← Back to Resources

Which Tense to Use in Resume: Past or Present?

Using the right tense on your resume keeps it clear and professional. In general, use past tense for previous roles and present tense for your current job.

Current Job: Present Tense

For the role you hold now, use present tense: "Manage a team of five," "Lead weekly client meetings," "Analyze sales data." This shows what you are doing today.

Previous Jobs: Past Tense

For past positions, use past tense: "Managed a team of five," "Led weekly client meetings," "Increased revenue by 20%." This keeps the timeline clear.

Consistency

Use the same tense for all bullets within each job. Do not mix past and present in the same role unless one bullet describes an ongoing duty and another a completed achievement.

Summary and Skills

In your summary, present tense is common: "Marketing manager with 10+ years of experience." For skills, you can use nouns or short phrases; tense is less of an issue there.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Should my current job be in past or present tense?
    Use present tense for your current job (e.g., "Manage," "Lead") and past tense for previous jobs (e.g., "Managed," "Led").
  • What tense do I use for previous jobs?
    Use past tense for all previous positions: "Managed," "Developed," "Increased," etc.
  • Can I mix past and present tense on my resume?
    Use one tense per job: present for current role, past for previous roles. Do not mix within the same job unless clearly intentional.
  • What about the resume summary?
    Present tense is common in the summary (e.g., "Marketing manager with 10+ years of experience").