Most people hate this part of applying for a job — but it's still important to do
It's a pain to enter your work history in a job application even though it's already on your résumé. But it's important.
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- A big gripe with applying for jobs is typing out work history even when your résumé says it.
- As annoying as it is, you should still do it because of how applicant-tracking systems parse info.
- If you skip out on those fields, you may be unwittingly counting yourself out for the position.
It's one of the most frustrating parts of the job application process: You've already uploaded your résumé, but now you're being asked to rehash all of your work experience in the application. What gives?
In a June 2024 survey of 2,000 US-based professionals by FlexJobs and MyPerfectResume, 79% said their biggest "turn-off" in a job application is having to re-enter their work history after uploading a résumé.
As tedious as it may be, there's a good reason you should still fill it out anyway. If you've ever just left it blank or typed "See résumé" in the hopes a hiring manager would consult that instead, you may be hurting your chances of getting an interview.
The reason for this mostly comes down to applicant-tracking systems.
"When you upload your résumé and it's parsed, and then you have to reenter some of the information, that allows for that information to be viewed correctly by the applicant-tracking system in terms of scanning for keywords and experience that the role is requiring," said Toni Frana, lead career expert at FlexJobs.
The particular formatting on résumés may also make it harder for applicant tracking systems to "read" your information, so they may not get all of your work history correct when parsing it; having simple text fields where you can spell it out for them helps.
"There are many applicant-tracking systems available, and each one is set up and used a little bit differently by employers," she added. "Job seekers have probably seen this, where they've applied for jobs at different companies and experienced different ATS systems and different parsing each time."
Employers may also be asking you to re-enter your work history because job application portals frequently require that candidates sign off to attest that the information they provided is accurate; employers typically don't receive the same certification that you're not lying on your résumé.
And of course, there's also a much simpler reason to re-enter your job information.
"Some hiring managers find it off-putting when candidates write 'see résumé' — like you're saying 'your instructions don't apply to me,'" Alison Green, who runs the workplace advice website Ask a Manager, wrote on the subject last year.
Fortunately, filling out these fields can be as simple as copying and pasting what's already in your résumé.
Green added in her post that besides having a main, formatted version of your resume ready for applications, it's helpful to also keep a plain text version to transfer information quickly.
"Make sure that you have the same information in both places so that no matter what system employers are using or what they're looking at, they can see the appropriate information about your skills, experiences, and accomplishments to know that you are the right candidate for the job," said Frana.