The work experience section is the heart of your CV. It's where recruiters spend most of their time, and it's the section that most directly determines whether you get an interview. Getting it right makes an enormous difference.
Each work experience entry should include: job title, employer name, location, dates of employment (month and year), and a set of bullet points describing your responsibilities and achievements. Always list in reverse chronological order — most recent role first.
The best CV bullet points follow the STAR formula — Situation, Task, Action, Result — though you don't need to include all four every time. The crucial element is the Result:
The quantification rule: Every time you find yourself writing "managed," "led," "improved," or "grew," ask: by how much? When? In what context? The answer to those questions is your bullet point.
Never start a bullet point with "I" or "Was responsible for." Instead, use strong action verbs:
Not every job produces easily measurable outcomes. If you can't quantify results, focus on scope and specificity instead:
A role lasting less than 6 months raises questions. If you were made redundant, state it briefly in brackets: "Redundancy (company restructure)." If you left voluntarily, you don't need to explain — but be prepared to discuss it at interview.
For most professionals, 10–15 years is enough. Earlier roles can be summarised in a line or omitted entirely if they're not relevant. Recruiters aren't expecting to see your Saturday job from 2002.
Before you start writing, list every project and achievement you can remember from each role — revenue figures, team sizes, timelines, tools used. Then pick the most impressive 4–5 for each role. Most people undersell themselves because they can't remember the details.
Address gaps honestly and briefly. Parenting, caring responsibilities, travel, health, further study, or a freelance period can all be listed positively. A one-line entry is enough: "Career Break — parental leave and family responsibilities (2021–2022)".
Need help writing your work experience section? A professional CV writer on Fiverr can turn your raw job history into compelling, ATS-optimised bullet points. Or use our free CV generator to build your CV from scratch.