Dates on a Resume

Dates on a resume are very important and something that EVERY employer looks at. They want to see how much experience you have and if you have any gaps in employment. This is one of the reasons why I don't like functional resumes, they don't show what position you gained your skill at and how many years of experience you have.


Graduation dates:Unless you're straight out of college and starting your career, I would typically recommend leaving graduation years off. They're a clever way for employer's to guess your age, which they don't need to know.  Another reason to include those dates would be to account for job hoping or a gap in employment while going to school.

"Degree - University Name, Year"

Employment dates:Include them, period. Months and years to and from preferably.  This should be for each position you've had and need to be consistent throughout your resume.  Don't use years for one job, and months/years for another, keep the formatting uniform.

"Title: Company Name, Location. MM/YY - MM/YY"