How to show ‘Work History’ on a tech CV?

Recruiters don’t hire careers - they hire evidence. Your ‘Work History’ is where that evidence lives, but most techies either bury it or blur it. These top tips show you how to present it clearly, PLUS they reveal the pitfalls that quietly cost interviews.

Before I explore ‘Work History’ on a technology CV, including what it is, what to include and how to optimise this key section, let’s start with a quick-win.

How to show Work History on CV?

Write your ‘Work History’ on your CV as an IT worker in reverse chronological order, writes Kick-Ass CV Coach and LinkedIn adviser Rebecca Pay. 

In other words, my first top tip with Work History on a CV for tech roles is that you should start with the most recent/current position or contract first.

What is the skills-based way to show Work History?

Occasionally, including if you’re going forward for freelance opportunities, you may wish to group your past roles into areas of skills/expertise.

But this skills-based format for ‘Work History’ is still rare in 2026

And it’s not usually the best option for most technology job applicants.

Traditional employers will also likely favour the classic approach over the skills-based one. But with Work History, it’s often a case of ‘horses for courses!’

What is Work History on a CV?

Work History is the section on your CV after “Profile” or Summary, where you list the past jobs/contracts that you have done and the dates.

As a result, ‘Work History’ is also known as ‘Employment History’ and ‘Career Experience.’

And ‘Career Experience’ may be more suitable if you’re a techie applying for full-time roles, or if you have a history of permanent IT positions.

How far should Work History go back?

Most employers or engagers in the technology industry aren’t interested in your days on the paper round! So your work experience only needs to cover 10 years.

Or up to 15 years of work history if you’re a mid-level or senior technologist.

What are the three ‘R’ rules of CV Work History?

There are three main ‘R’ rules to follow to help decide what to include in Work History on your CV.

1.    Is it Relevant?

2.    Is it Recent?

3.    Or/and is it Radical?

What Work History roles should technology workers detail the most?

In my experience of reviewing and improving thousands of CVs, it is usually the most recent role that is the most senior role.

So, typically, tech job candidates should give the most prominence to the freshest role.

What about interim roles?

If you are in an interim role, or it is an older role in your Work History that is more RELEVANT to the opening, make the entry for that role the longest.

One of the other three ‘R-rules’ for Work History is Radical.

And by ‘Radical’ I mean work where you added value beyond your day-to-day responsibilities.

How to format Work History on CV?

Whether it’s a radical achievement or not, use bullet points to describe what you have achieved in your past technology roles and how.

Keep the details per role snappy.

In fact, more than two lines per bullet is probably too many.

And wherever you can, include metrics.

Anything that helps give scale and context is gold

Some techies may have just baulked at the word “metrics.”

Working in IT/technology, you may not have directly increased sales, but you can still quote other stats.

Consider including:

• Number of users

• How many different teams/countries you worked with

• The size of a migration

• Savings achieved, and/or the budget for a project/programme.

How many bullets per role in Work History?

Approximately 6 bullets for the most recent/current role is a good rule of thumb, followed by a decreasing number of bullets per role as time goes back.

If you want to include roles older than 10/15 years, or you have done a lot of jobs, then consider grouping the oldest roles and stating, “Early Roles Included.”

Then name-drop a couple of the companies and/or job titles.

The “Early Roles…” subheading can be a useful way to include older roles that you want to mention without the need for detailed explanations. Or even dates.

What font is best for Work History/Career Experience?

As with your CV Profile, write your whole CV in one single, clear font.

Calibri is a modern font which I recommend.

Set the font size between 10 and 12.

Limit bold and italics, and in fact, only use bold to highlight headings and the most important points.

Two common mistakes when writing a CV's Work History

Based on the technology worker CVs I’ve reviewed, let me reveal two common mistakes in Work History to avoid.

1. Each bullet or past role listed should not be a regurgitation of your job description! Remember that you are focusing on ACHIEVEMENTS, so someone reading the section can quickly gauge your experience.

2. Don’t overload Work History with the tools and software used for specific projects. The odd mention may be necessary, but not in every role. These are best left in a ‘Key Tech Skills’ section.

Offload Work History bullet points to ‘Career Highlights’

If Work History is looking text-heavy, you may wish to use a ‘Career Highlights’ section as well.

This section is ideal to highlight your ‘Top 3’ achievements since you joined the IT industry.

In terms of order, consider inserting ‘Career Highlights’ before you make the reader dive into your full Work/Employment History.

Is a Career Highlights section right for my tech CV?

A Career Highlights section is ideal for technology job board users who have a lot of achievements.

It’s also useful if you’ve had a long IT career and want to shine a light on the best achievements on the very first page of your CV.

If you did anything unusual or innovative, ‘Career Highlights’ is the place to mention it.

When to use only ‘Work History,’ without Career Highlights?

Don’t stress if you can’t think of three career highlights, but I would advise against including the section whatsoever if you cannot conjure up three.

While you can consider it in parallel to Work History, Career Highlights is an optional section that isn’t likely to suit someone early in their tech career.

Work History on tech CV: Key takeaway

CVs for tech jobs will always need a Work History, Career Experience or Employment History section, even if such a section might not feel very ‘2026’! The key is to keep yours recent, relevant and radical. Keep the waffle for breakfast and focus on what you achieved and how you achieved it.