How To Show a Promotion on Your Resume

You recently got a promotion you’ve been working hard to earn—congratulations! Reflecting a promotion on your resume can show professional growth, making you a competitive candidate for future opportunities. While it’s simple to list your growth from company to company, it might seem confusing to include promotions during your time at just one company.

In this article, we discuss options for how to show a promotion on a resume and we include examples to guide you.

How to update your resume for a promotion

To show a new promotion on your resume, you can:

• Create stacked entries under the same company header for positions with similar duties.

• Create separate entries under the same company header for positions with different duties.

• Create two entries under duplicate company headers if you return to a company for a promotion.

To upload the template into Google Docs, go to File > Open > and select the correct downloaded file.

Jobs that are similar in nature

If the positions you held at the same company were similar in nature and the only thing that changed was your job title, stacking entries will create a clean, cohesive look on your resume. To create stacked entries on your resume, start with the name of your company and its location. Next, stack each job title and the dates you held the job under the name of the company.

Make sure you list your jobs in reverse-chronological order. This means your most recent position is first and your past position(s) will be placed underneath. Finally, create bullet points under each position that list your responsibilities and achievements. Remember to explain your promotion with one of the bullet points.

Image description

"Resume Format" is the title of this infographic that shows an image of an example resume.

On the left side of the infographic, a numbered list points to each section of the resume.

1. Name and contact information

2. Summary or objective

3. Professional history
   a. Company name
   b. Dates of tenure
   c. Description of role and achievement

4. Education

5. Skills

6. Optional (Awards & Achievements, Hobbies & Interests)

On the right side of the image is a sample resume with the name Janet Chobot and lines representing text underneath. Then the headlines Summary, Professional History, Educational History, Skills, and Awards & Achievements. Under each section are lines representing text.

Here is a sample resume of multiple positions in the same company:

The Acme Printing Company, New York, NY
Marketing Manager | January 2016—Present
Marketing Coordinator | January 2015—January 2016

• Promoted within a six-month timeframe for exceeding goals and supporting company culture
• Track growth on a weekly basis using Google Analytics to determine ROI for lead generation and social media campaigns
• Execute email and social media marketing programs, including campaign building, A/B testing, list building and content creation
• Created email drip campaign as part of lead nurturing strategy that resulted in a $20,000+ increase in sales

The bullets you use should describe your most impressive accomplishments during your time in that role at the company. Focus on measurable achievements that helped your company, such as increased sales, cut costs or higher customer retention.

In the bullet point that describes your promotion, include why you were promoted. For example, you can say, “Promoted within 12 months for outstanding performance on project XYZ.” This shows the hiring manager that you earned your promotion and offers a more tangible look into how you might add value to their organization.

Related: What To Expect from an Average Promotion Raise

Jobs that are different in nature

If you held positions in the same company that had different responsibilities, you should consider separate entries for each position. To save space, you can still list the name of your company and its location once. After that, divide the job titles and treat them like different positions. Make your current position first, and add up to six bullet points that describe your achievements and responsibilities.

After your current position, add your previous positions with the company. As you list older positions, you can use fewer bullet points to describe your responsibilities. Focus on your best achievements and why you received a promotion. Hiring managers are more concerned with your current responsibilities rather than what you were doing three years ago.

Here’s an example of how to list multiple positions at one company on a resume:

The Acme Printing Company, New York, NY
Office Manager | January 2016—Present

• Designs and implements internal procedures to maximize teamwork and efficiencies
• Accurately documents daily schedules, meetings, calendars and communications
• Monitors progress of day-to-day activities of administrative staff as well as volunteers
• Adheres to the department’s procedures for managing resources to complete assigned programs on time

Training Manager | January 2015—January 2016

• Constructed visual aids to use while leading presentations and orientations
• Adhered to company policies, missions and regulations to create relevant training materials and provide applicable advice
• Organized activities and events to involve employees in training practices and generate positive company feedback

This is also a good format to use if you have to email your resume or submit it to an online system. You might have to list the company’s information each time, but the hiring manager will be able to clearly see that you’ve accepted promotions within the same company.

Related: How to Write a Promotion Request Letter

Adding the same company twice

There may be situations when it’s appropriate to list the same company twice. For example, if you left an organization and returned after a period of time with a promotion, you should separate those experiences.

As always, start with your current company first. List the job, dates you held the job and bullets of responsibilities and achievements. Next, list your previous jobs in reverse chronological order. When you get back to the company you originally left, list it again with the information about that position.

Here’s an example of how to list a promotion on a resume when you need to add the same company twice:

The Acme Printing Company, New York, NY
Advertising Director | January 2017—Present

• Monitored competitive products and advertising activities to keep in line with consumer trends
• Resolved conflicts and facilitated changes in the structure of the advertising function to ensure a swift response to problems and opportunities
• Conducted advertising surveys on current and new product concepts and provided feedback for future campaign development

Crown Paper Company, New York, NY
Advertising Manager | September 2015—January 2017

• Revised Facebook marketing strategy, which grew Facebook followers from 1,500 to 4,000 in 4 months and increased overall engagement ~40%
• Assessed email bounces to remove invalid and irrelevant contacts, boosting deliverability and open rates
• Gained knowledge of HTML and CSS in order to collaborate more effectively with web developers and understand limitations

The Acme Printing Company, New York, NY
Marketing Assistant | January 2014—September 2015

• Established company’s first social media presence across Pinterest and Instagram, and grew Twitter followers from ~50 to 2,500+ in 4 months
• Conducted market research to develop targeted buyer personas
• Championed inbound marketing strategies (replacing traditional outbound methods) to create brand awareness and attract more buyers

This format will clearly show your change in companies and your promotions. It’s also the only time you should list the same company twice.

Related: When To Ask for a Promotion (and How To Do It Effectively)

Jobs that are lateral moves

A lateral move is when you change job titles and functions within a company. They can happen for a variety of reasons, such as:

• The company goes through a merger.

• You change roles in the company.

• You change departments in the company.

No matter why you made a lateral move, you can still use one of the three above strategies to show the change on your resume. The only difference is that you don’t have to include a bullet point about why you got a promotion.

Here’s an example of how to list multiple positions at one company on a resume when the duties remained the same:

The Acme Printing Company, New York, NY
Sales Consultant | January 2016—Present
Sales Support Representative | January 2015—January 2016

• Drive sales productivity and customer satisfaction within client’s retail locations
• Coordinate all outreach and marketing activities to the community
• Grew the retailer’s division sales performance and other key metrics through training and marketing promotions
• Meet and exceed monthly KPIs as well as monthly quota

Here’s how to list different positions in a company when the duties are different:

The Acme Printing Company, New York, NY
Product Manager | January 2016—Present

• Consistently follow through with operational requirements by scheduling time with all operations management and subject matter experts for input on best practices
• Maintain regular updated professional knowledge by establishing business networks, attending workshops and reviewing professional industry publications
• Ensure that deadlines are met for new product feature releases for optimal return on investment
• Charged with ensuring relevant staff training before a new feature rollout

Data Scientist | January 2015—January 2016

• Created machine learning models with Python and scikit-learn to predict energy usage of commercial buildings with 98% accuracy
• Reduced third-party reporting costs by $100K+ per year with machine learning models
• Developed an algorithm in R that automated financial forecasting

Getting a promotion shows that you are a hard worker who achieves results for your company. With these tips on how to list promotions on a resume, you can clearly showcase your talents.

Related: When and How To Make a Lateral Career Move