How Many Jobs Should You List on a Resume? A Complete Breakdown
Why the Number of Jobs on Your Resume Matters
One of the things that puzzles job-seekers most is deciding how many jobs to list on a resume. Is it okay to keep only relevant jobs, or should you list all the jobs you've had? What to do if you have changed careers frequently and have had too many jobs? And, if you're a recent graduate, is it okay to include your summer jobs?
Worry no more - we have you covered. In this article, you will find how many jobs to list on resume if your'e an experienced job seeker or recent graduate, how to format your work history effectively, and how to list jobs on a resume to meet recruiter expectations.
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How Many Jobs Should You Include? [by Career Level]
The ideal number of jobs on resume depends on how many years of experience you have and your career level. A good number of jobs for an entry-level job will be different from that for a C-level management position. Here's how to choose the appropriate number depending on your employment history:
Entry-Level Candidates
Entry-level professionals (0-2 years of experience)can list one or two jobs if that's all they have. When you're writing a first resume without job experience, it's completely okay to include volunteering and internships as jobs. Your goal is to show willingness to learn and and grow.
As a recent graduate, hiring managers don't expect you to have an impressive number of relevant jobs. Yet, be sure to emphasize relevant practical skills, internships, and paid experience.
Mid-Level Professionals
The best resume advise for mid-career professionals (2-10 eyars of experience) is to go back 10 years in a resume. At this point, you want to list impressive accomplishments in each specific job, relevant skills, and a stable professional history.
How many jobs to list depends on your tenure with each employer. Generally, experts recommend listing 5-6 previous positions. If you stayed with the same employer, be sure to showcase growth and promotions within the organization. Remember that you are limited by a two page resume length.
Senior-Level and Executive Resumes
A resume for senior professionals (managers and executives) should include the last 15 years. Adding up to 7 jobs is fine as long as each position showcases your value as a leader. Yet, remember to focus more on your 2-3 most recent roles and list earlier jobs briefly to help your resume stand out.
An executive resume must present a track history of leadership, top achievements in the recent positions, and your personla brand. If you changed jobs rarely, you might want to be more detailed about your most impressive projects and show career progression.
Career Changers
Professionals changing careers should focus on relevant jobs only. If your prior positions are somewhat relevant to a new industry, it is okay to keep some of them. Yet, it is more important to showcase relevant skills, training, and experience in a new field.
If you're new to the industry, you can list unpaid projects and volunteer work as relevant experience. The specific number of jobs to add will depend on your experience in a new industry. Experts recommend that you aim for at least 1-2 relevant jobs (no matter paid or unpaid) to avoid looking like a complete newbie to potential employers.
Job-Hoppers
Writing a resume for a job-hopper is always tricky. Ideally, you should aim at 5-6 relevant jobs like a mid-career professional. If each your job lasted a few months or a year, here's what you can do to present a meaningful timeline in your resume:
- Exclude jobs you had for 1-3 months. Don't be afraid that it will create gaps. Having a two-month employment gap is better than having multiple jobs lasting two months.
- Create two sections for work experience: one section named Professional Experience for jobs you had for a year or more, and the other called Projects for roles you had for a few months.
- Explain job-hopping. If you changed jobs frequently for solid reasons, such as layoffs or company restructuring, you can mention it right away on a resume.
How many previous jobs on a resume also depends on your professional goals and industry considerations. Below, we'll take a look at some specific situations.
Tip: Consider how many jobs you had overall
The rule of thumb for most situations is between 3 and 7 jobs. If you've only had 3 or 4 jobs, all of them in the same industry, and all are related to your target job description, list all of them and call it a day. Yet, if you've had 11 jobs, you might need to eliminate irrelevant ones. For senior job-seekers, it also makes sense to cut off jobs older than 15 years.
What Jobs to Include - and What to Leave Off
As you format your Experience section, the question "Should I list all jobs on resume?" probably arises. When deciding which jobs should be on resume, consider how many years of experience you ahve overall, and whether this experience relates to the job you have in mind.
Here are the most popular types of jobs and whether to include them, depending on your career situation:
- Relevant positions. When looking for a new job in the same role and industry as before, always prioritize relevant and recent jobs. Include responsibilities and achievements, and present a consistent career path to hiring managers.
- Irrelevant jobs. If you have plenty of relevant roles to include, you can skip irrelevant jobs completely. However, if you don't, it all depend on how relevant they are to your new career path. For example, when transitioning from retail to account management in tech, you can list these roles, focusing on transferable skills like consultative selling, CRM systems, communication, and product knowledge. If your old career path is completely irrelevant, it makes sense to remove them completely, only keeping the job titles and company names. In this case, you can concentrate on relevant experience and projects, even if unpaid.
- Short-term jobs and projects. The question "Should I include short gigs on resume" puzzles many. If you stayed with multiple companies for a few months, you can exclude these roles from resume to avoid coming across as a job-hopper. Alternatively, you can picture them as freelance projects in a separate section, emphasizing career achievements and key skills.
If you're changing careers and a couple of short-term projects is all you have, do this. Create a Relevant Experience section and place these short-term projects at the top of the resume, grouping older experience under a separate headline. Thus, you will emphasize relevant experience (even if limited). - Volunteer experience. As a student or career switcher, you can list volunteering under the Professional Experience section, mentioning that it was an unpaid project. List such projects as real jobs, including your job title and duties. If you have plenty of relevant experience and volunteering doesn't add much value to the resume, skip it.
- Personal projects. If you have a blog, pet project, or any other project that can showcase your professional skills, include it. If you have a steady professional timeline, you may include links to projects briefly in your Contacts section. Otherwise, consider listing it under the Experience section in detail.
When scanning your resume, recruiters determine its relevance to the job ad. Listing all your jobs isn't a must, but you need to present a consistent career timeline. If you are applying for a marketing manager, editor, or another professional position, it is best to omit irrelevant roles (as long as removing them won't create a gap you'll have to explain).
Can I omit jobs on my resume? The answer is generally "Yes" as long as omitting them doesn't create significant gaps. If it does, consider using a functional format or including years of employment only.
How Far Back Should a Resume Go?
Hiring managers agree that a resume shouldn't go back more than 15 years. This will help you meet a two-page length limit and make your professional experience more focused. If you've had more than five jobs in the last 10 years, going back 10 years is your ideal option unless you apply for jobs that require more experience.
It is okay if you've worked with the same company but had different roles - in this case, emphasize your career growth and promotion. Keeping your work history to 15 last years will also help you avoid age discrimination.
Here's how many years of experience to list on a resume for each career level:
- Entry-level professional: include any relevant experience you have, even if it's just college projects, volunteering, or internships. You want to show relevant transferable skills and your desire to develop professionally.
- Mid-level professional: If you have under 10 years of experience, include all relevant experience you have. Professionals with 10+ years can keep the most recent 10 years only, as their early roles are no longer relevant to potential employers.
- Senior professional: When writing a resume with long job history, include most recent positions and most relevant ones. Typically, senior professionals go back 10-15 years, but if one of your earlier jobs is highly relevant, you can include it too.
- Managers and executives: Senior managers can include between 15 and 20 years of professional experience, focusing on leadership achievements primarily. Concentrate on 2-3 most recent roles, showing achievements and explaining why you're a strong candidate, and list earlier roles shortly (3-4 key achievements will suffice). Omit older jobs completely.
Resume Formatting Tips for Work History
After you've decided what jobs to include, choose the effective resume structure and format to present them effectively to hiring managers. Here are the key resume-building tips from our resume formatting service:
List your jobs in reverse chronological order
If you are applying for a role in the same industry, use a reverse chronological resume. List your work history starting with your current role, including the job title, company name, and start-end dates. For each role, add bullet points listing your experience and achievements.
If you are changing careers, you might want to use a functional resume format instead of reverse chronological order. It focuses on your skills and competencies over a timeline of jobs. You describe your competencies and skills in detail, and list as many jobs as you like briefly at the end of the document.
Use bullet points, not paragraphs
Format your experience, achievements, and projects using bulleted lists. Thus, information will look easier to digest to recruiters. They will quickly spot your areas of experience and achievements. Don't make endless lists - ideally, include 5-6 bullets per role.
Focus on achievements
Include at least 2-3 achievements for each role you had, especially when applying for senior-level roles. Use numbers, percentages, and context to show your impact.
To effectively present achievements, use the PAR (problem-action-result) formula. Describe the challenge you had, action you took, and the result of your efforts. Here are some examples:
- Developed and executed marketing campaigns, increasing qualified leads by 20% and contributing to a 15% overall revenue growth within the fiscal year.
- Managed a $58,000 marketing budget, optimizing spend across SEO and social media to improve ROI by 12% and reduce cost-per-acquisition by 6%.
- Increased social media engagement by 35% across all platforms through strategic content creation and community management.
Use an ATS-friendly template
First impressions count, and a professional template can increase your chances for success. At ResumePerk, you can find dozens of free Google Docs resume templates for every job-seeker. Each template is optimized for ATS and created with employer preferences in mind. Plus, it is much easier to create a winning resume using a template - copy your resume text into it and you're all set.
Review your Work History section
After you've finished writing, take a look at your resume in general. Check that your resume does not exceed one or two pages. This standard works for all industries - whether you work in business administration, software development, or finance, a resume has to be concise.
Check that your work history tells a comprehensive career history, with all positions relevant to your target job. The exact number of jobs should be from 3 to 7, depending on the relevance and how many years of experience you have.
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Is your resume longer than 2 pages?
As a senior professional or manager, you might find it challenging to meet a two-page limit. If you have removed some jobs, but the resume is still too long, consider this:
- reduce the number of jobs. When it comes to resumes, more isn't always better. Remove the jobs you've had over 15 years ago (or 10 years ago if you've been job hopping recently).
- cut down your job descriptions. The ideal length of job descriptions is 6-7 bullet points (you can include more if you have had a technical or senior position). Remove bullets that do not relate to your target job listing.
- remove outdated skills and training. If you've taken online courses ten years ago or include Microsoft Office and the internet as skills, you can remove these details.
What If You Don't Have Enough Jobs to List?
The problem when you don't have enough jobs to list in your Experience section typically occurs among graduates. Entry-level professionals are often worried that their resume experience is too short or irrelevant. If that's the case with you, here's how you can fix the situation and still stand out to a hiring manager:
- add unpaid experience. In addition to paid jobs, list on your resume unpaid internships, volunteering, and college projects where you showcased relevant skills.
- consider adding irrelevant jobs. If you have zero relevant professional experience, it is okay to include customer service roles. Focus on what these jobs taught you and how what you've learned is relevant to your target position.
- focus on education and relevant coursework. When your practical experience is limited, focus on your theoretical skills.
What if my resume is too long for one page?
Another popular problem is when your resume is one and a half or one and a quarter page. In this situation, experts recommend that you shorten it to one full page. Here's what you can do:
- Cut off irrelevant jobs or projects. As a recent graduate, if you've had 2-3 relevant jobs or internships, you can take off the customer service jobs or irrelevant volunteering.
- Adjust the font size and margins. Using a smaller font can solve the problem, but remember to keep it readable. Don't use a font smaller than 10 pts.
- Change a template. With a modern template, you can fit more on the same page without sacrificing readability.
What if all the information you have in your 1.5 page resume is super relevant and you don't want to remove anything? Use a larger font and a different template to extend the resume to 2 full pages.
Resume gaps - how to explain?
Like it or not, most recruiters don't like employment gaps. To downplay it on resume, you'll need to give a transparent explanation of why you were unemployed for a while. Here's how to address this issue on a resume:
- List a complete job history. If removing a job creates a significant gap, keep it even if not 100% relevant to your target role.
- Explain it on your resume. Unexplained gaps (especially if over one year) make employers raise eyebrows. If you took a couple of years off to take care of your kids or travel around Asia, include a couple of lines right in your resume.
- Show that you used the time off productively. List any relevant training, courses, or certifications obtained while you were not working. Include volunteering and relevant personal projects. It will show the employer that you kept your skills current even while unemployed.
- Be transparent. If you couldn't find a new job in months or took a year off for personal reasons, don't hide it. Don't add fake jobs to fill the gap, as a simple background check will reveal everything.
Common Mistakes When Listing Jobs on a Resume
When listing your professional experience, avoid these common mistakes that can cost you job interviews:
|
Mistake |
Solution |
|
Listing too many jobs |
Remove experience over 15 years ago and irrelevant jobs. |
|
Not showing career history |
List all jobs in reverse chronological order with dates and clear progression in job titles. |
|
Irrelevant jobs |
Keep them if you don't have relevant experience, otherwise remove. |
|
Having too little jobs |
If you're not a recent graduate, consider a functional format or listing volunteering/side jobs. |
|
Unprofessional formatting |
Use boldface or all caps for job titles and company names. Consider emphasizing achievements |
|
Lack of achievements |
Include at least 2-3 measurable achievements for each job |
- Listing too many jobs. One of the popular mistakes is including every single job position you had, from working as a waiter after college to side gigs. Nobody needs to read into decades of your work history. Plus, too many jobs not only makes your resume excessively long, but also makes the resume less focused. Remove outdated or excessive jobs according to the tips above.
- Not giving a clear career timeline. Upon reading the resume, a recruiter wants to see your career progression, how long you stayed in each role, and so on. List your jobs chronologically starting with the recent role.
- Including irrelevant jobs. Is it bad to list unrelated jobs? Not always. Yet, if you have a steady work history in the same industry and role, including irrelevant jobs and side gigs might make the employer wonder about your goals. So, if you have years of relevant experience, skip the irrelevant jobs to make your professional focus clear.
- Not focusing on achievements. In 2025, listing job duties only won't take you anywhere. Include measurable achievements to show how you contributed to the success of former employers. Accomplishments make you unique and help your resume stand out instantly.
- Messy work history. If you've had a series of freelance projects or part-time jobs, list them under a separate subheading, i.e. Projects of Freelance Experience. Thus, you will present it to employer without drawing attention away from your long-term, full-time positions.
- Wrong verb tenses. Incorrect tenses might confuse recruiters or make them assume your'e hiding something. Use the present tense for jobs and projects you currently have, and past for older jobs and responsibilites.
- Unprofessional formatting. Another popular mistake is including a poorly formatted work history. To make your resume easy to read, highlight job titles and company names. Consider boldfacing your accomplishments as well.
Can I skip jobs that ended badly? Actually, you don't have to remove jobs simply because you quit because of conflict with your boss or another unpleasant situation. If you performed well in that job and liked the position, include it, but be sure to rehearse the answer to the question "Why did you quit?" However, if you weren't unhappy in that job and wouldn't like to work in this role in the future, feel free to omit it.
When it comes to choosing the right number of jobs to add, there is no one-size-fits-all answer. Everything will depend on your overall experience and the relevance of your past jobs. Generally, including around five jobs is enough to give the recruiter a comprehensive outlook of your relevant experience and strengths.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Listing Jobs on a Resume
Do I need to list every job I've ever had on my resume?
No, you don't need to list every job you've ever had. Focus on relevant roles from the past 10–15 years that highlight your experience and align with the job you're applying for.
Can I skip jobs that ended badly?
Yes, you can leave out jobs that ended poorly, especially if they are not relevant. Just ensure you maintain a consistent timeline and avoid large unexplained employment gaps.
Is it okay to tailor the list of jobs on each resume version?
Absolutely. Tailoring your resume to highlight the most relevant work experience for each job application increases your chances of getting noticed by recruiters.
What if I had many short-term jobs?
If you've had multiple short-term jobs, consider grouping similar roles or including only the most relevant ones. Be ready to explain your job changes in interviews.
Should I list unrelated jobs if I have limited experience?
If you're early in your career or switching industries, it's okay to include unrelated jobs that demonstrate transferable skills like communication, teamwork, or reliability.
Can I combine similar jobs on my resume?
Yes. If you've held similar roles at different companies, combining them can save space and make your resume more focused and concise.
How can I make my resume work if I have a messy job history?
Use a functional or hybrid resume format that emphasizes skills over chronology. Highlight achievements, and keep the layout clean and relevant to the target position.