Chronological Resume Example & Writing Guide

The chronological resume format is the most popular resume format worldwide. Learn how to write it with our comprehensive guide!

You can use several resume formats to write your resume, but the chronological resume format is by far the most popular one.

It’s not surprising, given that it’s easy to make and skim. And this is just one of the reasons why it’s a favorite among job seekers and recruiters alike!

This guide includes everything you need to know to write a job-landing chronological resume.

Let’s jump right in!

Key Takeaways

• A chronological resume highlights your work experience by listing it in reverse-chronological order.
• Besides being the most popular resume format, a chronological resume is also ATS-friendly and keeps your resume well-organized.
• You should use a chronological resume in most cases, except if you’re looking to conceal employment gaps or switching careers without having relevant work experience.
• To write a chronological resume, you should list your contact information, write a compelling resume objective or resume summary, and feature your work experience.
• A chronological resume also needs to list your past education and showcase your skills.

What is a Chronological Resume?

A chronological resume, otherwise known as a reverse-chronological resume, is a resume format that brings your work experience to the forefront.

Using this resume format means listing your work experience at the top of your resume in reverse-chronological order, starting with your most recent position and professional achievements.

This gives the chronological resume format a great advantage over other resume formats. It naturally draws the recruiter’s attention to the most important part of your resume—the work experience section. Not only that—it also puts the most recent (and likely the most relevant) jobs you’ve held into the spotlight.

Besides that, the chronological resume has more benefits over other resume formats. It’s:

Benefits of Chronological Resume

• ATS-friendly. The chronological resume format is the most compatible with ATS, which means that the software can easily scan your resume without rejecting it because of formatting issues.
• Popular. Out of all resume types, the chronological resume is the most popular worldwide, so recruiters are highly familiar with it. On top of that, recruiters generally favor this resume format over others!
• Well-structured. Chronological resumes are well-organized, as they list your work experience and education details in reverse-chronological order. Because of this, recruiters can easily skim your resume and instantly see your career development.

When is a Chronological Resume Format the Right Choice?

Essentially, there are three most common resume formats:

3 Common Resume Formats

• Chronological resume format
• Functional resume format
• Combination resume format, also known as hybrid

But how do you know which one is right for you?

In short, the chronological resume format is the right choice in most situations. That said, it works especially well if you have many years of experience in the same industry.

As we mentioned before, this resume format has many advantages over other resume formats, with ATS compatibility being perhaps the most important one.

ATS rejects around 75% of job applications simply for unsuitable formatting. As such, you can automatically increase your chances of passing the ATS scan just by choosing the chronological resume format over others.

That said, there are rare cases in which this resume format might not be the right choice for you, such as when:

When Not To Use a Chronological Resume

• You have employment gaps. By listing your work experience in reverse-chronological order, the chronological resume can accentuate the gaps in your employment. If you’re looking to downplay them, you might be better off using a functional or combination resume format.
• You’re going through a career change. If you’re making a career change and don’t have relevant experience in the field you’re transitioning to, you might want to choose another resume format (e.g., combination) to play up your transferable skills.

It’s also important to note that you don’t need to have tons of work experience to write a chronological resume. While some recent graduates go for a functional resume, you can, in fact, write an effective chronological resume even if you have zero work experience!

6-Step Guide to Writing a Chronological Resume in 2023

Now that you know more about what a chronological resume is, let’s go step-by-step over the process of writing one!

#1. List Your Contact Information

The first step of writing any resume, including a chronological one, is to add your contact information. It’s easy—just make sure you list it correctly because otherwise, the hiring manager might not be able to get in touch with you.

So, here’s what you need to mention:

Contact Information Mandatory Details

• Your full name
• Your job title (optional)
• Your phone number
• Your email address
• Your location (city and state/country)

You can also include other relevant information, such as your LinkedIn URL, social media handles, portfolio, personal website, or blog. Just make sure they’re all up-to-date and relevant to the job you’re applying for.

Your contact information section should look something like this:

Contact Information Example

Olivia Burton Flight Attendant 012-345-6789 oliviaburton@gmail.com Boston, Massachusetts

#2. Write a Compelling Resume Objective or Resume Summary

The next step in writing a chronological resume is to include a brief but impactful resume statement to catch the recruiter’s attention.

Here, you have two options:

Resume Objective vs. Resume Summary

• Resume objective. A resume objective introduces you and your career goals in 2-3 sentences. You might want to choose it if you don’t have relevant work experience (e.g., you’ve recently graduated or you’re switching careers).
• Resume summary. As the name suggests, a resume summary provides a short overview of your professional background, including your skills, top achievements, etc. It’s a great option if you have enough work experience to write one.

Now that we’ve cleared that up, let’s start with a resume objective. To write a compelling resume objective statement, follow these 3 simple steps: