Three Reasons to Include Company Information on Your Resume

We hear a lot about resume formatting and length, but the vast majority of applicants overlook one of the most powerful ways to boost resume performance: company information. Adding company information to your resume increases keyword density, clarifies your industry expertise, and provides context about organizations and scope of your roles.

1. Keywords
Company information presents an organic opportunity to enrich your resume with relevant keywords employers may use to search for candidates. More importantly, Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) use keywords to score your resume for matching against the job description. Use industry and specialty keywords to boost matching. Why both? Because an Operations Manager of a healthcare facility is not the same as an Operations Manager of a manufacturing plant.

2. Clarification
There are over 32.5 million registered businesses in the U.S., and no one can name them all. Hiring managers simply do not have the time or resources to research your company information, so why expect them to? Don’t let ambiguity disqualify you from a great opportunity. Provide two to three lines of relevant information per employer and highlight your industry expertise.

3. Context
Use company information, such as corporate, division, or multiple locations, to provide tangible context for your work environment and the scope of your responsibilities. Clarify organizational transitions, including changes in ownership and name, so they don’t inadvertently look like job hopping on your resume. Finally, provide metrics: number of employees, union or non-union, private or public, business growth during tenure, and corporate and location revenue where possible.

Here are some examples of how to include company information for both publicly traded and privately held corporate and division locations:

PRIVATE COMPANY, CORPORATE
McFly Limited, Hill Valley, CA
McFly Limited is a privately held manufacturer of flux capacitors and DeLorean time machines. Founded in 1985, the company has grown from a garage-based startup to a global organization with 1.21 million employees.

PUBLIC COMPANY, CORPORATE
McFly Limited, Hill Valley, CA
McFly Limited (NYSE:GIG) is a $10B manufacturer of flux capacitors and DeLorean time machines. Founded in 1985, the company has grown from a garage-based startup to a global organization with 1.21 million employees.

PRIVATE COMPANY, DIVISION
McFly Limited, Chicago, IL
Headquartered in Hill Valley, CA, McFly Limited is a privately held manufacturer of flux capacitors and DeLorean time machines. Founded in 1985, the company has grown from a garage-based startup to a global organization with 1.21 million employees. The Chicago, IL manufacturing site employs approximately 700 non-union associates.

PUBLIC COMPANY, DIVISION
McFly Limited, Chicago, IL
Headquartered in Hill Valley, CA, McFly Limited (NYSE:GIG) is a $10B manufacturer of flux capacitors and DeLorean time machines. Founded in 1985, the company has grown from a garage-based startup to a global organization with 1.21 million employees. The $300M Chicago, IL manufacturing facility employs over 700 non-union associates.

For more networking tips, download the slideshow and PDF of Networking and Job Search with LinkedIn for free.