How to Write a Resume - Chronological Resume

By far, the most popular type of resume is the chronological resume.  Chronological means to be arranged in the order of occurrence. Events are listed in the order in which they occurred as opposed to any other kind of order.  A chronological resume is sometimes called reverse chronological or reversed chronological because the last event (your last or current employer) is listed first on the resume. This employer is followed by your last or second-to-last employer, and so on.  You work backwards through your job history on this form of resume.

Listing your work experience chronologically is helpful for a couple of reasons. Because your career will most likely evolve from lower level positions to ones of higher responsibility, your last or current position will probably be your most impressive. Listing your most current position first on your resume makes sense as it puts your most recent, and hopefully most relevant or impressive, experience first.

A chronological resume is preferred because it is clear and simple to read as opposed to other resume types.  An employer can easily check out your job experience in order. He or she can see where you worked, when you worked there, and for what period of time in addition to your job duties. There are no surprises here, as everything is spelled out in black and white.

Chronological resumes are the norm. Most people use them because they are easy to write, especially if you can readily remember where you worked and at what time period. Keep copies of your old resumes. You can then refer back to them when writing a new resume or updating your present one. This saves time looking up dates, employment titles and duties, your college grade point average, etc.

Chronological resumes are good for people who have a relatively stable work history. This is because employment gaps are very obvious on a chronological resume as opposed to a functional resume . Employers like to see that a person has been steadily employed as that is a sign of reliability and maturity. It suggests to the employer that this person will stay in the prospective position for some period of time.

A chronological resume is suggested for a person who has been working in the same field for a while and is looking for another similar position. The career progression on a chronological resume shows the employer where you’ve worked, for what period of time, the duties you performed, and the amount of time you were responsible for those job duties. Hopefully, the prospective employer will see potential and stability in you as an employee.

Employers like chronological resumes because they’re easy to read, and gaps in work history are easy to recognize. For an employer, these gaps are red flags. A chronological resume quickly points out a job hopper, too. Unless you have a good reason not to, use a chronological resume. You don't want to confuse your reader, and you don't want prospective employers to think you’re trying to hide something if you’re not.

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