A chronological resume is a great way to get noticed at job interviews. This type of resume shows employers that you can manage time well and organize information effectively.

Chronological resumes are usually used by recent graduates who want to show their skills and experience. They also tend to be shorter than functional or combination resumes.

In this article, we will talk about how to start writing your own chronological resume.

What Is A Chronological Resume?

A chronological resume’s difference from a traditional resume is it uses reverse chronological order to display your work experience. It begins with the most recent jobs and continues chronologically until it reaches the earlier positions.

The advantage of writing a chronological resume is that it allows you to showcase your expertise and accomplishments in an organized manner.

You can use it to highlight your strengths and demonstrate that you are able to apply these skills across different types of situations.

When you take on a new role, your previous experiences allow you to build on what you already know so you don’t have to relearn everything you need to do.

That’s why they’re called ‘chronological’ resumes!

If you just graduated college, then a chronological resume might be the right choice for you. You could use it to emphasize certain aspects of your education and training.

But if you’ve worked for several years and wish to continue using this resume structure, make sure you tailor it to reflect your current career goals.

For example, some people choose to create a new resume after every career transition because it gives them more freedom to update it for each job.

If you’re a seasoned professional looking for a new position, though, then you may have no need to go back through your entire career and rewrite the same resume again.

Instead, focus on highlighting the skills and qualifications you want to bring to your next employer.

Writing your chronological resume

Writing your own chronological resume isn’t too difficult. But there are a few things you should keep in mind when creating yours. First of all, let’s talk about where to begin.

In fact, the very first step you should take is deciding which section of the resume you want to include. There are many other sections you could add, such as volunteer activities, certifications, languages, etc.

After you’ve decided on which section(s) to include, you’ll want to decide which parts of your resume would best fit those sections.

Remember, you’re not necessarily required to include everything in one resume! You can separate your resume into multiple documents and attach them together.

This means that you can simply edit one document and save it whenever you like, without needing to worry about updating any others.

Also, since your resume is longer than a typical cover letter, you shouldn’t feel limited to writing one long piece.

In fact, you can break up your resume into smaller pieces based on your desired length.

For instance, if you plan to send three pages, you can divide them into two different documents.

Then, you can put them together at the end when you’re ready to submit your application materials.

Another benefit of breaking down your resume is that it helps you create a better overall presentation. Even though you won’t be sending out 100-page resumes, you still need to ensure your resume looks good.

It’s hard enough to look at a single page, but imagine how much harder it’d be to read if the font was small or the spacing between paragraphs was uneven.

By dividing your document into smaller pieces, you can ensure that you meet both the length requirements and the aesthetic standards of the organization you’re applying to.

Ordering your chronological resume

You can order your resume chronologically by listing your relevant experiences from most recent to earliest.

Or, you can organize it based on industry and/or company name.

The idea behind doing so is that you want to give employers an overview of what types of jobs you’ve held and what industries you’ve worked in.

Job experience

So, if you were to list your experience in reverse chronological order, it would read something like:

Business Analyst, Jan 2018 – May 2019 (Google)

Business Analyst, June 2016 – Dec 2017 (Amazon)

Business Analyst, Sept 2014 – May 2015 (Microsoft)

Business Analyst, Apr 2012 – Aug 2013 (Oracle)

Your chronological resume will also give you more flexibility in formatting your information.

When you have several job titles listed in a row, some companies may view this as sloppy.

You can avoid this problem by organizing your resume by job title instead. This allows you to provide specific details for each position while keeping the entire piece organized.

Education

A final thing to consider when ordering your resume chronologically is adding your education section last.

If you already have an education section, it makes sense to place your highest degree or certificate at the top.

However, if you haven’t added an education section yet, you can always go back to it later and highlight your degrees, certificates, or classes you took.

One way to make sure you don’t forget to include your education is to use a header with bold typeface similar to the following:

Education

Undergraduate Degree

Graduate Degree

Certificate

These headers are easy to spot even if you’re scanning through a stack of papers and they make it easier for hiring managers to find their information.

Conclusion

Whether you’re looking to get hired or just help yourself improve your chances of getting called back for an interview, writing a great chronological resume takes time and practice.

You may also take advantage of having our expert resume writers create a professionally-written chronological resume for you. This will save you time and ensure that you have an application-ready resume.