Chronological Resume Writing Tips & Examples

Chronological resume

Your resume is the first thing a hiring manager sees about you, which means you need to make sure it’s perfect. That starts with making sure your resume format is correct.

When you’re crafting a resume, there are three main formats you can use: chronological, functional and combination. A chronological resume is the most common type of resume and if you’re a typical job seeker looking for a job that’s similar to jobs you’ve had years of experience with, it will be the best option for you.
Read on to learn how you can craft an effective chronological resume.

When to use a chronological resume

A chronological Resume is typically the most common resume format and you’ll want to use it unless you have a good reason not to. Here are a few reasons you’ll likely use a chronological resume:

• Your work history is full of jobs that are similar to the job you’re pursuing
• You have a few jobs under your belt already
• Your skills are fairly typical of those in your field
• You’ve been out of school for a bit of time
• You don’t have any large employment gaps

In general, as long as there’s not a compelling reason for you to use the functional or combination resume, a chronological resume will work just fine.

What is a chronological resume?

A chronological resume, also called a reverse-chronological resume, is a resume format that emphasizes your work history. This resume lists your work history in reverse-chronological order, starting with your most recent job and working your way back to earlier jobs. This type of resume draws a recruiter’s attention to your work experience, highlighting your proficiency in past jobs.

Chronological resume vs. functional and combination resumes

Functional and combination resumes are slightly different from chronological resumes in what they emphasize and understanding the difference is important if you want to choose the right Resume format.

A functional resume emphasizes skills, with expanded certifications and skills sections. An extremely strict functional resume may also keep your employment history very brief. This type of resume is meant for people whose previous jobs won’t help them in their job searches. This may include people going through a career change, candidates with unexplained work history gaps or people who have just graduated.

A combination resume emphasizes skills while also expanding on past employment. Typically, in a combination resume, the work experience section will include an explanation of how each job built applicable skills. For example, if you’re currently in software engineering and you’re moving into high school teaching, you might emphasize how your computer knowledge will allow you to create lesson plans and communicate with students and teachers more easily.

Different resume options will work best for different job seekers. A chronological resume is best for individuals who know their work history applies to the job they’re applying for.

Chronological resume format: key writing tips

The chronological resume format is fairly simple and easy to read, which is why recruiters see it so often. That doesn’t mean the content should be overlooked. Below are some tips on how to effectively structure your chronological resume.

Header

First up is the header. This is where you put your most recent contact information. List your name, address and phone number. You may also want to list professional social media accounts like LinkedIn. A resume builder will typically help you create a great look for your header, making your name a little larger so it’s easy to see at a glance.

Summary

The next section is your professional summary. This is a three to five-sentence paragraph that sums up your key qualifications and gives a hiring manager an idea of who you are. The summary statement should be setting the tone for your resume by showing your relevant skills and professional experience, all in a single paragraph.

Skills

Even though a chronological resume will focus heavily on your work history, you still need a skills section to highlight your most relevant job skills for the resume. In this section of a chronological resume, make sure you list skills that naturally flow from the previous jobs you’ve had, typically as bullet points. For example, as a customer service representative, you may note these skills:

• Handling demanding customers
• Working with a team
• Efficiency at taking calls
• Knowledge of computer-based calling services

Work experience

Since your work experience is what you want to focus on in a chronological resume, it will go at the top of the resume. In chronological resume templates, you will notice that the work experience goes above the skills section. Underneath each job, make sure you also indicate the most important things you did and any awards you earned. As a customer service representative, you might write the following as part of your work history:

Ford Customer Service – Dec 2017 to Jan 2020

• • Took over 50 calls every day from customers to resolve their doubts and answer queries.
  • Ranked in the top five callers in the district.
  • Helped develop a new onboarding process that reduced turnover by 12%.

Education

The last section of your resume should be the education section. In this section, you’ll list your college education and any special certifications that you’ve received that are relevant to your career. Avoid listing your high school education unless you have no college education. If you’ve gone through college, potential future employers don’t need to know about your high school credentials.