How to Show A Promotion On Your Resume (Tips & Examples)

Updated on 5/31/2023

A promotion is a valuable asset to add to your resume. It can show how much you have grown in your career and how hard you work for the company that promoted you.

There are many ways to show a promotion on your resume, but the most common is listing it as an accomplishment. This blog post will cover how to showcase a promotion on your resume with some examples of how to do it.

Let’s get started!

Why Should You Show Promotions On a Resume?

Before delving into methods for listing promotions on a resume, it’s essential to understand why optimizing this achievement is one of the best ways to grab the attention of hiring managers. Let’s explore a few key reasons behind the significance of showcasing promotions in your resume:

It’s an endorsement of your skills, capabilities, and value.
It shows that you can handle increasing levels of responsibility.
It proves that you’re a dedicated employee.
It gives you an edge over the competition.

In the grand scheme of things, a promotion is like the ultimate thumbs-up for your professional skills and abilities in your chosen field. It’s proof that you bring significant value to the table, and hiring managers will pay attention to that kind of recognition.

Different Ways to Organize Your Promotion on a Resume

Promotions come in many forms. They can come while working at the same company (perhaps from an associate to a manager), from company to company (an associate at one place to a manager at another), or you moved laterally across positions but to a more desired team, interest, or industry.

You want to show these promotions on your resume no matter the situation. However, these can be handled differently given what’s best for your resume length and what job you are applying for.

When you’ve held multiple positions at the same company, there are different ways to organize these promotions, including:

Describe each promotion as separate entries in the work experience section. This resume format is best when there are larger periods between each promotion (i.e. three years in one position, then a promotion came).
Group together all of your responsibilities at a company under one job section, especially if you moved up quickly within the organization. You can list the job titles and the years you worked those titles in sequential order. (For example: Senior Marketing Manager (March 2021-Present), Marketing Manager (September 2019-March 2021)). Make sure to explain why you got promoted underneath the job titles.

The best way to show a promotion on your resume will depend on several factors, such as how long you’ve been working at the same company, how many promotions you’ve had, and what type of positions they were in.

No matter what, be sure to emphasize the most recent one and clearly state what made this position different from past roles. By doing so, you will show potential employers that you are continuously developing and growing professionally. And, as we’ve said in previous posts, you want your resume to tell a story. Giving your promotions a chronological aspect helps with that.

You can use a job skills section on your resume to list any specific hard or soft skills that were developed or improved due to the promotion, too. For example, if you became a manager, you likely gained experience leading teams, overseeing projects, and managing budgets. These are all great things to showcase on your resume.

How to Optimize Your Promotions for an Applicant Tracking System (ATS)

An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is a platform that helps hiring managers and recruiters read resumes at a more efficient pace. It is essential to optimize your resume for it to be scanned and ranked by these systems. One way to do this is by avoiding the use of special characters (i.e., &, %) and abbreviations in your work history.

When applicable, use the following format: Company name – Job title and date range. For example, XYZ Corporation – Sales Manager, 2009-2013.

Try using specific dates if available rather than just a year range; knowing that you worked at one company between January 2009 and December 2013 will be more helpful than simply reading that they employed you from 2009 to 2013.

Tips for Optimizing your Promotion on a Resume

When showing a promotion, make sure that:

It is relevant and specific to the job you are applying for
There is enough context behind why you got promoted. Did you earn an award within the last year? Did you complete an intense training program?
You list the job titles and company name first, followed by the dates of employment.
The month and year of your experience in each position is listed, as it’s the most helpful to the hiring manager.
You use bullet points when detailed larger batches of info
Bold, italics, and underlines are used tastefully to put more emphasis on a specific section

Following these will help optimize your resume both for ATS’s and for hiring managers’ eyes. Now let’s look at how some of these resume promotions will generally be formatted on your resume.

Promotion on Resume Examples

Scenario 1 – Promoted in the same company

Insight Global – June 2016 – Present

Marketing Manager, June 2018 – Present

Jr. Marketing Manager, June 2016 – May 2018

List all of your job experiences as a marketing manager, then you can follow with this:
After [enter one or two primary successes from your junior role], I was promoted to the Marketing Manager role.

Scenario 2 – Worked for multiple companies and promoted in the current

Insight Global – June 2016 – Present

Marketing Manager, June 2018 – Present

Jr. Marketing Manager, June 2016 – May 2018

Similar to last section, list all of your job experiences as a marketing manager, then you can follow with this:
After [enter one or two primary successes from your junior role], I was promoted to the Marketing Manager role.

XYZ Corp – Marketing Intern, January 2016 – May 2016

List all of your responsibilities as you normally would on your resume

Scenario 3 – Returned to company after working elsewhere

Insight Global – Director of Marketing, June 2016 – Present

List your responsibilities as normal

XYZ Corp – Marketing Coordinator, May 2013 – May 2016

List your responsibilities as normal

Insight Global – Marketing Intern, January 2013 – April 2013

List your responsibilities as normal

Scenario 4 – Moved Laterally Across Positions

Insight Global – Marketing Coordinator, June 2016 – Present

List your responsibilities as normal
Include a sentence/bullet about why you changed positions, perhaps explaining you saw an inefficiency in the company/area and wanted to assist with helping solve the problem. You could also explain that you decided to change career paths. All of this would be talked about more in an interview.

XYZ Corp – Talent Acquisition Specialist, September 2014 – May 2016

List your responsibilities as normal

Additional Tips

Bullet points are your best friend on resumes.
The reason for promotion should be short. Don’t take multiple paragraphs to describe this.
Highlight relevant experience that matches the job profile you’re applying for. This will allow the recruiters to focus more on the important stuff.

Promotion On Resume FAQs

How can I use an accomplishment from my previous role as part of the explanation for why I was promoted?

You can list your accomplishments on your resume and explain how the experience helped you get promoted.

For example, if your goal was to increased sales by 20 percent, but you ended up increasing sales by 50 percent, you want to highlight that. (i.e. “Transitioned to a sales manager role after exceeding sales goals by 30 percent.”) All of this would follow detailed explanations of what specific actions and experiences that led to the increased numbers in sales. This same idea applies to any promotion within an organization.

How do I show increased responsibilities on my resume?

When you have taken on increased responsibilities in your role without an official promotion, there are still effective ways to highlight this on your resume. For example, if your expanded responsibilities significantly differ from your previous job duties, consider creating a separate section on your resume to highlight these additional tasks. This dedicated section allows you to clearly outline the specific responsibilities, projects, or areas you have taken on beyond your core role.

I am currently unemployed. Can I still list the most recent promotion on my resume?

Yes, you can include the most recent promotion on your resume. On top of this, list any recent certifications, experiences, or skills you may have developed during your unemployed time. It’s totally okay that there is a gap in employed job experience on your resume, but you want to maintain your resume’s story no matter the scenario. All of this will help show potential employers that you are currently qualified for the job opening.

What should I include in a bullet point under my job experience?

When writing a bullet point to describe your job experience, you should always be concise and specific.

For example, rather than saying, “I managed a sales team that increased revenue,” you can say, “I managed a team of 20 sales representatives that increased sales revenue by 58 percent.” Getting specific will show a potential employer exactly what you accomplished, and that those accomplishments led to a promotion.

You can also highlight any specific accomplishments or skills you have acquired in your previous positions with bullet points.

What if I don’t have any promotions?

If you do not have any promotions within your work history, it is essential to focus on other accomplishments or skills relevant to the position you are applying for.

Try to quantify your experiences wherever possible (i.e., increased sales by 25 percent, cut costs by 15 percent). This will help give the potential employer a better idea of what you can do.

You can also add certifications or additional coursework you have completed to strengthen your candidacy.

Show Off Your Promotion

This blog post has provided you with some tips on how to show promotion on a resume correctly. You know what to include, when it should be listed, and where the information should go. The next step is putting these tips into practice by drafting an updated resume that highlights any promotions or achievements you have made at work. You have worked hard and accomplished something great. Don’t let that go unnoticed by the hiring managers.

If you are still having difficulty deciding how to list a promotion on your resume, it is always best to speak with a career advisor or consult some online resources for more specific tips. Templates are available that can help show promotions in the most effective way possible. By taking the time to create a strong resume, you are putting yourself in a much better position to be considered for the job you want and put yourself on the right path of career progression.

We hope this blog post has helped provide some insight into including promotions in your resume.

When you’re ready to secure your dream job, head on over to the Insight Global job board, where you will find thousands of listings!