How Far Back Should My CV Go?
Standard: detail the last 10–15 years of work history. Earlier experience can be briefly mentioned if highly relevant (e.g., foundational role) — keeps focus on current value.
Last updated: 1/4/2026 · Author: MojCV Team · Reviewed by: HR Specialists
Last updated: 1/4/2026
Author: MojCV Team · Reviewed by: HR Specialists
Direct Answer
As a general rule, your CV should cover the last **10 to 15 years** of your career. Employers are most interested in your recent work. Jobs older than 15 years usually do not need a description unless they are the only relevant experience you have for the role.
How to Organize Your Work History
- Last 10 years: This is the most important part of your CV. Provide details about your responsibilities and your specific achievements for these roles.
- 10–15 years ago: Keep these entries short. Listing your job title, the company name, and the dates is usually enough.
- More than 15 years ago: You can usually remove these roles. If you want to show your full career history, list them as single lines without any descriptions.
When to Include Older Experience
- Relevance: If an old job is directly related to the position you want now, you should keep it on your CV even if it was a long time ago.
- Avoiding gaps: Do not delete so much history that it looks like you were not working for a long time. It is better to list an old job briefly than to have a large gap in your dates.
- Career growth: If you are applying for a high-level management role, you may need to show how you progressed over 20 years, but keep the early roles very brief.