On the resume, you have a maximum of thirty five to forty lines to tell the employer what you have done in the past two, five, fifteen years. Make those lines work for you.

If you have had only one employer use up to twenty-four lines. Split the employment into responsibility levels. Demonstrate your ability to advance, therefore accomplishing your goals.

If you have had two employers, use twelve lines for the last employer and ten lines for the previous employer.

If your resume shows three or more employers: try ten lines for the last employer, eight lines for the previous employer, and six lines for the third. The further you go back in your employment history, the less important the position is in relationship to present employment goals.

For prior employment, over 10 years ago, indicate only the employers name, location (city and state only), Job Title. Perhaps 2 lines. Use of employment dates is optional.

I was in the personnel office of a major (Fortune 500) firm. The personnel clerk received a phone call, then immediately went to the Human Resource Manager and informed him that an individual from an over 40 group had called about the advertised position. The manager told her to have the caller come in. "We have to talk to him, but we won't hire him," the manager commented. Try not to go back past 20 years. Perhaps we cannot hide our age. Certainly we can defer notice.

Omission of positions over 15 years old can be explained as the space requirements of a one-page resume. You are in the door. If six are called to interview, the other five may not be qualified.

Note: You can also look younger by omitting dates.

The text and presentation of employment history is very important.

The first line should include:

1. Beginning and ending date of employment.
If employed use the beginning date. "1989 to Present. Use years without months.
Saves space. Hides gaps.
2. The Company name.
3. The location of the employer. City and State only.
4. The product or service of the employer.
5. Do not provide salary information.

The second line should contain your:

1 Job title.
2 The number of individuals/departments you supervised.
3 The title of the individual to whom you reported.