Not sure how to format dates on your resume? In this guide, we cover the most common resume date formats, essential tips, and how to navigate text alignment.
2 years ago • 6 min read
Sometimes, the smallest details can be the most complicated. Like: How are you supposed to format dates on a resume?
The good (and bad) news is, there’s more than one way to correctly format resume dates. As long as your resume dates are clear and consistent, you’re off to a good start. Below, we’ll explain how to write dates on a resume, how to format resume dates in Word and Google Docs, what format recruiters (and Applicant Tracking Systems) prefer, and what not to do when listing dates on your resume.
Ready? Let’s dive right in!
Any of the date formats below are fine to use on a resume — as long as you use them consistently.
It’s okay to format dates on your resume as:
Avoid listing dates on your resume as:
Here are some examples of correct resume date formats. These are appropriate to use in your work experience, education, or any other section of your resume.
The best resume date format is month and year. This is the format preferred by most recruiters, so if you’re undecided, stick with this.
Exact dates are unnecessary on a resume. The only time you’ll need to include days is if you’re filling out an application form that explicitly asks for that information. In every other case, listing months is specific enough.
Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) have an easier time reading your resume when you include the month and year. The preferred ATS resume date format is Sep 2018 – Jun 2020 or 07/2020 – 09/2022.
The best way to separate dates on your resume is with a hyphen or en dash, not with a word like “to” or “until.” And always leave a space between the dates and any dashes or hyphens, e.g. 2016 – 2019, not 2016-2019.
For a clean look, always right align any dates on your resume. This avoids having too many details crowding together and taking focus away from the most important information, like your job title and company. (Scroll down for an easy-to-follow guide on how to do this.)
Writing out the full month or year is fine, but it’s not necessary. Keep in mind when using abbreviations:
Start and end dates are for your work experience and similar sections (like volunteering or internships). When listing degrees or other qualifications, you only need to include your graduation date — and it’s even okay to leave this off if it’s been 8+ years.
If you have jobs that overlap on your resume — whether it’s a short overlap, simultaneous part-time jobs, or side gigs that you worked alongside a full-time position — it’s okay to list both.
There is no one right or wrong way to format dates on your resume — as long as you’re consistent. This means:
It’s okay to leave months off your resume, especially if you’re listing older positions or if you were in a previous role for several years. On the other hand, if you worked somewhere from December 2018 – February 2019, don’t list 2018 – 2019 to deceive recruiters into thinking you were there for 1-2 years.
Using a functional or skills-based resume format — one that leaves off dates entirely — is a bad idea for a few reasons:
Like anything in life, there are some times when the rules don’t apply. Specifically, it is sometimes okay to mix date formats. For example:
Wish there was an easy way to check that your resume uses the correct date format? There is! Score My Resume will scan your resume for consistent, easily understood date formats in addition to checking your bullet points, keywords, and overall readability.
Use tabs to quickly right align dates on your resume. Don’t use spaces — this is unnecessarily time-consuming and will result in dates that are almost — but not quite — perfectly aligned.
If you want to get your resume dates perfectly aligned every time, here’s how to do that in Google Docs and Microsoft Word.
