How to calculate IT experience from resume dates (without double-counting)

“10+ years of experience” in a summary is a marketing line. The VMS, the client intake, and the hiring manager will ask for dates. If your number does not match the employment block, the packet looks sloppy even when the person is qualified.

Rules that keep the number honest

• Sum unique calendar time, not the sum of every job. Two overlapping contracts in 2023 are still one year.
• Treat “Present” as today, not as an extra year of padding.
• Do not count internships toward “senior” tenure unless the client said they would.
• Separate total professional time from time in a specific stack when the JD asks for both.

Experience Calculator reads job dates from an uploaded resume and totals years from those dates. Use it before you write the email or the rec summary. If the candidate’s verbal “12 years” is 8.4 on the page, ask them — do not silently use the larger number.

What to put in the submittal note

One line is enough: “8.4 years total IT; 5.1 years with Java/Spring in the last three roles.” That is more useful than “seasoned engineer” and it matches what the HM will reconstruct from the dates anyway.