How to list old jobs
You don't have to delete your early career, and you don't have to describe it in detail either. A short summary keeps the resume focused and honest.
1. Detail the last 10 to 15 years
Give recent jobs full entries with bullets. That's what employers weigh most.
2. Summarize older roles in an "Earlier Experience" section
One line each: title and employer. You can leave dates off this section. That's common and acceptable, because nothing is misrepresented.
3. Combine similar old jobs
"Various retail and restaurant positions, 1990s" or "Several sales roles with regional distributors" saves space.
4. Keep an old job in detail when it's relevant
If a job from 20 years ago is exactly what you're applying for now, describe it fully and add a line to your summary drawing the connection.
5. Don't change real dates
Dropping dates from an older section is fine. Altering dates, or merging jobs to hide a gap, is not, and background checks catch it.
6. Online applications may still ask for everything
Some application forms ask for full work history with dates. Keep your own list of employers and dates so you can answer accurately.
Fictional sample
Fictional sample: "Linda Park" is made up. Every name, business, number and date below is invented to illustrate the advice. It isn't from a real customer.
Linda is a made-up 59-year-old office administrator with 35 years of work history.
Experience
Office Administrator, Harbor Insurance Agency (fictional) · 2012–Present
- Run the front office for a 9-person agency: scheduling, billing, and client records.
Administrative Assistant, Coastal Title Co. (fictional) · 2005–2012
- Prepared closing packets and coordinated with lenders and buyers.
Earlier Experience
Receptionist, Bayview Medical Group · Teller, First Coastal Bank · Various retail positions
How we can help
Send us your full history, and we'll decide what to feature and what to summarize. You'll see and approve everything. Go to the order form.
Prices
Flat prices with no add-ons or upsells. You always get a Word file you can edit and a PDF, at no extra charge.
| What you get | Price | Ready in |
|---|---|---|
| Resume refresh We rewrite and reformat your resume for the kind of job you want. Up to 2 rounds of changes. | $59 | 2 business days |
| Resume + cover letter The resume refresh, plus one cover letter for a specific job. | $79 | 2 business days |
| Cover letter only One letter for one job posting. Send us the posting and your resume. | $25 | 1 business day |
We'll email you a draft; pay only after you approve it. If it isn't right, tell us what to change. You owe nothing until you approve it.
An honest note: we use AI to help
We use AI writing tools to help draft and format your resume. A real person reads, checks and edits every page before it reaches you.
- We never make anything up: no invented jobs, dates, degrees, licenses or skills. If something is unclear, we ask you.
- We take out your phone number, email and street address before using any AI tool and put them back at the end.
- You can ask us to delete your information at any time. See our privacy note.
What we won't do
- We will never ask for passwords, PINs, bank or card numbers, or your Social Security number. Please don't send them. Anyone who asks you for these is not us.
- We don't log into job websites or accounts for you.
- We don't give legal, medical, or financial advice, and we don't make those decisions for you.
- We can't promise you'll get a job or an interview. Nobody honestly can.
Related guides: School bus and school support staff resume · Office manager resume · Security guard resume
Want us to do it for you?
Email orders@scantoolmatch.com with your old resume (or a phone photo of it) and the kind of job you want. Rough notes are fine. We'll email you a draft within 2 business days; pay only after you approve it.