Present Tense or Past Tense - The Right Choice For Your Resume

Present Tense or Past Tense - The Right Choice For Your ResumeWhen writing a resume, present tense is best. However, it's important to think about what the employer will be looking for. Present tense is not necessarily better than past tense, but it can make it easier to convey information about your work experience.Present tense is used when you are describing events and circumstances, as opposed to describing a person or situation. It can also be used to talk about an action or activity that has already taken place.Past tense is used when you are describing a person or situation. If you describe an action or activity that has already taken place, use the past tense. You are more likely to get the message across if you are talking about the past rather than the present.To demonstrate this, consider the following example. If you were a secretary in a corporation that was located in Birmingham, Alabama, it would be wrong to write, 'She worked as a secretary for a Birmingham, Alabama c orporation.' The correct way to write the sentence would be, 'She worked as a secretary for a Birmingham, Alabama corporation.' If the employer is interviewing someone who worked in Birmingham, she may not know that her work experience was only in the past tense.In addition, writing in present tense can make the resume more difficult to read. Present tense is the default mode of writing, so it can make the resume longer than it needs to be.If an employer wants to see previous work, he or she will want to see the past tense of the title. In order to do this, most resumes now have a listing of jobs that include a comma, 's' at the end of the job title. The work experience listed on the resume includes the words past tense, and this comma indicates that the writer's job experience has been in the past tense.Another problem with past tense is that it can create a dated resume. The past tense job description is outdated. For example, an older employee who was fired may still be collectin g unemployment benefits. Many employers will prefer to see a resume that includes the word past tense, as this reflects a person's experience in the past.If the employer wants to see the work experience of an employee, it would be acceptable to use the present tense. Therefore, instead of 'She worked as a secretary for a Birmingham, Alabama corporation,' the employee can say, 'She worked as a secretary for a Birmingham, Alabama corporation.'This helps to improve the sentence flow and makes the resume more readable. It also demonstrates that the resume had been updated and included some work experience. So, when you are writing a resume that will be sent out to several potential employers, you may find that the past tense is the better choice.One common error made by writers who want to present tense in their resumes is to include a title such as 'Vice President of Sales.' The title should always be followed by the phrase 'Sales Manager'President.' There is no need to add an extra ti tle unless it fits well into the resume.Even though you may be tempted to continue using past tense to present tense, you may want to go back and rewrite your resume from scratch. Don't be tempted to just change present tense to past tense.Remember, you want to impress the potential employer when he or she is reviewing your resume. It's not a good idea to use past tense for a job that you don't expect the employer to contact you about.