My Account

You control your data

We and our partners use cookies to provide you with our services and, depending on your settings, gather analytics and marketing data. Find more information on our Cookie Policy. Tap "Settings” to set preferences. To accept all cookies, click “Accept”.

Settings Accept

Cookie settings

Click on the types of cookies below to learn more about them and customize your experience on our Site. You may freely give, refuse or withdraw your consent. Keep in mind that disabling cookies may affect your experience on the Site. For more information, please visit our Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.

Choose type of cookies to accept

Analytics

These cookies allow us to analyze our performance to offer you a better experience of creating resumes and cover letters. Analytics related cookies used on our Site are not used by Us for the purpose of identifying who you are or to send you targeted advertising. For example, we may use cookies/tracking technologies for analytics related purposes to determine the number of visitors to our Site, identify how visitors move around the Site and, in particular, which pages they visit. This allows us to improve our Site and our services.

Performance and Personalization

These cookies give you access to a customized experience of our products. Personalization cookies are also used to deliver content, including ads, relevant to your interests on our Site and third-party sites based on how you interact with our advertisements or content as well as track the content you access (including video viewing). We may also collect password information from you when you log in, as well as computer and/or connection information. During some visits, we may use software tools to measure and collect session information, including page response times, download errors, time spent on certain pages and page interaction information.

Advertising

These cookies are placed by third-party companies to deliver targeted content based on relevant topics that are of interest to you. And allow you to better interact with social media platforms such as Facebook.

Necessary

These cookies are essential for the Site's performance and for you to be able to use its features. For example, essential cookies include: cookies dropped to provide the service, maintain your account, provide builder access, payment pages, create IDs for your documents and store your consents.

To see a detailed list of cookies, click here.

Save preferences

Chronological Resume Format, Templates & How-to Guide

Create Your Resume Now

Our customers have been hired by:

There are several formats to choose from when creating a resume. Arguably the best one of them is the chronological resume. It works perfectly if your work history is consistent and you have no employment gaps.

Read on, see some chronological resume templates, and find out if it’s the right format for you (probably, it is!).

This article will show you:

  • What is a chronological resume.
  • Who the chronological resume format is best for.
  • A chronological resume template.
  • Expert tips on writing an effective chronological resume.
  • Examples of chronological resumes for over 30 professions.

Want to save time and have your resume ready in 5 minutes? Try our resume builder. It’s fast and easy to use. Plus, you’ll get ready-made content to add with one click. See 20+ resume templates and create your resume here.

Sample resume made with our builder—See more resume examples here.

After reviewing 11 million resumes created with our builder, we’ve collected valuable insights from users spanning different industries and levels of experience. Here are the top takeaways to help you design a more effective resume:

Data-Backed Insights From Actual Resumes

  • 57.84% of resumes made with our builder are over 300 words, 28.23% are between 101 and 300 words, and 5.35% are under 100 words.
  • 3.59% of our users have no work experience, while 28.86% report having less than 3 years of experience.
  • Resumes typically list an average of 12.56 skills.
  • On average, resumes include 2.61 previous jobs.

What’s the Difference Between a Chronological Resume and a Reverse-Chronological Resume?

Let’s start by getting one thing straight.

The definition of chronological is that it’s the order in which things happened. The reverse chronological means that it’s the opposite order, which starts with the latest things that have happened, not the oldest ones.

Confusing? Don’t worry because when it comes to chronological and reverse-chronological resumes, they are used interchangeably because they mean the same thing. That’s why, not to get confused, I’ll use only the term chronological resume in this text from now on.

So, what exactly does that mean?

Since we’re talking definitions, here’s a guide about just that: What’s the Definition of a Resume

What Is a Chronological Resume?

A chronological resume lists your work experience starting with the current or most recent one at the top, followed by previous ones. This type of resume focuses on your work history and professional achievements. It’s a great format for experienced job-seekers with tons of accomplishments.

Let’s not forget about one more thing: the chronological resume format is arguably the recruiters' favorite. A study from Jobvite reveals that 92% of recruiters regard previous work experience as the number one hiring factor—and the chronological resume brings the readers’ attention to your experience and job titles.

So, if you choose to format your resume in reverse chronological order, you can rest assured the recruiter will find what they're looking for.

Plus, chronological resumes are easiest to scan for the ATS. Over 98% of Fortune 500 companies use Applicant Tracking Systems, or ATSs, in their recruitment processes, so selecting this resume format seems your best option.

Check a professional example of a chronological resume below.

Want to make 100% sure your resume passes the ATS scan? Read: How to Write an ATS Resume

Chronological Resume Format—Example

Michele J. Carden

Sales Representative

614-383-8924

MicheleJCarden@gmail.com

linkedin.com/in/michelejcarden

Resume Summary

Experienced Sales Representative with 5+ years in sales, marketing, and customer service. Motivated to support Visionix in driving growth and maintaining a high client satisfaction level. Skilled in relationship building, identifying customer needs, and delivering superior solutions. Successfully oversaw the launch of 3 new products for a multinational consumer goods company, resulting in estimated additional revenue exceeding $1 million annually.

Work Experience

Sales Representative

Looksy, Inc., New York City 

April 2020–Present

Key Qualifications & Responsibilities

  • Developed and implemented successful customer loyalty programs that increased customer engagement by 25%.
  • Exceeded sales quotas on average by 10%, resulting in an estimated $1 million in additional revenue over 2 years.
  • Consistently identified customer needs and delivered custom solutions to exceed their expectations.
  • Proven success in building relationships and negotiating contracts to drive growth. 
  • Resolved customer inquiries promptly and effectively while maintaining high client satisfaction levels, as evidenced by reviews.

Key Achievement

  • Led the launch of 3 new products for a multinational consumer goods company, resulting in an estimated additional annual revenue exceeding $1 million.

Sales Representative

Vivid, Inc., New York City

August 2017–March 2020

Key Qualifications & Responsibilities

  • Partnered with the marketing team to develop promotional materials for key accounts, increasing awareness among the target audience.
  • Handled more than 60 inquiries each week via telephone and email communication channels.
  • Trained and motivated 4 new employees in the sales department, resulting in improved team performance outcomes.
  • Analyzed customer data to identify sales trends, opportunities, and areas of improvement

Key Achievement

  • Played a crucial role in developing successful marketing campaigns that increased awareness of the product line, leading to a 20% growth in revenue across all market segments within 6 months.

Education

Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing

New York University, New York, NY 

August 2013–June 2017

Skills

  • Relationship Building
  • Negotiation
  • Customer Service 
  • Communication Skills 
  • Market Analysis and Trends Identification 
  • Account Management & CRM Software Proficiency 
  • Problem-Solving/Conflict Resolution
  • Closing Deals & Meeting Sales Targets 
  • Self-Motivation & Initiative Taking
  • Product Knowledge & Presentation Skills

Certifications

  • Certified Sales Professional (CSP) – International Association of Professional Salespeople (IAPSP)
  • Certified Customer Experience Professional (CCXP) – The Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA)

Language Skills

  • Spanish–Communicative

You can use this inspiring chronological resume example as a wireframe for your own resume. Now, let’s find out if this format is the best choice for you. 

Talking about inspiration, we’ve amassed 100 quotes that can help you. Check here: Top Resume Quotes to Support You

Who Is the Chronological Resume Good For?

 The chronological resume is most advantageous when:

  • You have several years of professional experience.
  • Your career progression has been steady, and preferably in one industry.
  • You don’t have gaps in employment on a resume.

The chronological resume order is very versatile. It means you don’t need to have many years of experience to use the chronological resume format. For example, if you’re making a recent college grad resume, you only need to rearrange the order of your resume sections and put the education resume section first. Just make sure the entries in each section follow the reverse chronological order.

Have you done contract work for years? Learn to show it the right way. See here: Listing Contract Work on Your Resume

Chronological Resume Pros & Cons

The chronological resume format seems like a perfect choice. However, it has some advantages and disadvantages that need to be addressed.

Chronological Resume Pros

  • Highlights experience and achievements.
  • Easy to scan.
  • Easy to follow a career progression.

Chronological Resume Cons

  • Requires consistent formatting.
  • Exposes gaps in employment.
  • Not the best for career changers or candidates re-entering the market.

If you think none of the advantages of the chronological resume format would work in your case, consider opting for one of the other common resume structures:

  • Functional resume works fine if you want to focus on your skills and hide gaps in employment. It’s perfect for making a resume for creative jobs that require portfolios. However, it is difficult to scan and conceal your experience.
  • Combination resume is good if you wish to draw the recruiter’s attention to both your skills and experience. It also allows you to hide gaps in your employment history. It’s good only for highly-specialized professionals and, unfortunately, it makes formatting and organizing your resume tricky.

You might be tempted to ask artificial intelligence for help writing your application documents. Before you do that, read our guide: AI Resume Pros & Cons

Chronological Resume Format

Let’s start with what a resume should look like and take a closer look at how you can make the most of each of these resume sections on your chronological resume:

1. Resume Header

It’s what your recruiter sees first. And, since you want to be remembered and later on contacted, you must do this part right.

Your resume header should include:

Even though this section of a chronological resume seems like a no-brainer, it may get tricky when you start thinking about what job title you should put at the top.

  • If you’re pursuing a consistent career path (and this is what a chronological resume is best for), including your current job title makes perfect sense.
  • If you’re making a career change resume, use the job title you’re aiming for.

Pro tip: Consider adding your LinkedIn profile to a resume. Your recruiters will surely check your online presence. Make it easier for them.

2. Resume Summary or Career Objective

A resume profile is the first section of your chronological resume that gives the recruiter a glimpse into what you can do. There are two common types: a resume summary and a career objective. Which one should you choose?

3. Professional Experience 

The next section on your chronological resume is perhaps the most important one. 

Here’s how to make the most of your work experience on any resume:

  • Put your latest or current position up top. Follow it up with the previous ones. This is exactly how the reverse chronological resume order works.
  • List the dates worked, your job title, and the company name for each position you held. 
  • See to it that your recent work history is scannable. Use bullet points, not paragraphs. Up to 3 bullets per position will do.
  • Focus on presenting achievements on your resume rather than responsibilities.
  • Make a special subsection for your key achievements to give them more prominence.
  • Start all bullet points with strong resume action words such as delivered, managed, boosted, achieved, etc.
  • Present the experience that’s relevant to the position you’re seeking. Omit everything else.

Need more advice on tailoring your resume? Head straight to our guide: How to Tailor Your Resume to a Job Description

4. Education

Depending on how much (or little) experience you have, you may want to put your education section above the experience section on your document. Either way, this part of your chronological resume should clearly communicate your value to the employer. 

If you have more than two years of professional experience, list only:

If you’re fresh out of school, you may consider adding information on:

Learn more about including your degree on a resume: How to Put Your Degree on a Resume

5. Skills

The skills section is an important element of your chronological resume template. You don’t need to organize your skills in chronological order, but make sure the list of skills on your resume consists of the relevant ones.

Here’s how to get the skills section on your resume right:

  • Make a master list of all the skills that you have. Include your soft skills, hard skills, as well as technical skills.
  • Take a good look at the job offer to see what skills the employer is looking for specifically. Note down these skills.
  • Return to your master list, and find the skills you identified in the job offer. These skills are exactly the ones you need to highlight on your chronological resume.
  • Select up to 10 of these skills and list them in the key skills section on your resume.

6. Additional Sections 

Putting additional sections on your chronological resume can always earn you extra points. Remember only to add the sections that may boost your chances. 

Here’s a couple of extra section ideas:

Not really sure what sections to include on your resume? Read our guide What to Put on a Resume

Making a resume with our builder is incredibly simple. Follow our step-by-step guide, use ready-made content tailored to your job and have a resume ready in minutes.

When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and our resume checker will tell you exactly how to make it better.

Chronological Resume Samples and Why They Work 

Now, let’s take a look at two chronological resume samples: one for a junior position, and the other for a more senior role, to see what makes them effective. 

Chronological Resume Example—New Grad 

Calvin Showalter

SEO Specialist

928-899-2059

c.showalter@gmail.com

linkedin.com/in/showalter

twitter.com/showalter

Objective

A forward-thinking graduate from Arizona State University with a BA in English and a passion for digital communications. Eager to join DigiMedia as Junior Content Developer to help devise and implement data-driven content strategies, as well as write shareable content loved by the readers. Strong background in writing and editing digital content. 3-month internship experience with SEO and digital content development.

Experience

SEO Intern

RankEd, Tempe, AZ

June 2018–September 2018

  • Utilized 3 different SEO analytics tools to research relevant keywords and provide editorial guidance.
  • Partnered with 2 managing editors to make sure articles are optimized for Google.
  • Collaborated with the editorial team to create and edit new content verticals.
  • Reported on content performance and next-step ideation.

Education

Bachelor of Arts, English

Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ

2019

Graduated summa cum laude

Relevant coursework

  • Linguistics
  • Cognitive grammar
  • Statistics
  • Psychology

Key achievements

  • Winner of a student essay-writing competition
  • Editor-In-Chief of PsyLence.com—online magazine on psychology and digital communications
  • Dean’s List 2018, 2019

Key Skills

  • Communication (written & verbal)
  • Adaptability
  • Problem-solving
  • Organization
  • Collaboration
  • Search Engine Optimization
  • Google Analytics
  • SEMrush
  • Adobe Photoshop

Languages

  • Spanish (bilingual)

Interests

  • SEO
  • Graphic design
  • Rock climbing

Even though Calvin has just graduated from college and doesn’t have huge experience, he decided to choose the chronological format. He also consciously put the work history section above the education section. Why?

The top hiring factors that employers take into consideration when hiring recent grads are:

  • Internship with the employer’s organization
  • Internship experience in the relevant industry
  • Major

Calvin happens to have completed an internship in the relevant industry, and his chronological resume structure reflects the way employers assess candidates’ aptitude for the role. If an internship is what they value most, it’s exactly what they see first on Calvin’s resume.

He also gives a lot of attention to the education section and the other sections. The first one clearly shows that Calvin has a lot of potential for becoming a dedicated employee, and it's where he mentions his key achievements. The position he’s seeking calls for strong communication skills and problem-solving skills, and this is exactly what Calvin highlights throughout the document. 

Here comes the other chronological resume example, this time for a more senior role:

Chronological Resume Example—Managerial Position 

Matthew Gilchrist

Sales Manager

+1-299-456-7888

m.gilchrist@gmail.com

linkedin.com/in/matt.gilchrist

twitter.com/matt.gilchrist

Summary

Results-driven and strategically minded sales manager with 4+ years of professional experience. Eager to join GHI Inc. to lead and inspire the sales team to delight the customers and expand into new markets. In previous roles consistently exceeded sales targets by 25% at the minimum, managed a team of over 15 sales associates, and brought in an extra $200K in revenue over two quarters.

Experience

Sales Manager

ABC Inc., Philadelphia, PA

June 2017–Present

  • Executed quarterly marketing plans while maintaining top quality standards.
  • Ensured adequate stocking of merchandise.
  • Prepared weekly schedules and assigned tasks to 15+ employees.
  • Managed and developed local marketing strategies in cooperation with the General Manager.

Key Achievements

  • Exceeded sales targets by 25% in Q2 and Q3 2017.
  • Identified and started cooperating with 20+ new local suppliers. 

Sales Representative

DEF & Co., Philadelphia, PA

September 2015–June 2017

  • Developed and conducted quarterly promotional activities.
  • Identified new business opportunities by bringing in 20+ new leads monthly.
  • Reported the progression of monthly sales initiatives to internal stakeholders.

Key Achievements

  • Exceeded sales targets by 30% in Q3 and Q4 2016.
  • Renegotiated sales contracts that brought in extra $200K revenue in Q1 and Q2 2016.

Education

BA, Psychology

Penn State University, State College, PA

2015

Associations

  • National Association of Sales Professionals (NASP)—Member

Certifications

  • Voice of Influence (NASP)
  • Six Steps to Closing Every Time (NASP)
  • The Art of Prospecting (NASP)

Key Skills

  • Sales techniques
  • Interpersonal skills
  • Communication
  • Leadership
  • Strategic planning
  • Relationship building
  • Collaboration
  • Negotiation
  • Salesforce

Languages

  • Spanish (Advanced)
  • Mandarin Chinese (Conversational)

Interests

  • Skateboarding
  • Landscape photography

As you can see, Matthew is an experienced sales manager. He chose the chronological resume template to highlight his rich work history and key achievements. Also, he uses bullet points to make his work history easy to scan.

In contrast to the previous example, the education section on Matthew’s resume has been reduced to the necessary minimum. Rather than present the details of his college education, Matthew has chosen to include such sections as Associations and Certifications to show he treats his career development seriously. The parts that recruiters pay the most attention to (i.e., job titles and achievements) are bolded to make them stand out. 

Is your mind set on the chronological resume format? Then copy and adjust the template below.

Have you been promoted at work? Learn to highlight it properly. See more: Showing Promotions on Your Resume

Chronological Resume Template

[Your Name]

[Position]

[Phone Number]

[Email Address]

[LinkedIn]

[Twitter]

[Resume Objective or Resume Summary]

Experience

[Job Title]

[Company Name]

[Dates]

  • [Responsibility]
  • [Responsibility]
  • [Responsibility]

Key achievements

  • [Achievement]
  • [Achievement]

[Job Title]

[Company Name]

[Dates]

  • [Responsibility]
  • [Responsibility]
  • [Responsibility]

Key achievements

  • [Achievement]
  • [Achievement]

Education

[Degree]

[School Name & Address]

[Graduation Date]

Associations

  • [Association]
  • [Association]
  • [Association]

Certifications

  • [Certification]
  • [Certification]
  • [Certification]

Key Skills

  • [Skill]
  • [Skill]
  • [Skill]
  • [Skill]
  • [Skill]
  • [Skill]

Languages

  • [Language]
  • [Language]

Interests

  • [Hobby]
  • [Hobby]


If you’re looking for beautifully designed, ATS-compliant chronological resume templates, well, you’re in luck. Head straight to our articles: Blank Resume Templates: 15+ Best Blank Resume Forms to Fill In Now and Word Resume Templates

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:

See more cover letter templates and start writing.

Key Takeaways

Here’s everything you need to know about writing a chronological resume:

  • The chronological resume format is one of the most versatile ones out there.
  • Reverse-chronological resumes draw the recruiter’s attention to your work history.
  • To make the most of your chronological resume, you must tailor it to the job offer.

Do you have any questions about writing a chronological resume? Maybe you’d like to share advice on how to get everything right? Give us a shout-out in the comments below. We’re always happy to help!

About Zety’s Editorial Process

This article has been reviewed by our editorial team to make sure it follows Zety's editorial guidelines. We’re committed to sharing our expertise and giving you trustworthy career advice tailored to your needs. High-quality content is what brings over 40 million readers to our site every year. But we don't stop there. Our team conducts original research to understand the job market better, and we pride ourselves on being quoted by top universities and prime media outlets from around the world.

Sources

Rate my article: chronological resume
Article Helpfulness: 4.8 (83 votes)
Thank you for voting
Maciej Duszyński, CPRW
Maciej is a career expert and Certified Professional Resume Writer with a solid background in the education management industry. He's worked with people at all stages of their career paths: from interns to directors to C-suite members, he now helps you find your dream job.
Linkedin

Similar articles