How to Show Promotions on Your Resume: Tips & Examples
Our customers have been hired at: *Foot Note
Earning a promotion is a significant career milestone — it reflects your hard work, dedication, and ability to take on greater responsibility. Effectively showcasing those promotions can make all the difference in how potential employers perceive your career growth.
Should you list each position separately or group them under one company? What’s the best approach to highlight your achievements while keeping your resume clear and concise?
In this article, we’ll answer these questions and show you, with examples, how to effectively demonstrate your hard-earned success.
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How to List Promotions on a Resume
When writing your resume, there are a few different ways to show promotions on a resume.
The key is highlighting how these job moves have influenced your technical expertise, leadership skills, and career growth.
Let's go over each method:
Stacked entries
A popular way of showing multiple positions at one company is stacking your entries. Listing your different job titles under the same company is the best option if you have moved up in your department and have had related roles with distinctive responsibilities.
Start with your most recent position, including the company name, location, and dates you've had the role. Briefly state that you were promoted to this role and list impressive workplace achievements you've accomplished during this time.
Continue listing your previous positions in reverse-chronological order, but leave out the company name and location. Provide bullet points of your job duties or successful outcomes you achieved in each one.
Here's an example:
Koffee Corporation | New York, NY
Senior Marketing Manager (Jan 2022 – Present)
Promoted to lead the marketing department based on proven leadership, strategic thinking, and measurable campaign success.
- Oversee a team of 10 marketing specialists, implementing data-driven strategies that increased campaign ROI by 35%.
- Manage a $2M annual marketing budget, optimizing ad spend and improving lead conversion rates by 25%.
- Establish cross-functional collaboration between marketing, sales, and product teams, leading to a 20% increase in customer retention.
- Spearheaded the launch of a new content marketing initiative, driving a 50% increase in organic website traffic.
Marketing Manager (May 2019 – Jan 2022)
Promoted after successfully optimizing digital marketing efforts and improving brand visibility.
- Launched a targeted email marketing campaign, increasing customer retention by 15%.
- Conducted market research to refine customer personas, leading to a 25% improvement in ad targeting effectiveness.
- Trained and mentored junior marketers, fostering a high-performing team and increasing overall productivity.
Marketing Coordinator (Aug 2016 – May 2019)
- Assisted in managing social media accounts, growing follower count by 40% through engaging content and community interaction.
- Coordinated email marketing efforts, increasing open rates by 20% through A/B testing and segmentation.
- Conducted competitive analysis to identify trends and opportunities, helping refine marketing strategies.
Separate entries
Showing promotions on a resume using separate entries is appropriate for professionals who left the company and returned after some time with a promotion, or for employees who moved up in the same company across departments.
In this case, add each position to your work history in reverse-chronological order as a separate job entry with all the usual information.
See this example:
Silver Inc. | Chicago, IL
Senior Product Manager (Mar 2022 – Present)
Rejoined after gaining external experience, bringing fresh insights, and earning a leadership role to drive product innovation.
- Manage a cross-functional team of 15 engineers, designers, and analysts to enhance product features and user experience.
- Implement data-driven decision-making strategies, optimizing product performance and boosting revenue by 25%.
- Led the development and launch of a new AI-powered financial tool, increasing customer adoption by 40%.
- Spearheaded partnerships with key stakeholders to align product roadmaps with market needs, improving customer satisfaction scores.
Gold Solutions | New York, NY
Product Manager (Jun 2020 – Feb 2022)
Left Silver Inc. to broaden industry experience and contribute to a fast-paced startup environment.
- Designed and launched a new digital payment feature that increased transaction volume by 30%.
- Collaborated with engineering and UX teams to streamline app usability, reducing customer churn by 18%.
- Mentored junior product managers, fostering a culture of innovation and strategic thinking.
Silver Inc. | Chicago, IL
Associate Product Manager (Sep 2017 – May 2020)
- Assisted in developing core financial software features, contributing to a 15% increase in user engagement.
- Analyzed customer feedback and market trends to propose enhancements that improved product-market fit.
- Supported senior product managers in roadmap planning and stakeholder presentations.
Use one of our professional resume templates to structure your experience clearly and highlight key achievements, including promotions.
Same entry
If you've gained promotions within your company but your responsibilities have remained mostly the same, listing the job roles in the same entry saves valuable space while showing your progression.
Start with the company name and location, then add your roles in reverse-chronological order with their corresponding dates. Your first bullet point should explain why you were promoted and use the rest to summarize your accomplishments working at the company.
Here's an example:
Quick IT Solutions | Dallas, TX
IT Support Team Lead (Jan 2022 – Present)
Senior IT Support Specialist (May 2019 – Jan 2022)
IT Support Specialist (Aug 2016 – May 2019)
- Earned two promotions due to exceptional problem-solving skills, leadership in process improvements, and consistently exceeding performance metrics in IT support.
- Led a team of eight IT specialists, reducing average ticket resolution time by 25% and implementing a streamlined escalation system for critical issues.
- Developed a companywide knowledge base and training program, cutting onboarding time for new hires by 40% and improving first-time issue resolution rates.
- Spearheaded key IT infrastructure upgrades, enhancing system reliability and reducing downtime by 30% while collaborating with cybersecurity teams to strengthen data protection measures.
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Choosing the best format to showcase your promotions
To decide which of the three options works for you, consider these factors:
- You have clear career progression within your department: A stacked entry is your best option if you have gained more responsibilities and leadership opportunities with each promotion in the same department.
- You left the company and returned or moved across departments: Use separate entries with each job role to efficiently demonstrate your career moves and how these have influenced your skills and experience.
- You've had different roles with similar responsibilities: Listing each position in the same entry will keep your resume concise, show a clear connection between each role, and prove your growth.
Promotion Resume Examples
Browse these resume examples to see how other job seekers have showcased their promotions to strengthen their chances of landing an interview:
Showing Lateral Moves on Your Resume
A lateral move means changing job titles and functions while staying within the same career level. This move can happen because of:
- A company merger or restructuring.
- Moving departments within the company.
- Changing roles in the same department.
In any of these cases, creating separate entries is the best alternative. Use the opportunity to demonstrate your flexibility and adaptability as an employee while briefly mentioning why the change happened and your new responsibilities.
Take a look at these examples:
Company merger or restructuring
Zen Apparel | Miami, FL
Marketing Director (Mar 2022 – Present)
Position change due to companywide restructuring to streamline marketing operations and consolidate leadership roles.
- Oversee a newly consolidated team of 12 marketing specialists and managers, driving cohesive marketing strategies across multiple channels.
- Manage a marketing budget of $4M, optimizing spend to maximize lead generation and brand visibility.
- Led the rebranding of the company's core product line, resulting in a 30% increase in customer acquisition within six months.
- Developed and executed an integrated marketing plan aligned with the company's strategic goals, boosting revenue by 25%.
Zen Apparel | Miami, FL
Senior Marketing Manager (Jan 2020 – Mar 2022)
- Managed a team of five marketing professionals to launch integrated campaigns that increased brand engagement by 20%.
- Collaborated with product and sales teams to ensure marketing strategies aligned with customer needs, leading to a 15% increase in conversions.
- Developed analytics dashboards that allowed leadership to track key performance metrics and optimize future campaigns.
Moving departments within the company
Produce Solutions | Los Angeles, CA
Product Development Manager (Jan 2023 – Present)
Transferred to the Product Development department to take on more strategic leadership responsibilities, aligning with personal career goals and the company’s emphasis on innovative product solutions.
- Lead cross-functional teams to design and launch new cloud-based products, successfully delivering three products within the last year.
- Drive project planning and execution, ensuring products are developed on time, within budget, and meet market requirements.
- Collaborate closely with engineering, marketing, and sales teams to align product features with customers, which has resulted in a 25% increase in adoption.
- Implement Agile methodologies, reducing project cycle time by 20% and enhancing team productivity.
Produce Solutions | Los Angeles, CA
Operations Project Manager (Jun 2020 – Dec 2022)
- Led process improvement initiatives that reduced operational costs by 15% and enhanced overall efficiency.
- Managed resource allocation and project timelines to ensure operations targets were met within established deadlines.
- Conducted data analysis to identify inefficiencies and presented actionable recommendations to senior leadership.
Changing roles in the same department
Vibra Tech | Chicago, IL
Business Analyst – Process Optimization (Jan 2022 – Present)
Made a lateral move within the department to focus on process improvement and cross-functional collaboration, broadening expertise in business operations.
- Collaborate with various departments to identify operational inefficiencies and recommend productivity improvements.
- Lead initiatives to streamline data collection and reporting, increasing reporting efficiency by 15%.
- Develop business intelligence tools to automate reporting processes and provide leadership with real-time performance metrics.
- Facilitate workshops to enhance departmental understanding of process improvements and encourage teamwork.
Vibra Tech | Chicago, IL
Business Analyst – Strategic Projects (Jun 2019 – Jan 2022)
- Managed strategic business projects to ensure alignment with company goals and customer needs.
- Gathered and analyzed client requirements, collaborating with product and engineering teams to deliver tailored solutions.
- Produced business analysis reports, providing actionable insights to improve project outcomes and increase client satisfaction.
Tips for Writing a Resume With Promotions
Follow these tips to elevate your resume and showcase your career growth:
- Use a chronological resume: The chronological resume format is perfect for highlighting promotions because it emphasizes your work experience, allowing recruiters to see your career progression easily over time.
- Explain your promotions clearly: For each promotion, briefly explain why you were promoted to help recruiters understand the significance of your promotion and how your responsibilities evolved.
- Tailor skills to the job: If your promotions involved acquiring new technical skills, certifications, or management experience, be sure to highlight them.
- Highlight key achievements and responsibilities: Focus on quantifiable accomplishments. Showcase how you earned your promotions through specific results, such as increasing sales, improving efficiency, or driving business growth.
- Write in an active voice: Use action verbs to maximize readability and reflect an initiative that results in positive outcomes.
Key Takeaways
- There are three ways to show promotions on a resume: stacked entries, separate entries, and using the same entry for all job titles.
- Stacked entries work best for professionals with a clear career progression within the same department.
- Listing promotions in separate entries is recommended for people who left the company and returned with a promotion or moved across departments while also gaining a promotion.
- Using the same entry for every job role is appropriate for employees who received a promotion but mainly kept the same responsibilities.
- List your positions in separate entries if you've made lateral moves in the same company, whether due to restructuring, moving departments, or changing job roles.
- Consider using a chronological resume to showcase your career progression effectively.
FAQ
Should I include every promotion on my resume?
Yes, you should include all promotions, as they demonstrate your growth within an organization. If you’ve been promoted multiple times, list each job title separately under the same company and highlight how each promotion reflects your skills, leadership abilities, and contributions. However, if a promotion led to a very similar job or if there were very minimal changes, you can combine them into one entry to avoid redundancy.
How can I show promotions in my cover letter?
You can showcase your promotions when writing your cover letter by explaining how these career moves helped you hone your expertise and industry knowledge. Align what you gained with what the company needs to underline what you can contribute to the team.
For example:
During my time at Vibra Marketing, I was promoted twice from marketing coordinator to senior marketing manager over three years. Each promotion expanded my skill set and deepened my understanding of the industry. As a marketing manager, I led a team that launched successful campaigns that increased customer engagement by 25%. In my current role as senior marketing manager, I developed and implemented a multi-channel strategy that boosted brand visibility by 30%.
These experiences have helped me refine my leadership skills, stay ahead of industry trends, and develop a results-driven approach that I am eager to bring to your team. My proven ability to drive growth, manage teams, and deliver measurable results aligns with your company’s goals and will allow me to make an immediate impact on your team.
Can I use the word “promoted” on my resume?
While you don’t need to use the word “promoted” in every case, it can be helpful to briefly mention that you were promoted, especially if it was a significant step in your career. Phrases like “Advanced to a higher role” or “Received a promotion to [new title]” can highlight your progression without sounding overly formal.
Can I showcase promotions even if I changed departments?
Yes, you can. If you changed departments but received a promotion, explain how your role changed and why. You can list it as a new entry, noting the department change and the promotion, e.g., “Transferred to the Marketing department with a promotion to senior marketing specialist.”
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How to Show Promotions on Your Resume: Tips & Examples
Natalia is a Content Writer based in Puerto Rico and a Certified Professional Résumé Writer. She is dedicated to leveraging her writing expertise to help job seekers reach their career goals.
Our customers have been hired at:*Foot Note
