The chronological resume format is also well known as the reverse chronological resume format because it usually includes all the candidate’s employment history in reverse chronological order. Beginning from the most recent and then going backward.
According to the latest polls, this resume format is the most popular among hiring managers, because such resume format helps them to understand who you are and what level of expertise do you have. Usually, any chronological resume format 2023 includes achievement, dates, and education blocks. Based on the level of the candidate, resume content could be changed and you could find their additional blocks.
This resume format shows your real level of expertise and shows your career path clearly and without any doubts – it’s not for fresh grads or school leavers. It works for specialists who achieved real results in their industry.
What should you pay attention choosing a chronological resume format 2023
- Start your resume with achievements or a summary block to attract the hiring manager and let him/her understand who you are from the beginning.
- List all your places of work in reverse chronological order. Always add the dates you land the job and quit, so HR would easily understand your employment period.
Chronological resume: Poses
Let’s try to understand if this resume format would suit you and would reflect your candidacy in the most positive light. So, if all written above is about you, you should 100% use it:
- This is one of the most used resume formats all over the world and in the US as well.
- This resume format would help you to highlight that you are a good specialist in a specific field and know your job really well.
- It shows your career path and nobody would ask you about employment gaps or some other tricky questions during an interview.
- As the most traditional of formats, RC fits traditional industries (such as banking, education, and accounting).
- If you used to work in a huge corporation or well-known companies or organizations, the chronological template is a must-have resume layout in your case. Using other resume templates, it would be harder to stress the company name.
- When it comes to the recruitment process and hiring managers looking for more senior positions, they would prefer to scan chronological resumes first.
Chronological resume: Cons
As you can see from the pros and cons above, if you are an average candidate with 5+ years of experience without huge employment gaps, it’s a good idea to use all the benefits from using this resume layout. In other cases, we would recommend you try another resume 2023 template.
Who should use a chronological format
We would like to help you understand if such a resume format is right for you and if you feel that all written above is about you, download the chronological resume template and start crafting your resume.
Who should use:
- You have proven stable career growth and achievements with real facts or numbers
- Your ex-employers are huge and respected companies, which names would only help you to land the job
- Your career path is stable and without instant downgrades.
- Temporary jobs are not about you.
How a Chronological Resume Template 2023 Looks like
We decided to take a typical chronological resume to show you in detail what sections are important and what you can omit.
Contact details – Should be placed in the most prominent place on your resume. Most Likely candidates place this information at the top of the document.
Experience – All the jobs should be placed in reverse-chronological order. With dates in format date_strat_job – date_quit_job.
Skills – Skills are not the most important section in a chronological resume, thus all the attention will be on the work experience section. Still, it’s a good addition to enhancing your resume using this resume block.
Accomplishments – Whomever you are, an accomplishment it’s a good chance to quantify your experience for a hiring manager to understand who you are and how senior you are. Do not hesitate to add them to a resume mixing with awards.
Chronological resume structure
Now we’re going to deep into some details and will explain what should be in the resume sections mentioned above.
Contact details
It the one of the easiest to write sections in a resume. Fields are pretty common. Below you will find the most important to include, others are less important.
Remember to follow some rules, when adding information to this section. First of all, do not include a corporate email address, private only. If you have a LinkedIn profile, feel free to show it to your reader. Most hiring managers like to scan candidates using a LinkedIn profile, especially when it comes to CV applications via the application form.
Experience
As you have already understood, the experience section in a chronological resume is the most important part of the resume.
The main idea here is to show the hiring manager how you performed in your previous positions. Show them your traction and your growth. If you have enough experience, try to include transitions to a higher position.
Where it’s possible – ad numbers, which could tell the hiring manager how well you performed.
Skills
Skills are important as well, even if it’s not a skills-based resume. Use this section as additional information, which will empower your candidacy.
Lindsay is a certified resume writer and interview coach. She obtained her certification in resume writing (CPRW) which will allow her resume expertise to help readers outshine the competition within the first 5 seconds of reviewing what they have on paper.
