Reverse Chronological Resume Writing Guide with Examples

A chronological resume, also known as a reverse chronological resume, is one of the standard resume formats adopted by job seekers. A chronological resume format highlights your professional experience from the most to least recent. It is best for candidates with a consistent work history in a specific industry or profession and an increase in job seniority over time.

Other resume formats like functional resume or combination (hybrid) resume are best suited for candidates with significant time gaps in between jobs or frequent changes in career paths. Most employers prefer a combination resume format because it could show both the work history in reverse chronological order and the relevant skills of a candidate.

In this article, you will learn what is a chronological resume, when is a chronological resume not advantageous, and how to write a chronological resume. You can also read this blog to learn all things resume!

What Is a Chronological Resume?

A chronological resume lists your work history with the most recent or current one first, followed by the previous ones in reverse chronological order. There are many advantages to using a chronological-order resume. Most recruiters regard work experience as the most vital indicator to hire a candidate. If a candidate has the experience of working in a similar position, the employer will save both time and money to train the candidate after hiring. 

The chronological order of employment history is also the easiest to scan for the Applicant Tracking System, or ATS, in the recruiting process of most Fortune 500 companies. Job seekers with a consistent work history – without significant employment gaps or industry changes – would benefit most from having a reverse chronological resume format.

When Is a Chronological Resume NOT Advantageous?

In some circumstances, you might not benefit from a chronological template.

Consider using other types of resume structures when:

  • You are a frequent job-hopper.
  • You have gaps in employment history.
  • You are targeting a different industry other than the ones you’ve worked in.

Other Types of Resume Formats

There are three main methods to structure a resume. Besides writing a resume in chronological format, you could choose different resume templates, like functional or combination, that best suit your purpose.

The functional resume format puts more focus on skills and abilities and less on chronological work experience, which works best for hiding gaps in employment history.

Meanwhile, the combination or hybrid resume format includes both the advantages of a chronological and functional resume by emphasizing both the skills and experience sections while keeping the work history in reverse chronological order. Here are some benefits and disadvantages of each resume format:

1. Functional (Skill-Based) Resume Format

Pros:

  • Focus on relevant skills that could bring value to the company.
  • Hide gaps in employment history.
  • Good for creative (portfolio-based) resumes.

Cons:

  • Difficult to scan by ATS.
  • Conceals your work experience, which might raise some red flags.
  • Unsuccessful in highlighting career growth.

2. Chronological (Reverse-Chronological) Resume Format

Pros:

  • Highlights professional experience and accomplishments.
  • Easier to scan by ATS.
  • Shows work history that is preferred and often required by employers.

Cons:

  • Requires strict and consistent formatting.
  • Reveals employment gaps or frequent job-hopping.
  • Less focus on relevant skills and work capability.

3. Combination (Hybrid) Resume Format

Pros:

  • Showcase the relevant skills.
  • Include relevant work history in chronological resume format.
  • Complement employment gaps with skills acquired.

Cons:

  • Harder to organize and format for entry-level job seekers.
  • Highlights employment gaps or job-hopping.
  • Could be hard to digest for traditional employers.

Chronological Resume Template

Wondering how to organize a resume in reverse chronological order?

Here is a reverse chronological resume template for you to copy and edit in your own information:

First and Last Name

Job Title

Email: [email protected]Phone: (608) 555-5555 | LinkedIn: yourprofile

[adjective] and [adjective] [job title] with [# of years] years of experience in [relevant skills] and/or [industry]. Looking to leverage my expertise in [relevant skills] to achieve [potential goals] as a [position name] at [Company’s Name].

WORK EXPERIENCE

Employer Name, Location
Most Recent Job Title
Start Date – End Date

  • Include 3-4 bulleted points to list your responsibilities and achievements.
  • Avoid adding more than five bullet points unless you lack other relevant experience.
  • Quantify your accomplishments to make them more convincing.

Employer Name, Location
Earlier Job Title (in reverse chronological order)
Start Date – End Date

  • Include relevant achievements.
  • Use past tense verbs if you no longer hold the job.

EDUCATION

University, Location
Degree Name, End Month and Year
Major(s)
Other relevant details

SKILLS & CERTIFICATIONS

  • List your relevant skills and certifications.
  • Include both hard and soft skills.
  • Indicate the exact software or tools you are familiar with.

ADDITIONAL RESUME SECTIONS

  • Include any other relevant information if necessary.
  • For instance, you can include: language skills, volunteer experience, publications, or even hobbies and interests.

How to Write a Chronological Resume

Still not sure how to write a chronological resume? Follow the detailed guidelines below to better construct each section of your chronological resume.

In the resume header, put your name in the biggest font for employers to quickly identify your resume. Also Include the job title you are pursuing, which is likely similar to your previous job title considering you have a consistent career path (which is what a chronological resume is best for).

Aside from that, include professional and up-to-date contact information for employers to reach out to you. Make sure to use hyperlinks for an electronic resume, or type out the link if you are handing in a paper resume.

Adding a mailing address is no longer standard practice since most employers will contact you through email.

⚠️  Reminder: Don’t include a profile photo in your resume header unless it’s common practice in your job country or industry.

🖋 Resume Introduction

A convincing resume summary or objective is important as it sets the tone for the rest of your resume. An effective resume summary is written tailored to the job description, which reaches out and grabs the readers’ attention. 

Keep your summary within three to five sentences. Mention your job title or field of specialization, and the years of experience you have. If you are an entry-level applicant, there is no need to mention that you have no work experience in your resume summary. Instead, highlight your relevant skills, best accomplishments, and career goals.

🖋 Work Experience

This is the core section of your chronological resume. Put it in reverse chronological order to demonstrate upward growth in skills and knowledge.

To create a good work experience in a reverse-chronological resume, provide three to five bullet points for each experience and try to keep each line full (don’t begin another line with only one word). Start each bullet point with different action verbs to describe your accomplishments, and remember to change to past tense for previous roles.

Rather than listing out your responsibilities directly, quantify the results of your achievements to show how well you’ve performed in each role to present yourself as a good fit for the position.

🖋 Education

If you are currently a student or a recent graduate, your education section would come before your experience section. Otherwise, list your experiences first, and keep your education section brief.

If you possess more than one degrees and want to include them in your resume, remember to write them also in reverse-chronological order.

The most relevant information includes school name, location, degree, major, and graduation date. Other information to add for a recent graduate could be GPA, minor, relevant courses, honors, Dean’s List, study abroad, student organization, etc. 

🖋 Skills and Certifications

A dedicated skills section helps showcase all the relevant hard, soft, and technical skills you have that aren't specified in your experience or resume summary sections.

Check out the job description to see what skills or tools are required for the role. Then pick up to 10 most relevant skills you have and list them in your skills section to tailor your resume to the recruiter's interest. It doesn’t have to be in chronological format, listing them alphabetically would work just fine.

🖋 Additional Resume Sections

If you still have space for more sections, include any other relevant information that would showcase your working capabilities or highlight your personality characteristics. For instance, if you are applying for a multinational company in which speaking different languages would help with your career, add your language skills and proficiency levels to your resume. 

Tips on How to Write a Chronological Resume

💡 Keep the resume short and concise.

Concise wording and relevancy are two key characteristics of a good resume. Recruiters usually spend about 6 seconds looking over each resume (considering you passed the ATS scan first), and most of them prefer one-page resumes. 

So, keep each section short by highlighting the most important information. Ask 2 to 3 people to proofread your chronological resume and fix any unclear or redundant wording.

💡 List experiences from the latest to the oldest.

Again, the main difference of a chronological resume is that the experience section is listed in reverse chronological order, meaning that you start from the most recent to the oldest. Listing in chronological format would help employers quickly grasp the value of your most recent experience and see your improvement through your work history.

💡 Tailor resume contents to the job description.

The key to targeting your resume to the employer’s interest is by including information that is mentioned in the job description. For example, you could prioritize your skills or certification section with ones that are specified in the job description as qualifications.

💡 Use chronological resume templates.

If you want to quickly generate a chronological resume without needing to spend a lot of time formatting it, try out resume builders like CakeResume for a plethora of free chronological resume templates. There are also some reverse chronological resume templates in Word, just search for “chronological resume” in Templates.

💡 Use the correct file format.

Save your resume in the correct file format before sending it out. The most common format is a PDF file or a Word document. However, it depends on how the employers want you to send in your resume, so follow their instructions carefully.

Chronological Resume Example

Reverse chronological resume example
Created using CakeResume

Key Takeaway

A chronological logical resume format can help you to highlight your most recent work experience and catch the recruiter's eye. It can help job seekers to emphasize relevant skills that could bring value to the company they're applying for. By following our advice, you can create a compelling and convincing resume.

CakeResume is an online resume builder that allows anyone to create professional resumes and portfolios that can serve as personal web pages. With its user-friendly interface, the solution enables users to easily customize their resumes using a drag-and-drop editor and various prebuilt design templates. The platform is suitable for people of different backgrounds and levels of experience, from fresh graduates to experienced professionals.

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With CakeResume’s resume builder tool, resume templates and resume examples, you could showcase your best qualifications to land your dream job. Try making a resume online (free download) now!

--- Originally written by Sandy Tuo ---

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