skills required. For example, if you started as a Technical Support Specialist and later transitioned to Project Manager, listing them separately allows you to fully differentiate the two roles and help hiring managers see how your expertise has evolved. Separate entries give more attention to each position’s unique contributions, making this approach ideal if your promotion marked a major shift in your career path or involved a different skill set. Here’s how this might look:
ABC Corporation
Senior Marketing Manager
January 2022 – Present
- Led the development of a new marketing strategy that increased customer acquisition by 35%.
- Directed a team of five in executing cross-platform campaigns.
ABC Corporation
Marketing Coordinator
June 2019 – January 2022
- Implemented a social media calendar, which boosted engagement by 25%.
- Assisted in planning marketing initiatives that supported product growth.
This format allows each role to stand on its own, drawing attention to the increased responsibilities and skills you’ve accumulated over time. It’s an effective way to show growth if the job changes were significant.
How to Decide Which Resume Format to Use
When choosing between stacked and separate entries, consider the following factors:
Is Your Focus on Company or Promotion
If your focus is on demonstrating your loyalty and growth within one company, a stacked format might be more appropriate. But if you want to highlight each position’s unique contributions, opt for separate entries.
The Time in Each Role
If you spent several years in each role, listing them separately can showcase each position’s significance. If your earlier position was brief, however, stacking may make more sense.
Job Relevance
If the roles are quite different (e.g., transitioning from a technical to a managerial role), separate entries can make it clear that the nature of your work shifted, along with your responsibilities.
How Recruitment Partners Can Help
Updating a resume to reflect promotions is an art, and, sometimes, a little guidance makes all the difference. Working with a recruitment agency can help you understand how best to present your experience in a way that maximizes your potential. Our team of recruitment experts can assist you in crafting a resume that not only tells your career story but also showcases your achievements in a way that resonates with hiring managers. We’re here to help you position yourself for success and land the role that’s right for you.
By thoughtfully highlighting your career advancements, you’ll build a resume that reflects the full scope of your achievements, ensuring that employers recognize the dedication and skills you bring to the table.
