The employment history on your CV is one of the aspects that will be much considered by an employer. They will use this information to see what kind of work you have done in the past, what skills you will bring to the table and whether you have worked for any similar companies in similar roles.

If you are about to look for your first ever job then your employment history might be, well, non-existent so far! If this is the case, then you should focus more attention on other aspects of your CV and make sure you stand out in other areas. If you have no employment history it may be worthwhile trying to gain some work experience, it might be unpaid; but it will allow the employer to see you have obtained some useful transferrable skills.

On the other end of the scale, if you have had a lot of different jobs you can always trim your CV down and tailor it to the job you are going for. An employer will be looking through your CV to find examples of where you have displayed similar skills and attributes to those required, so it is the perfect opportunity to cut down your CV to be relevant to specific employers.

What do you need to include?

-When: You need to make sure you include the dates that you worked for each company. If you can’t remember the exact date, the correct month and year should be specific enough.
 

-Where: Make sure to put the full name of the company you worked for and where it was based.
 

-What: Include your full job title, such as Sales Manager, Marketing Executive, Pastry Chef, etc.

-How: You should include a brief list of your main duties, which you can expand upon at interview, if asked.

Example:

Aug 06- May 09                 John Smith Advertising Agency, London, Public Relations Executive

Main Duties:                 

-Creation and distribution of press releases.
-Developing strong relationships within the media.
-Reviewing and proofing press documents.
-Assisting with the development of media campaign strategies.