How to Write Work Experience in a CV

The work experience section in CVs reveals career history, including job titles, past and present employers, responsibilities, and accomplishments. It is based on these details that a prospective employer decides whether the individual’s work background is a match for the job they are applying for. 

Craft an irresistible professional CV in minutes

Done right, work experience tells a compelling story of professionalism, dedication, growth, and results. This guide provides insights on how to write work experience in CVs in a professional way that can impress potential employers. 

Start With Job Titles, Employer Names/Locations, and Dates

Be specific about your roles. employer names/locations, and dates before moving on to job responsibilities. Precise details emphasize clarity and honesty while making your work experience section look professional and trustworthy.

Example

Digital Marketing Coordinator; Bright Media, Cape Town, South Africa March 2021 – April 2023

Use Reverse Chronological Order For Dated Entries

Reverse chronological order enables employers to immediately see your current or most recent work experience. This can be helpful if your recent experience is most relevant to the position you're applying for. Writing chronologically also serves as an avenue for an easy assessment of how your career has progressed or how you’ve grown in your field.

Example

Customer Support Representative; Sun Communications, Johannesburg, South Africa Jan 2022 – Present

Sales Assistant; AfriMart Retail, Pretoria, South Africa May 2020 – Dec 2021

Intern – Office Administration; BrightPath Logistics, Durban, South Africa Jan 2019 – Apr 2020

Incorporate Strong Action Verbs to Describe Your Responsibilities

Rather than passive descriptions, use verbs that add energy and impact while also guarding against the fluffy use of words. Additionally, action verbs tend to suggest leadership, authority, problem-solving ability, and more. 

Examples

• Led
• Coordinated
• Supervised
• Oversaw
• Directed
• Organized
• Facilitated
• Delegated
• Mentored
• Managed

Utilize Bullet Points to Enhance Clarity, Structure, and Readability 

Bullet points improve readability and make it easier for employers to quickly scan your work experience. Try to start each point with an action verb.

Example

• Oversaw inventory systems to maintain accurate records and support smooth warehouse operations.
• Helped streamline communication between warehouse and admin teams to improve workflow efficiency.
• Coordinated with vendors and drivers to ensure timely and organized dispatch of goods.

Quantify Your Achievements Wherever Possible

Numbers give your accomplishments credibility and scale. Quantified achievements show productivity and make your work experience look more results-oriented.

Example

• Increased monthly online sales by 18% through targeted social media ads.
• Handled 100+ daily live chat queries, maintaining a 4.9/5 customer rating over 24 months.

Include Keywords from the Job Posting

Including keywords or phrases is necessary because many companies use software such as applicant tracking systems (ATS) to scan CVs for keywords contained in the job ad. In other words, when you incorporate job-specific keywords or phrases, you improve your chances of passing any initial screening by the employer’s software. This helps guard against the possible elimination of your application in the early stages of the hiring process. 

Example: If the job ad mentions “email campaign management” and “conversion optimization,” you may write:

• Managed weekly email campaigns using Mailchimp, increasing conversion rates by 25% in Q1 2024.

Tailor Each Role to the Job You're Applying For

For maximum effect, each role in the work experience section of your CV should be tailored to align with the job you're targeting.

Example: If the job description emphasizes clean code and collaboration, you can approach it this way:

• Collaborated with cross-functional teams to develop scalable front-end components, prioritizing code readability and long-term maintainability using React and modern JavaScript practices.

So, what will a work experience section that incorporates all the above tips look like?  Here’s an example for a software development CV:

Work Experience

Software Developer; Paystack, Lagos, Nigeria April 2022 – Present

• Worked in an Agile team environment, collaborating with product managers, designers, and QA engineers to deliver features on a biweekly sprint cycle.
• Developed scalable web applications using React, Node.js, and PostgreSQL, supporting over 300,000 daily transactions for SMEs across Nigeria.
• Led the redesign of the customer onboarding flow, reducing drop-off rate by 28% and increasing conversion rate by 15% within 3 months.
• Integrated external APIs for fraud detection and KYC using Smile Identity and Africa’s Talking, improving verification speed by 40%.
• Implemented and maintained unit and integration tests using Jest, boosting test coverage to over 85%, significantly reducing post-release bugs.

Junior Software Developer; Hotels.ng, Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria January 2020 – March 2022

• Built and maintained core booking features using Django and Vue.js, improving platform stability during traffic surges by 30%.
• Refactored legacy code and reduced API response times from 1.2s to under 390ms, leading to a better user experience during peak periods.
• Collaborated with the DevOps team to automate deployments using GitHub Actions, reducing manual deployment time by 70%.
• Participated in weekly code reviews and contributed to internal documentation, improving team onboarding and knowledge sharing.

Software Engineering Intern; Decagon Institute, Lagos, Nigeria July 2019 – December 2019

• Completed a 6-month intensive software engineering program, gaining practical experience with JavaScript, Node.js, and MongoDB.
• Contributed to a capstone team project to build a task management app that has over 200 internal users at Decagon.
• Wrote unit tests and collaborated on Git-based version control workflows, learning professional development practices.

Conclusion

When effectively written, the work experience section can help tell a compelling story of professionalism, dedication, growth, and results. The few tips above should help your journey to mastering how to write work experience in CVs. 

But if lots of manual work is not for you, then consider using a quality, ATS-friendly CV/resume builder to assist you with writing the experience and other sections of these vital job application documents.