how to write a resume for a promotion

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Resume Writing Tips

How to write a resume for career advancement and promotion.

Ready for the next step in your career? Whether you are seeking an internal promotion or seeking career advancement opportunities outside of your current company, your resume will be an important indicator of your ability to excel at the next level. It might be the only chance you have to convey the achievements and qualifications that make you a great fit for your dream job, so be sure you are putting your best foot forward with a targeted, modern resume and crystal-clear personal brand.

Great Resumes Fast has had tremendous success in helping our clients reach their goals. Take, for instance, Carlos L., who had incredible career growth, skyrocketing from mid-level manager to operations executive in a few short years and more than tripling his annual salary. He noted that his resume was praised, not only for its conciseness and clarity but for also being reflective of his voice and personality. Between a strong, accurate, targeted resume and an active job search, he was equipped to impress potential employers and land the job he wanted.

So where do you start when it comes to writing a resume for internal promotion or external opportunities to advance your career?

Have Specific Career Goals – Know Your Next Step

Before sitting down to craft your resume and cover letter for promotion, there is prep work that needs to be completed. First and foremost, be sure to define and write down your target job. If you don’t have a specific objective or career advancement plan in mind, it is very difficult to write an effective resume or cover letter. Career planning is important at all stages of your career.

Questions to ask yourself to help determine your short-term and long-term goals:

– Where do you want to be (in your career) next year? And in five years? – What aspects of your current job do you love the most? – What are your priorities for your next position? (Salary, location, work/life balance?) – What skills / work experience / credentials are standard for the position you are pursuing?

Job Search Prep – Informational Interviews Help Bring Clarity

If you know you are looking for career advancement, but aren’t sure about your target job, or if you are waffling between a few potential career advancement paths, sitting down for an informational interview with someone currently in one of your target jobs is a wonderful way to learn more about the day-to-day responsibilities and overall fit of a role. This is also a wonderful way to expand your network.

Questions to ask in an informational interview:

– Tell me about your career path. How did you get into and excel in this line of work? – What would you say are the most key qualifications for someone in your position? – What personal qualities or skills and abilities are important to being successful in this role? – What professional associations do you participate in, if any? What journals do you read? What professional development or training experiences have you found useful? – Who are some of your career role models? Did you have a mentor who helped you advance in your career? – How do you see jobs like yours changing in the future?

Keep Track of Your Achievements – It’s Hard to Remember Details from 10 Years Ago

A standard executive resume typically goes back 10-15 years. Sitting down and trying to recall accomplishments from even a few years back is often a challenge. Going back eight or more years to remember specific projects and contributions that you have made as an employee is next to impossible unless you have an incredible memory! To avoid hitting a wall while working on your resume and professional cover letter, track your accomplishments on a weekly or monthly basis. Keeping notes in a Word document or journal is all you need to be prepared.

Key information to note down for future resume fodder can include:

– What projects/initiatives you are involved in – The goals and results of your efforts – Any quantifiable outcomes related to cost savings, revenue growth, client retention, etc. – Performance improvements/promotions of employees tied to your coaching/mentorship – Feedback on your own performance from employees, peers, supervisors – Any achievements or contributions that relate to the position you are interested in

Bring Clarity to The Direction of Your Resume – Being Concise is Important

A common mistake when it comes to resume writing is to try to include everything you have ever done. But including every responsibility, every technology, your full education history, and all skills and abilities you can claim will quickly turn your resume into an unreadable, overwhelming document.

If you can answer “yes” to any of these questions, your resume needs some revamping:

1.) Is there a lot of redundant information? 2.) Is the resume more than the standard two to three pages? 3.) Could the career summary be copied and pasted into someone else’s resume without many changes? (As in, could it apply to multiple people?) 4.) Are you listing skills rather than focusing on results? 5.) Are there relevant experiences or skills that are not conveyed on page one?

The best approach to a high-impact resume to help you move up the career ladder is to keep it laser-focused on the most relevant skills, experience, and qualifications that will show your ability to succeed in a higher-level position than you currently hold.

For example, Janet Gaines was a recent client of Great Resumes Fast who wanted to move from her position as a Registered Nurse (RN) to a home health services manager. While her nursing experience and strong knowledge base of patient care and healthcare, in general, were obviously important, the management position also called for a leadership and budget management skill set that she did not have the opportunity to gain through her prior nursing jobs.

During the course of the phone consultation with her resume writer, it came out that Janet had not included the small janitorial business that she had founded while completing her nursing degree because she assumed it would not matter for a healthcare resume. But in that leadership role, not only had she hired, trained, and supervised a small team, but she had also managed the company’s budget and grown the revenue 25% YOY for several years. Highlighting these relevant accomplishments helped to align her resume with the required qualifications of the job posting far more than her nursing experience alone could have.

In her new resume as seen in the sample above, the information about her business is front and center in the career summary to ensure that hiring managers don’t overlook her leadership or budget management successes. If it were not highlighted there, the reader would not find it until the end of the second page of her resume. Never trust that your reader will do such a careful review, especially for a first impression! Often during a first pass to narrow the number of candidates being considered your resume will get no more than a cursory glance, so make sure all of the key info is included on the first page.

Ideally, all of the information in the career summary should speak directly to the job posting for the target position, whether an internal position or an external position. In this case, the home health services manager position emphasized patient care, budget management, team leadership, and a focus on continuous improvement. It is no accident that these are all of the major points of the summary section. If the reader isn’t already convinced that you are a great candidate by looking at the first page, your summary isn’t doing enough to emphasize and align your value proposition with their requirements.

Career Summary Tips – Avoid Vague Phrases and Passive Language

You’ll also notice that in Janet’s new resume, the summary includes specific, concrete milestones and results with quantifiable results in lieu of the more typical vague or generic summary content.

Does your resume read as vague or generic as this example?

“Energetic team player and multitasker with exceptional attention to detail, people skills, and solid experience in telecommunications industry across accounting, finance, turnaround management, and investment decisions. Strong ability to build and lead teams that meet and exceed established goals and standards. Demonstrated skills in developing and executing programs that enhance operations.”

This sample summary belongs to a finance manager named Richard Wilde who is looking to move into an executive-level finance role. There are a few problems with this summary that I see often:

1.) Passive phrasing: the passivity of this language will negatively impact how the applicant is perceived, particularly when targeting leadership roles. “Strong ability to…” and “Demonstrated skills in…” should both be swapped out for more active, take-charge verbiage. For example: “Champions development and execution of programs that enhance operational efficiencies” is a much stronger statement.

2.) Even more importantly, this content is focused on soft skills and what the applicant “can do.” But the problem with “can do” statements like “strong ability to lead teams” is that there is no evidence provided from Richard’s career, making it a very vague declaration.

A better approach is to focus the summary on relevant achievements, particularly those that can be quantified. Richard and his resume writer worked together to determine that the key themes of his new resume would be leadership, turnaround management, C-level advising, and cost controls. These themes were drawn from the career opportunities that Richard wants to target such as FP&A director and CFO of a startup.

In his new resume, these key themes are emphasized in the summary and then reinforced throughout the experience section:

As you can see in the resume example above, the vague content touching on Richard’s experience has been replaced with specific entries for turnaround management/leadership, C-level advising, and cost savings. The inclusion of the chart of cost savings across his last three organizations makes his resume format more eye-catching and executive in nature. It also makes his cost savings impact unmissable.

Compared to his original entry, this summary looks and reads as more modern, achievement-focused, and targeted to the executive roles he is pursuing. It is also very specific and concrete, which for the reader translates into a far more memorable candidate.

Charts/Graphs in Resumes – It’s OK to Use a Modern Design

Including a visual can really make a resume stand out! I’m a big fan of a visually distinctive resume that uses charts/graphs to draw the reader in, break up the text, and emphasize important quantifiable accomplishments. Don’t be afraid to format a resume a bit creatively to help in marketing yourself.

You can find more inspiration for fresh, modern formats using charts and graphs by reviewing resume samples from the team at Great Resumes Fast .

Other formatting/layout ideas:

– Strategic use of color – Bolded numbers – Endorsement quotes (highlighted to stand out) – Bulleted list of statements – Columns – Text boxes – Vertical text

Tip: Avoid overdoing it and/or focusing entirely on the resume format. It is important to have an attention-grabbing resume, but the content is the first priority. You don’t want to go overboard and create something chaotic and confusing to read, so be sure the design is helping to guide the reader to key achievements. Finally, if you are looking to advance in a more conservative industry or targeting companies with a traditional culture, you should think twice about a super-creative format.

Reweighting Experience – Emphasize the Important Details

When it comes to the Professional Experience section of a resume geared towards career advancement, it can often help to reweight the responsibilities and overall positioning. By this I simply mean emphasizing the most appropriate aspects of your current and past roles. For example, Richard Wilde’s leadership roles were somewhat limited, so highlighting his abilities as a change manager, coach, and trainer helped to preemptively overcome any concerns a reader might have.

Another great example is Creighton James, a healthcare operations executive targeting COO positions. He knew that his background was somewhat light on operational outcomes, since his background was largely in the area of patient safety. He spent seven out of nine years at XYZ Hospital as a patient safety officer / safety officer. While certainly relevant to his current COO objective, it made sense to omit many of his patient safety achievements to better emphasize the other work he did such as reducing labor costs and capturing profit gains. His original resume had 11 bullets for this hospital dedicated to patient safety duties. As a result, the other duties and achievements were completely lost in the lengthy entry.

As you can see, this entry excludes all but one bullet directly related to patient safety (with two focused on compliance) in order to better highlight the other accomplishments and package Creighton as well-rounded and well-prepared for the C-level.

It also groups all of the positions he held together rather than listing them separately. This is a perfectly standard approach, and in this case, it helped to de-emphasize the duration of his patient safety roles.

Resumes For Internal Promotions

If you are specifically targeting an internal promotion, you already have a major leg up on the external competition. Make sure to leverage your advantage! As an internal candidate, you can ask supervisors, clients, employees, and/or peers for a letter of recommendation; talk to people in the know about the qualifications the new job will require; and spend some time thinking about how you can help with the obstacles your company is currently facing. A format for a resume for promotion within the same company is also easier to come up with because you know your company culture.

When it comes to crafting your resume for internal professional advancement opportunities, be sure to avoid exaggerating your achievements or taking more credit than you can honestly claim for team accomplishments. In general, this is the best practice, but it is particularly key when the people reading your resume are familiar with your work in your current position. No one benefits from coming across as arrogant. It is much better to cushion your language to indicate collaboration.

Helpful phrasing for team achievements for use in internal resumes:

“Played a key role in…” “Contributed xyz to project involving…” “Collaboratively managed…” “Partnered with executive leadership team to capture…”

Job Seeking – Understand the Benefits and Realities of Certain Methods

Job seekers looking to step into a higher-level role, whether outside or within their current company, should keep in mind that job boards and human resources departments are not necessarily going to be their best bet for landing a dream position. HR is mainly interested in finding a person who has already held and succeeded in an identical role to the open position, so anyone without the exact experience they are looking for won’t usually be the top choice.

Instead, think about the people you know and the companies you would be most excited to work for. I highly recommend making a list of everyone in your network as well as a target company list that you can use to start reaching out to people and companies directly. Talk to your friends, your family, and your colleagues about your job target and ask if they know of anyone at a company you are interested in that they would be willing to introduce you to.

The success rates for landing a job through a job board like Indeed, LinkedIn, or Monster is much lower than most people think, accounting for only about 5%-15% of hiring. Networking is still the best way to land your next job, especially when navigating career advancement.

If you are hoping to be promoted internally, keep your ears open for opportunities and keep an eye on internal job listings if your company sends them out. It’s almost certain that you will have the advantage of knowing when positions are open as an internal applicant, but you still need to be vigilant to ensure you do not miss out on opportunities for internal promotion within your same company.

Targeting Growth Companies – Who You Want to Work for is a Good Question

If you have already exhausted your existing contacts, think about targeting growth companies in your geographic location. You can use Google News Alerts to do your research for you. All you need to do is plug in keywords. For example, say you are searching for a position in the pharmaceutical industry in Toledo, Ohio. Pull up Google News Alerts and start plugging in search terms like these:

1.) Ohio + pharma + growth companies 2.) Toledo + pharma + corporate expansion 3.) Ohio + pharma + mergers/acquisitions

You can set up batched alerts so that Google sends you a weekly batch of news articles containing the keywords you selected. From there, it is a simple matter of wading through the articles to look for interesting opportunities. Once you have found something you want to pursue, the person quoted in the article can serve as your contact person. This is a highly flattering way to approach someone and it really shows initiative, passion for the company in question, and knowledge of the industry trends. It also eliminates the competition if you reach out to an employer about a job before they are even thinking about hiring for it.

Most of our clients come to us because of a lack of professional advancement opportunity with their current employer. Unfortunately, because they haven’t written a resume in several years, they struggle to create a resume that interests a prospective employer. At Great Resumes Fast, we’ve invested the last ten years helping executives just like you to craft a professional resume that not only attracts the attention of hiring managers, but also gets through the dreaded applicant tracking systems so many companies use today. And if you are seeking an internal promotion, we have the expertise to assist with that as well. After going through our resume writing process, our clients have gone on to new leadership and management positions where they earn more money, contribute at a higher level, and make a real and measurable impact on their company and their career. If you are ready for a more fulfilling and financially rewarding position, find out more here .

Are you struggling to create an executive resume that will impress employers? Download this FREE executive resume template and receive a series of 10 emails with expert guidance on how to write resume content that resonates with employers so you get more interviews.

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About the author

Jessica hernandez, president, ceo & founder of great resumes fast.

Hi, I’m Jessica. I started this company back in 2008 after more than a decade directing hiring practices at Fortune 500 companies.

What started as a side hustle (before that was even a word!) helping friends of friends with their resumes has now grown into a company that serves hundreds of happy clients a year. But the personal touch? I’ve kept that.

You might have seen me featured as a resume expert in publications like Forbes, Fast Company, and Fortune. And in 2020, I was honored to be named as a LinkedIn Top Voice of the year!

I’m so glad you’re here, and I can’t wait to help you find your next perfect-fit position!

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How to Show a Promotion on a Resume

Recruiters and hiring managers want to see growth on your resume. Emphasizing your promotions are a great way to do this - here's how to do that, with samples from real resumes.

3 years ago   •   6 min read

Fantastic news: You got a promotion! Moving up internally doesn’t just mean more money and responsibility, it also looks great on a job application. That is, if you can figure out how to format your resume to properly show off your career progression.

Why Formatting Matters

When hiring managers read your resume, they’re looking for more than just an overview of your experience. Specifically, they’re looking for evidence that you’ll be a good fit for the position they’re filling. What this means will obviously vary depending on the company and role, but one thing all hiring managers want to see is growth.

So, what exactly are recruiters looking for?

1. Career progression

Experience is one thing, but if you’ve stayed in the same role for the past 10 years without moving up, most hiring managers are going to want to know why. No career growth = a major red flag. Being promoted or taking on different roles at the same company shows that you’re capable of professional development.

2. Stability

On the other end of the scale, recruiters also don’t want to see that you’ve held half a dozen jobs in as many years. If you’ve held a series of different roles, it’s easy to come off looking like a job hopper, which you don’t want. Presenting these as a series of advancements rather than as completely separate roles is key to showing your experience in the best light.

3. Increased capabilities

Being able to list a promotion on your resume isn’t just about a linear escalation of job titles. Recruiters also want to see signs that you’ve picked up new skills along the way. Think about how you can list your responsibilities and achievements in a way that demonstrates real progression.

Now that you know what recruiters are looking for, here are some examples of what we mean.

Examples of how to demonstrate a promotion on your resume

You can opt to demonstrate growth through your job titles, bullet points, or both. Most of the time, the best way to display a promotion or multiple roles on your resume is going to depend on how similar the positions were.

If the roles were different

If you’ve been promoted or moved into a significantly different role, it’s okay to list these as separate entries on your resume . You’re essentially treating these as different jobs but using a shared company heading to make it clear that this was an internal progression rather than a series of isolated jobs.

COMPANY NAME , location Job title #2 , dates - Bullet points should be in the format [action verb] + [what you did] + [result] Job title #1 , dates - Bullet points should be in the format [action verb] + [what you did] + [result]

If you prefer, you can list these roles completely separately, with the company name included twice (like in the image below). This is riskier since it can look to a recruiter like two different jobs if they’re only quickly scanning your resume. Why consider it?

Some applicant tracking systems may find it easier to read, so it’s a trade-off. It’s also a good way to show career progression if you held two different roles at the same company with a gap in between (for example, because of a layoff, furlough, or other employment).

COMPANY NAME , location Job title #2 , dates - Bullet points should be in the format [action verb] + [what you did] + [result] COMPANY NAME , location Job title #1 , dates - Bullet points should be in the format [action verb] + [what you did] + [result]

A third option is to selectively group different roles together. This is similar to the first option, but ideal if you’re trying to highlight specific experience or particularly noteworthy accomplishments. Here's an example:

COMPANY NAME , location Job title #3 , dates Job title #2 , dates Job title #1 , dates - Bullet points should be in the format [action verb] + [what you did] + [result] Selected project experience - Use these bullet points to highlight specific noteworthy accomplishments

If the roles were similar

This one is much easier. If you performed similar tasks in both roles, you can group the bullet points together. List the company first, followed by each role and its accompanying dates on a separate line. The bullet points underneath can include accomplishments for both roles.

COMPANY NAME , location Job title #2 , dates Job title #1 , dates - Include bullet points from both roles, focusing on career progression

Using bullet points to show your promotion

A different — but equally valid — approach is to show job progression through your bullet points instead of in your job titles. This has the downside of being less obvious to a casual observer, but it also has a few significant advantages. If you were promoted quickly, it allows you to highlight an accelerated timeline or any other exceptional accomplishments which led to the promotion. And if your job title hasn’t changed but your responsibilities have, this is a great way to point out your professional growth without having a new role to show for it.

Some bullet point examples:

• Promoted to Associate Consultant in 2 years (1 year in advance); the only member in a cohort of 45 Analysts to be fast-tracked
• Promoted within 12 months due to strong performance and organizational impact - ahead of schedule by 12 months
• Ranked top of the class and offered an early promotion to Senior Analyst after two years

These examples all demonstrate that you went above and beyond in performing the duties of your role and emphasize your promotion as being particularly impressive, rather than simply routine.

In other situations

If you’re an experienced hire, you may want to show off a previous promotion without dedicating too much valuable real estate to an older role. This is still doable — simply list each role on a separate line under a single company heading and omit the bullet points.

PREVIOUS PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE COMPANY NAME , location Job title #3 , dates Job title #2 , dates Job title #1 , dates

Find out if your resume shows career progression

A good way to check if your resume shows career progression is to upload your resume to the tool below — it’ll scan it and let you know if your resume shows growth, relevant accomplishments and skills.

Resume formatting tips

Now that you’ve got your promotion sorted, don’t forget our general resume formatting tips:

Always format your resume in reverse chronological order

On your resume, you should always list your most recent experience first. A functional resume that highlights your skills rather than experience may seem tempting, especially if you don’t have much relevant experience, but a straightforward chronological resume is best.

Always include dates of employment

This one seems obvious, but you’d be amazing how many people leave the dates off their resumes. At a minimum, your resume needs to list the years you were employed. Many hiring managers prefer to see months listed as well, especially if you were in a particular role for less than a few years. Exact dates normally aren’t required outside of specific application forms.

You can demonstrate growth even without a promotion

If you’ve held the same role at your company for a long time, it’s important that your bullet point accomplishments still show a sense of progression, whether that’s through learning new skills, taking on additional responsibilities, or unofficially taking on aspects of a new role. If you’ve been moved around to different roles that weren’t technically promotions — for example, due to company restructuring — you can still frame it as a promotion. This doesn’t mean you need to lie; instead, consider the aspects of your new role that were different or more challenging, and highlight those features.

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How to Write a Resume for an Internal Position

7 min read · Updated on November 15, 2022

You just found out that your company has opened a position that you've been vying for for a while. It's time to get your internal resume ready!

Changing jobs can be tough. Fortunately, you can move up the career ladder without ever leaving the company where you're currently employed. While it is true that some people get promotions based on merit by having a manager come up to them and offer them a new role. But, odds are, you'll likely need to apply in a similar manner as you would if you didn't work for the company.

Often times companies will list internal positions before they make them available to the general public. When this happens, you will need to have a new resume ready. But, how do you write a resume for an internal position?

Research and due diligence are your friends 

Before you begin the process of writing your resume, speak to some people within the company – Human Resources, as an example – about the role. Try to find out as much as you can about what will be expected of the person who steps into those shoes.

By taking the time to talk to someone, you're showing extreme interest in the position. That can only benefit you when it comes time to talk about the transition.

Resumes for internal positions are different than resumes for external roles 

Go ahead and get ready to write a brand new resume because the old resume you wrote to acquire the position you have now won't work for moving into a new internal position. 

The general rule of thumb for most resumes is to focus on the last 10 years of experience . For your internal resume, you'll want to place the bulk of the focus on what you've accomplished within your current company.

Measurable achievements

You should always write your resume so that it highlights career achievements . The minimum number of achievements is about five. However, when you write an internal resume, the sky is the limit. 

The benefit of writing a resume for an internal position is that you already know the management, you have an idea of what they expect from employees, and you know how things work. Since you have this inside information, you probably know which metrics they want to see.

Think about everything you've done since you started with the company. Ask yourself these questions:

Have I done anything that saved the company money?

What have I done to make things more efficient?

Have I streamlined any processes that reduced labor hours?

Have I onboarded any new, big-ticket clients?

"Abandon all [fear] ye who enter here"

Most people have a fear that by extolling their own virtues, they'll come across as boastful. You really can set that aside when you're writing a resume for an internal position. For one, the company has immediate access to the work that you've performed. On top of that, if you're not willing to remind them about how great you are, the new managers may feel you lack the confidence to perform the higher-level role.

You want to include a minimum of three measurable achievements within the professional experience job listing for your current role within the company.

Relevant keywords 

Just as you would with a resume for an external position, you should take the information you learned from HR, along with any listing they've posted for the new job, to determine the appropriate keywords for your resume. Even though you're applying for an internal position, the resume will probably be run through their Applicant Tracking System as a first line of defense to ensure that you're qualified. 

Don't forget to focus on both hard skills and soft skills, especially leadership as a soft skill.

Here is a sample resume for that internal role you want

__________________________________________________________

Homer, WA 12345 | (111) 222-3333 | [email protected]

TITLE  (one that mirrors the job description)

Loyal front office clerk dedicated to achieving the organizational mission, vision, and values. Earned a promotion to full-time employee after three months as an intern. Known as the face of the company and serve as a resource for more than 150 customers each week. Consistently employ expert knowledge of company offerings to provide elite customer service to a diverse population. Seeking the opportunity to step into a new role to further the ABC Company mission of 'white-glove' customer support.

RELEVANT SKILLS

Leadership | Knowledge of Product and Service Offerings

Creative Problem-Solving | Autonomous Decision-Making

Positive Approach | Sales | Stakeholder Relations | Internal Collaboration

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

ABC Company

Front Office Clerk | 05-2015-Present

Prevent loss and mitigate risk by maintaining control over equipment and office supplies valued at $10K.

Manage customer flowthrough by evaluating wants and needs and assisting sales with closing approximately $125K in new business. 

Professionally respond to customer complaints, resolve escalated issues, and prioritize shifting priorities resulting in a 35% increase in NPS (Net Promoter Scores). 

Intern | 01/2015-04/2015

Established long-term relationships with key customers and kept exacting records of their preferences, behaviors, and purchases. 

Developed new procedures surrounding the disbursement of incoming correspondence which improved efficiency and got mail to representatives 30 minutes faster than normal. 

ADDITIONAL CAREER EXPERIENCE

DEF Company

Receptionist | 03/2012-12/2014

GHI Company

Mailroom Clerk | 01/2011-02/2012

State University

Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) | 05/2019

Be even more prepared with a targeted cover letter 

Since the covid-19 pandemic, hiring managers on the whole are reading cover letters about twice as much as they did before . A cover letter for an internal position sets you up for greater success. 

A cover letter allows you to narrate your career story within the company. It gives a voice to how loyal you are and why they should choose you over some external candidate. Most cover letters begin with an introductory paragraph. You can skip that since the company already knows you. 

Here's a great way to start your cover letter for an internal position:

Dear Hiring Manager* 

(*Use the person's name, you shouldn't have a hard time discovering it)

Since the beginning of my time at ABC Company, almost seven years now, I've been at the forefront of and devoted to maximizing profitability and efficiency through careful adherence to the company's mission and goals. In the last year alone, I've helped the sales staff bring in over $125,000 in new sales. I've sharpened my collaboration skills with leaders, colleagues, and external stakeholders. The team and I have forged new relationships with the goal of building a culture of excellence through open communication that facilitates future-facing decision-making and problem-solving. 

(Write at least one more paragraph with a strong mix of hard and soft skills and close the letter with a call to action. Hard skills are things you've learned through education and experience while soft skills are personality characteristics you possess that make you good at what you do.)

Network with company contacts

If you've been in your current role for any significant amount of time, it's likely that you've built relationships that could benefit you. Leverage that network of people to get referrals and recommendations, if possible. Referrals often help external job seekers land interviews. Imagine how much an internal referral can help you.

By following the steps listed here, you'll be a shoo-in for a new internal position. The differences between a resume for an external position and an internal position could cause you some stress though. 

TopResume has a team of professional resume writers waiting to help you land your new role!

Related reading:

Why Removing Past Work Experience Can Improve Your Resume  

Track Your Work Accomplishments and Get Ahead in the Workplace  

Pre-Pandemic Versus Now: TopResume Survey Reveals What Recruiters Really Care About  

Related Articles:

Do Hiring Managers Actually Read Cover Letters?

How to Create a Resume With No Education

Why You Lose When You Lie on Your Resume: Learning From Mina Chang

See how your resume stacks up.

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• Career Blog

Promotions on Your Resume: How to Include Them in 2024

Promotions are career advancements where an employee moves up the career ladder within their organization. It is a major achievement that shows an individual’s dedication, hard work, and growth within the company. In this article, we will focus on the importance of promotions on a resume and how to effectively include them.

Definition of Promotions

Promotions are a reflection of an employee’s professional development within a company. It is the acknowledgement of the individual’s contribution to the organization, their skillset, and their potential for future growth. Promotions can come in the form of a title change, increased responsibilities, and/or a salary increase.

Importance of Promotions on a Resume

Promotions are a crucial factor when it comes to building a strong resume. They demonstrate an individual’s capacity to grow and adapt within an organization. Promotions speak volumes about not just an employee’s ability to perform their duties but also their leadership skills, interpersonal skills, and overall work ethic.

Including promotions on your resume sets you apart from other candidates and highlights your achievements. It shows potential employers that you are an asset to any organization and that you have a proven track record of success. Furthermore, promotions can lead to higher salaries and better job opportunities.

Promotions are an important aspect to include on your resume as they signify your professional growth and expertise. In the following sections, we will discuss how to effectively highlight promotions on your resume to make it stand out to potential employers.

Types of Promotions

When it comes to showcasing promotions on your resume, it’s important to understand the different types of promotions that you may have received during your career. There are two primary types of promotions that you should be aware of: horizontal and vertical promotions.

Horizontal Promotions

A horizontal promotion, also known as a lateral promotion, is when an employee is given a promotion within their current department or job function, but the job title and level remain the same. For example, if a Marketing Coordinator is promoted to a Senior Marketing Coordinator, but their job title and level remains the same, this would be considered a horizontal promotion.

Horizontal promotions are often used as a way to reward employees for their skills and expertise, as well as to retain top talent within the company. These types of promotions can also help employees develop a more well-rounded skill set by allowing them to gain experience in different areas of their department.

If you have received a horizontal promotion, be sure to highlight the skills and responsibilities that you gained during the promotion on your resume. This can help to demonstrate to potential employers that you are a versatile and valuable employee.

Vertical Promotions

A vertical promotion, on the other hand, is when an employee is promoted to a higher job title and level within the organization. For example, if a Marketing Coordinator is promoted to a Marketing Manager, this would be considered a vertical promotion.

Vertical promotions are typically given to employees who have demonstrated exceptional performance in their current role, as well as the potential to take on greater responsibility. These types of promotions often come with a salary increase and can be a great way to advance your career within a company.

If you have received a vertical promotion, be sure to emphasize the increased responsibility and leadership experience that you gained during the promotion on your resume. This can help to demonstrate to potential employers that you are capable of taking on management roles and leading teams.

Reasons for Promotions

When it comes to promotions on your resume, it’s important to not only list the title changes but also provide context and explanations for them. In this section, we’ll explore three common reasons for promotions:

Performance-based promotions

One of the most common reasons for promotions is outstanding performance. This can involve consistently meeting or exceeding goals, taking on additional responsibilities, demonstrating leadership skills, or making significant contributions to the company. Employers look for employees who can consistently deliver strong results, and those who do are often rewarded with promotions.

When listing a performance-based promotion on your resume, be sure to provide specific examples of your accomplishments and contributions that led to the promotion. Use metrics whenever possible to demonstrate the impact of your work.

Job expansion promotions

Another reason for promotions can be related to job expansion. As companies grow and evolve, roles and responsibilities can change. Often, these changes require employees to take on new duties and learn new skills. In some cases, the employee may be promoted to reflect these new responsibilities.

If you have been promoted due to job expansion, explain the changes that occurred and how you adapted to them. Highlight any new skills or experiences you gained and how they have benefited you in your career.

Skill-based promotions

Finally, promotions can also be due to a specific skill set. These could be technical skills, such as programming or data analysis, or soft skills, such as communication or leadership. If an employee develops a specific skill set that is valuable to the company, they may be promoted to a role that enables them to use those skills more widely.

If you have received a promotion due to specific skills, be sure to highlight those skills on your resume. Describe how you developed those skills and how they have helped you in your career.

Promotions can be linked to various factors, such as performance, job expansion, or specific skills. When highlighting promotions on your resume, provide context and explanation to help potential employers understand the reasons behind the changes in your job title. Remember to focus on your achievements and contributions to demonstrate why you are worthy of these promotions.

How to Include Promotions on Your Resume

When it comes to promotions on your resume, it is important to identify them and determine the best way to showcase them to potential employers. Here are four steps to effectively include your promotions on your resume:

Identify Your Promotions

Begin by taking a close look at your professional history and identifying all the promotions you have received in your career. This includes changes in job title, increased responsibility, and awards or recognitions. Make note of the job titles you held for each promotion, as this will be useful later on.

Determine the Best Resume Format

Depending on your career history, there are different resume formats that may best highlight your promotions. A chronological resume format may work well if you have a consistent career trajectory with clear advancements over time. On the other hand, a functional resume format may be better if you have job changes or gaps, as it emphasizes your skills rather than your career timeline. Choose the format that best showcases your promotions in a clear and concise manner.

Include Promotions in Your Job Titles

One effective way to showcase your promotions is to include them in your job titles on the resume. For example, if you were originally hired as a Marketing Specialist and were promoted to Marketing Manager, your job titles on the resume should reflect that progression: “Marketing Specialist (Promoted to Marketing Manager).” This method clearly demonstrates your upward mobility and achievements within the company.

Highlight Your Promotions in Your Job Descriptions

In addition to including promotions in your job titles, highlight them in your job descriptions as well. Use strong action verbs and specific accomplishments to showcase the increased responsibility you gained with each promotion. For example, if you were promoted to Team Lead, include language such as “Managed a team of X employees,” or “Oversaw project budgets up to $X.”

By following these steps, you can effectively showcase your promotions and advancement within your career to potential employers, and stand out as a strong candidate for the job.

Highlighting the Significance of Promotions

When it comes to including promotions on your resume, it’s not enough to simply list the position changes you’ve undergone. It’s equally important to highlight the significance of those promotions in terms of what you’ve accomplished and the impact you’ve had on the organization.

One effective tactic for doing so is to quantify your accomplishments. This means tying concrete metrics and numbers to the work you’ve done in each position. For example, if you were promoted from a sales associate to a sales manager, include information on how you increased sales or exceeded revenue goals during your time in both positions.

In addition to quantifying your accomplishments, it’s also important to emphasize the impact of your promotions on the organization. This might include insights into how your work helped improve processes, reduce costs, or drive growth. For example, if you were promoted from a marketing coordinator to a marketing director, you could discuss how you led a successful campaign that increased customer engagement and drove sales.

Finally, it’s important to demonstrate your leadership skills in relation to each promotion. This might include examples of how you’ve managed teams, mentored colleagues, or taken initiative to improve processes. For example, if you were promoted from a project manager to a department head, you could discuss how you successfully led a cross-functional team to deliver a high-impact project on time and within budget.

By following these guidelines, you can effectively showcase the significance of your promotions on your resume, demonstrating your value as a skilled and effective professional in your field.

Example Resumes with Promotions

In this section, we will provide you with sample resumes that highlight promotions. These resumes will give you ideas on how to showcase your career growth to impress your potential employers.

Sample resumes highlighting promotions:

• Sales Representative ➜ Sales Manager
• Staff Accountant ➜ Senior Accountant ➜ Assistant Controller

Tips to make your resume stand out:

Quantify your achievements: Instead of just listing your responsibilities, showcase your accomplishments by using numbers to quantify your impact on the organization.

Include relevant keywords: Use keywords that match the job description to make it easy for recruiters to find your resume.

Show career progression: Highlight your promotions and how you have grown within the company. This shows your potential for future growth.

Use action verbs: Use strong action verbs to describe your achievements and responsibilities to make your resume more dynamic.

Customize your resume: Tailor your resume to the job you are applying for by emphasizing your relevant skills and experiences.

By following these tips and referring to the sample resumes, you can create a strong resume that highlights your career growth and increases your chances of securing your dream job.

Strategies for Obtaining Promotions

If you are looking to climb the career ladder and secure a promotion, then it is important to focus on building strong relationships with your colleagues, developing the skills needed for future roles, and communicating your career aspirations effectively.

Building relationships with colleagues

One of the most critical strategies for obtaining promotions is building strong relationships with your colleagues. Whether it is your boss, coworkers, or other members of your team, building strong relationships can help you gain support, build a positive reputation, and enhance your chances of being chosen for future opportunities.

Some tips to help build strong relationships with colleagues include:

• Being a good listener and showing empathy
• Offering help and support when needed
• Being respectful and professional in all interactions
• Focusing on building rapport with others

Developing skills needed for future roles

Another critical strategy is to focus on developing the skills required for future roles. It is important to invest in your personal and professional development to ensure that you are ready to take on higher-level roles when they become available.

To develop the skills needed for future roles, consider the following strategies:

• Identify the skills required for the roles you aspire to, and identify any gaps in your current skill set
• Take on stretch assignments or additional responsibilities to gain experience in new areas
• Seek out formal training or professional development opportunities
• Stay up to date with industry trends and developments

Communicating your career aspirations

Finally, communicating your career aspirations effectively is critical to obtaining promotions. If your superiors are not aware of your goals, then they will be unlikely to consider you for promotional opportunities.

To communicate your career aspirations effectively:

• Schedule regular check-ins with your boss to discuss your goals and progress
• Take ownership of your career development and share your long-term plans with your boss
• Look for opportunities to apply your skills and interests to support the needs of the business

By focusing on building strong relationships, developing your skills, and communicating your career aspirations effectively, you can enhance your chances of landing a promotion and achieving your career goals.

Overcoming Objections to Promotion

As you pursue the next step in your career and include promotions on your resume, you may face objections from management or have personal concerns about accepting a promotion. Here are some strategies to overcome these objections.

Responding to Objections from Management

When seeking a promotion, you may get pushback from your current supervisor or management. They may feel unsure about your ability to handle the new responsibilities or may want to keep you in your current role for various reasons.

To respond to objections from management, consider the following approaches:

Listen carefully to their concerns and address each one directly. If they worry about your ability to adapt to a new role, for example, point out relevant experience or training that has prepared you for this transition.

Provide concrete examples of your recent successes and achievements, and how they prepared you for the next level of responsibility. By highlighting your capability, you can reassure your management that you are a good candidate for promotion.

Consider proposing a trial period to allow management to evaluate your performance in the new role. This approach can provide an opportunity for you to demonstrate your skills and prove your worth to your organization.

Addressing Personal Concerns about Promotion

It’s common to experience personal concerns when considering a promotion. You may worry about the increased workload, adjusting to a new team or role, or the potential for rejection.

To address your personal concerns, consider the following steps:

Take time to explore your reasons for pursuing a promotion. Is it for the monetary benefits, career advancement, or increased responsibility? Understanding why you want the promotion can help you put your concerns in perspective.

Weigh the potential challenges and benefits of the promotion. Discussing your concerns with a mentor or colleague can provide a fresh perspective and help clarify your thinking.

Prepare yourself for the new role by seeking from others who have occupied a similar position in the past. Knowing what to expect can help you feel more prepared and confident about accepting the promotion.

Remember, accepting a promotion is a big decision to make. Ensure that you have thought through the potential challenges and benefits, and have a plan for addressing any concerns or objections that may arise as you pursue your next career move.

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