Do You Need to List Every Employer on Your Resume?

Job seekers face a quandary when they create a resume that reflects all of their skills and qualifications yet read tips from recruiters and self-proclaimed insiders that state resumes should be concise and, preferably, no longer than two pages. Whether you need to list every employer on your resume depends on how lengthy your career is and how relevant your previous jobs are to the position you’re interested in right now.

1. Application Process

   • To be considered for most jobs, you need to complete an employment application and submit a cover letter and resume. Online application processes generally give you the option of uploading documents once you complete all of the fields on the employment application. However, some applicant tracking systems parse information from your resume to minimize duplication of employment information and to streamline the application process.

   Exception

   • When you’re applying for a job with the federal government, however, you must include all employers on your resume. The federal government’s applicant tracking system -- USAJobs.gov -- doesn’t give you the option, indicating that information about additional employers may be found on your resume. The federal government’s job site requires a complete job history.

   Application and Resume Match

   • If you’re limited to the number of employers, you can submit through applying online; you should certainly upload a cover letter that explains you have a substantial amount of experience on your resume that you weren’t able to include in your online application. Some employers will appreciate that you’ve selected your most relevant past employers for the online application and that you have additional work experience that could qualify you for the position. Your application and your resume should match -- that is, you shouldn’t insert information on the online application that makes the recruiter then look at your resume and wonder if you’re one applicant or two.

   Short-term Jobs

   • Employers for which you worked for only a short time may be left off your resume, which serves a dual purpose: It doesn’t raise questions about why you may have worked for certain companies for such short periods, and if the experience at those companies isn’t relevant to the job you’re applying for, you don’t need to clutter your resume with descriptions of short stints with various employers. You shouldn’t conceal the fact that you were employed by those companies; however, discussing it during your interview is best.

   Lengthy Career

   • Depending on the circumstances and the job you’re applying for, if you have a lengthy career, listing every employer could make your resume too long for a recruiter to study. Recruiters generally spend limited time reviewing your resume. Therefore, listing every employer could be a waste of time. Craft a functional resume so as not to list an endless number of employers over, say, a 25-year career. Focus on your skill set instead, and create a resume that showcases the talent you have to bring to the company.