Promotions show you’re on the right track. If your hard work has been recognised and you’ve been given a step-up, that’s excellent news! But how do you show this on your CV?
Since only the job title has changed — and you still work for the same business — it can be tricky. Luckily, we’ve got you covered. In the following guide, we’ll teach you how to show a promotion on your CV, plus some general formatting tips. Here’s what you need to know.
Before we look at how to show a promotion on your CV, let’s talk about why this is such a big deal. Moving up the career ladder is something that you should be shouting about. Here are some of the benefits of showcasing your promotions to recruiters:
When you’re applying for jobs, you want to show the hiring manager that you can be trusted. Now, they only have your CV — and the accompanying cover letter — to go on. The reader will be looking for clues that indicate you can be trusted. The fact that a previous employer was impressed by your work and chose to promote you to a higher level will do the trick.
Replacing staff is a costly business. On average, it costs companies £25,000 to replace an employee, when you take into account hiring costs and the loss of productivity. For that reason, hiring managers are always looking for new hires who will stand the test of time. The fact that you stayed with a prior company long enough to be promoted is a good sign.
We won’t beat around the bush. It’s hard to get promoted. If you’ve worked to take the next step on the career ladder, that shows a certain level of ambition and trustworthiness. When the hiring manager looks at your CV, they will instantly see you have these qualities.
Highlight your promotion in your cover letter too!
When you’re looking for ways to stand out from the crowd, you need to use everything in your arsenal. Make sure everything you send out tells the same story. While you should list your promotion on your CV, it doesn’t hurt to talk about it in your cover letter.
Since you have more creative freedom in this document, you can easily weave this information into your cover letter. Give context to how you got promoted and the achievements that led up to this point.
If you’ve been promoted, you’ll want to highlight this in your work experience section. However, you might not be certain how to show off this achievement. As we’ll cover below, there are three different ways you can list this information clearly for the hiring manager.
When you’ve held similar positions at the same company, using a stacked entry approach is the simplest way to go. This works best if the duties you had in each role are similar or, at the very least, there’s some overlap between the tasks you managed.
Put simply, the stacked entry approach allows you to combine two positions (one lower and one senior) under one header. You should start out with the company name and locations. Below that, stack the job titles and corresponding dates in reverse chronological order.
As you would with any job position, you should then use bullet points to show off your achievements in that role. Wherever possible, you need to use results-based points. These are statements that include statistics or facts that back up the claims you’ve made.
Take a look at the example below:
Pink Kitten Inc., London
Sales Manager | Jan 2023 - Present
Sales Advisor | Mar 2020 - Dec 2022
The stacked entry approach isn’t always ATS-friendly!
If you’re trying to get past the Applicant Tracking System (ATS), you might want to give the stacked entry approach a miss. This software may not detect both job titles under one company header. For that reason, you could lose out on potential opportunities.
On the other hand, if you’re delivering your CV in person or emailing it based on a professional connection, you can use the above approach. Consider whether your CV is likely to be scanned by ATS software before using this structure.
In some cases, the duties you have when you’re promoted may be strikingly different to the ones you had in your previous role. For example, if you’re a writer and then get promoted to become an editor, chances are you’ll be doing a lot less writing. If your promotion saw you taking on completely new duties, you can use a different structure.
Start with the company name and location again since these are the same. Below that, you can add two sections for the two positions. In each case, include your role title and bullet points that cover your most significant achievements. Use the reverse chronological order.
Let’s take a look at an example below:
Pink Kitten Inc., London
Sales Manager | Jan 2023 - Present
Admin Executive | Mar 2020 - Dec 2022
As you can see above, this CV format is easy to lay out. You can clearly distinguish which tasks and accomplishments apply to which job title. That is a major bonus for hiring managers who have no time to lose when reading and reviewing applications.
Finally, let’s take a look at the most common approach. Not only is the duplicate entries approach the most natural, it also works the best for any ATS software. For that reason, when it comes to how to show promotions on a CV, this may be the way to go.
It also works well if you’ve left a company and then returned after a period, as you can easily pinpoint the dates you held each of the positions. Remember, you want to make things as clear for the hiring manager as possible when writing your CV.
For this structure, you need to list your positions as separate entries on your CV. The hiring manager will be able to see that the company is the same, and so will know that you’ve been promoted. Make it clear that one position is more senior than the other in your bullet points.
Check out our example below:
Pink Kitten Inc., London
Sales Manager | Jan 2023 - Present
Pink Kitten Inc., London
Admin Executive | Mar 2020 - Dec 2022
Pink Kitten Inc., London
Junior Administrator | Mar 2019 - Feb 2020
Don’t forget your CV summary!
In this guide, we’ve covered how you can show a promotion on your CV in your work experience section. However, you may also want to mention this achievement in your CV summary, since this is often the first part of an application recruiters read.
Now you know how to list promotions on your CV, you should be raring to go. However, there are some final tips you can keep in mind. Let’s dive in:
1. Avoid cramming too much on the page. “Busy” CVs can be off-putting to recruiters. If possible, avoid filling the page up too much. White space is your friend. Should you need more room (as you’ve held many positions), you can create a two-page CV.
2. Keep the structure simple. As we’ve covered here, you need the structure to be straightforward. However, you don’t have to do all of the heavy lifting yourself. Use one of our tried and tested CV templates to get the job done in minutes.
3. List the month and the year. When it comes to how to show a promotion on your CV, you need to avoid being vague. Instead, be clear on the month you started each new role.
Promotions can massively work in your favour when you’re looking for a new job. Ensure that this information is clearly laid out for the hiring manager. You have three approaches to choose from. Consider which works the best for your situation and needs. For bonus points, you can also mention your promotion in your CV summary and cover letter.