How to Show Promotions on a Resume

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If you’ve been promoted throughout your career, that can be valuable information to show on your resume.  However, some promotion scenarios may require additional formatting to be clearly portrayed on your resume. This article explains how to show promotions on a resume, offers tips for different scenarios and provides examples and templates.

Why is it important to show promotions on a resume?

Showing promotions on a resume can make you a more desirable candidate. Some employers may take it as a sign that you are a strong employee, while others may see you as more consistent or reliable. It could also show employers that you are driven and committed to the company mission. All of these reasons should compel candidates to highlight their promotions within their job experience. 

When people show promotions on a resume, what they are really showing is an achievement. This lets employers know they are a candidate who performs work and develops skills that lead to career advancement. Candidates may be perceived as loyal, company-focused and goal-oriented. These candidates may be seen as more likely to achieve success based on their history of past achievement. In a competitive job market, showing promotions on a resume can offer context that makes a candidate considered a better fit.

How to show advancement through different companies on a resume

  If you’re looking to show advancement through management ranks at a single organization, you can follow these steps to detail how to emphasize it on a resume:

1. First, apply a chronological resume format

By design, chronological resumes feature your experience in a way that shows growth from one position to the next. 

2. Second, start with your current experience

Describe it in a way that shows more responsibility from your previous position.

3. Third, list subsequent experience

Being mindful to describe each job in such a way that shows growth.

Example of work experience showing promotions through different companies

Here is an example of work experience showing promotions from one company to another:

EXPERIENCE

Mary’s Chicken
Front of House Manager
January 2019 – Present

  • Managed and engaged 15 employees
  • Created training materials 
  • Wrote employee shift schedules
  • Ensured customer satisfaction in the dining room

Bob’s Deli
Shift Leader Server
March 2017 – January 2019

  • Managed guest satisfaction by providing exemplary service
  • Scheduled side work for shifts to ensure all front of house duties are complete
  • Performed basic math to deliver guests their change

How to show promotion with a change in responsibilities on a resume

Follow these tips to display advancement at a single company when the duties are vastly different from what you were doing before:

1. First, write the company name

List the company name in the experience section of your resume only once.

2. Second, include your most recent job title first

List the title and dates you worked in the position.

3. Third, describe your duties

Include duties, skills and responsibilities you used in the role. When showing responsibilities it’s impactful to include any measurable progress in your position.

4. Fourth, repeat these steps if you want to show additional work experience

Repeat steps one through three for your previous role at the same company.

Example of work experience showing promotion with a change in responsibilities

Here is an example of what a work experience section on a resume looks like showing job advancement at one company when the roles include different responsibilities:

EXPERIENCE

Office Supplies Warehouse

Administrative Assistant | January 2018 to Present

  • Planned corporate travel
  • Designed itineraries for executives
  • Provided scheduling assistance
  • Helped with daily office operations

Quality Assurance Coordinator | November 2017 to January 2018

  • Ensured all bottles had secured caps on an assembly line
  • Paid close attention to detail
  • Excelled in a task-driven workplace

How to show a change in title with similar duties

If you advance at a company and your duties remain close to the same even though your title has changed, you can use these steps to put it on your resume:

1. First, write the company name

List the company name in the experience section of your resume only once.

2. Second, list each job title

Include each job title, with dates, starting with your most recent.

3. Third, describe duties one time

After listing both job titles, describe the key duties that overlap.

4. Fourth, repeat these steps if you want to show additional work experience

To show multiple promotions, repeat steps one through three.

Example of work experience showing a change in title with similar duties

Here are some examples of showing promotions at a single company in a work experience section of a resume:

EXPERIENCE

Handy Maids

Head Housekeeper | February 2019 to Present

Housekeeper | January 2018 to February 2019

  • Provided exemplary housekeeping services
  • Trained new housekeeping staff
  • Made schedules for a team of five housekeepers each week

Promotion resume templates

Here are some templates that emphasize promotions on your own resume:

Template for job advancement through different companies

Review this template that will help you show how to structure a resume when the goal is to show job advancement through more than one company:

EXPERIENCE

[Name of Company]
[Position]
[Dates Employed]

  • [Duty 1]
  • [Duty 2]
  • [Duty 3]

[Name of Company]
[Position]
[Dates Employed]

  • [Duty 1]
  • [Duty 2]
  • [Duty 3]

Template for job advancement at the same company with different duties

This work experience template is designed to help you show advancement when you switch jobs at a single company but have different duties assigned to you, or to show multiple positions like this within the same company:

EXPERIENCE

[Name of Company]
[Position 1] | [Dates Employed]

  • [Duty 1]
  • [Duty 2]
  • [Duty 3]

[Position 2] | [Dates Employed]

  • [Duty 1]
  • [Duty 2]
  • [Duty 3]

[Name of Company]
[Position]
[Dates Employed]

  • [Duty 1]
  • [Duty 2]
  • [Duty 3]

Template for job advancement at the same company with similar duties

Review this template to learn how to structure the work experience part of your resume when you move into a new position with similar duties and skills required, or to show multiple positions like this within the same company:

EXPERIENCE

[Name of Company]
[Position 1] | [Dates Employed]
[Position 2] | [Dates Employed]

  • [Duty 1]
  • [Duty 2]
  • [Duty 3]

[Name of Company]
[Position]
[Dates Employed]

  • [Duty 1]
  • [Duty 2]
  • [Duty 3]