Reverse Chronological Resume Templates [Ideal Format]

Here’s the thing—

Even though there exist several different resume formats, the chronological resume is arguably the best choice most of the time.

Want to know why?

This article will show you:

• A good definition of a chronological resume.
• Who the reverse-chronological resume format is best for.
• A chronological resume template and sample resumes.
• Expert tips on writing an effective chronological resume.
• Examples of chronological resumes for over 30 professions.

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If you just want to jump right to the section you’re most interested in, use the table of contents:

1. What Is a Chronological Resume?
2. Who Is the Chronological Resume Format Good For?
3. Chronological Resume Template and Writing Tips
4. Examples of Reverse-Chronological Resumes and Why They Work
5. Chronological Resume Examples for 30+ Professions

A chronological resume lists your jobs starting with the current or most recent one at the top, followed by previous ones below. This type of resume focuses on your work history and professional achievements.

Chronological resume is the best choice for candidates with a consistent work history.

Plus—

The chronological resume format is arguably the recruiters' favorite.

Why?

A study from Jobvite reveals that 92% of recruiters regard previous job experience as the number one hiring factor.

When you come to think of it—

Experience and job titles are exactly what a chronological resume brings to the reader's attention.

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

But remember:

Even the best-written resume will get you nowhere unless it reaches a human reader.

You need to realize that over 98% of Fortune 500 companies use Applicant Tracking Systems, or ATSs, in their recruitment processes.

The ATS’s task is to initially scan and score the deluge of resumes a typical corporate opening attracts. This way, recruiters can focus on reading the resumes that meet the most important criteria defined in the job offer.

Chronological resumes are easiest to scan for the ATS. That’s what gives this format an additional edge in today’s hiring.

Want to make 100% sure your resume passes the ATS scan? Read: ATS Resume: Template & 10+ Tips on How to Pass the Resume Test

The reverse-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.

That said—

You don’t have to have many years of experience to use the chronological resume format.

How’s that possible?

A chronological resume order is very versatile.

If you’re making a recent college grad resume, for example, 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.

And you’re pretty much done.

Now—

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
• Combination resume is good if you wish to draw the recruiter’s attention to both your skills and experience

Here’s a brief comparison of a functional vs chronological vs combination resume’s pros and cons:

Not sure if the chronological resume is the best format for your needs? Head straight to our detailed guide: Resume Format: Samples and Templates for all Types of Resumes (10+)

Here’s what sections a typical chronological resume template consists of:

• Name and Job Title

• Contact Information

• Resume Summary or Objective

• Professional Experience

• Education

• Skills

• Additional Sections (e.g. Certifications, Interests) 

Let’s take a closer look at how you can make the most of each of these sections on your reverse-chronological resume:

Name and Job Title

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.

Your current one? Or the title of the position you’re applying for?

Obviously, the dilemma is non-existent when both of them are the same.

Now—

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.

But what if you’re applying for a job of a marketer and only have teaching experience?

Well, if you’re making a career change resume consider using a combination resume format.

You can also modify the job title section slightly, and write something along the lines of seeking the position of [job title].

Or—

Don’t add any job title at all not to confuse the recruiter about your experience.

Looking for more information on what job title to put on a resume? Read our guide: 450 Job Titles that Work on a Resume & Job Hunt [Current & Desired!]

Contact Information

The rule of thumb is for your contact information on a resume to be current.

Most of the time, listing your mobile phone number, LinkedIn profile on resume, and, obviously, email address will do.

Just make sure your email looks professional.

If you need more information on how to make the most of the top section of your chronological resume head straight to our article: Professional Resume Header Examples & Why They Work [20+ Tips]

Resume Summary or Resume Objective

The first section of your chronological resume that gives the recruiter a glimpse into what you can do is called a resume profile.

The resume profile may take the form of a resume summary or resume objective.

The summary focuses on your previous relevant experience, and so it’s suitable for candidates who’ve been in the workforce for at least 2 years.

In contrast, the objective highlights your skills, and works great on any entry-level resume.

Don’t have a clue how to go about writing your resume profile? Read our guides: Resume Summary Examples (30+ Professional Summary Statements)and 50+ Resume Objective Examples: Career Objectives for All Jobs (+Tips)

Professional Experience

Beyond a shadow of a doubt—

This is the heart and mind of a chronological resume.

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

• Put your latest or current position up top. Follow it up with the previous ones. This is how the reverse-chronological resume order works.
• List the dates worked, job title, and the name of the company for each position you held. You can also add the location of the company.
• See to it that your recent work history is scannable. Use bullet points, not paragraphs. Up to 6 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: 6 Tips on How to Tailor Your Resume to a Job Description (Examples)

When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building a professional resume template here for free.

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Education

Depending on how much (or little) experience you have, you may want to put your education above the experience section on your chronological resume.

Either way—

The education section should clearly communicate your value to the employer. 

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

• University name
• Graduation year
• Degree
• Major

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

• GPA
• Relevant coursework
• Minor
• Dean’s List
• Honors
• Study abroad

You can find more information in our dedicated guide: How to Put Your Education on a Resume [Tips & Examples]

Skills

The skills section is an important element of your chronological resume template.

Obviously, there’s no need for you to organize your skills in the chronological order. You can just as well list them alphabetically.

What’s important, though, is to 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.
• Go back 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 resume.
• Select up to 10 of these skills and list them in the key skills section on your resume.
• It’s a good idea to pepper your entire resume with your key skills. Include some in your resume profile and work history as well.

Need more advice on how to put your skills on a resume? Here’s a guide you’ll want to read: 99 Key Skills for a Resume (Best List of Examples for All Types of Jobs)

Additional Sections

Putting additional sections on your chronological resume can always earn you extra points.

Just remember—

Relevance is the name of the game.

Only add the sections that may boost your chances. Here’s a couple of ideas:

• Achievements
• Certifications
• Hobbies and interests
• Languages
• Volunteering

Not really sure what sections to include on your resume? Read our guide What to Put on a Resume (20+ Good Things You Should Include to Win)

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

Plus—

At the end of this section there’s a blank chronological resume template you can fill into write your own resume.

Chronological Resume Example—New Grad

Even though Calvin has just graduated college and doesn’t have huge experience, he decided to choose the reverse-chronological format.

More than that—

He consciously put the work history section above the education section.

Why?

According to a recent Job Outlook Study from NACE, 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’s structure reflects the way employers assess candidates’ aptitude for the role.

If internship is what they value most, it’s exactly what they see first on Calvin’s resume.

That said—

Calvin gives a lot of attention to the education section, and the other sections as well.

The education section 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

Now—

Matthew is an experienced sales manager.

He chose the reverse-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.

Plus—

The parts that recruiters pay the most attention to (i.e. job titles and achievements) are bolded to make them stand out.

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.

Finally—

You can use, modify, and adjust the placeholder template below to structure your own chronological resume:

Chronological Resume Template

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

Here’s a list of reverse-chronological resume examples for some of the most popular jobs in 10 different industries:

Administrative Jobs

• Administrative Assistant Resume
• Receptionist Resume
• Secretary Resume
• Office Manager Resume

Sales and Customer Service

• Sales Representative Resume
• Customer Service Representative Resume
• Cashier Resume

IT and Programming 

• Software Engineer Resume
• Web Developer Resume
• UX/UI Designer Resume

Students and Recent Graduates

• Entry-Level Candidate Resume
• Internship Candidate Resume

Education and Teaching

• Teacher Resume
• Tutor Resume
• Research Assistant Resume
• Academic Professor Resume

Healthcare 

• Nurse Resume
• Medical Assistant Resume
• Dental Assistant Resume

Finance, Business, & Human Resources 

• Financial Analyst Resume
• Business Analyst Resume
• HR Specialist Resume
• Personal Banker Resume

Management

• Project Manager Resume
• Team Manager Resume
• IT Director Resume

Marketing and Advertising

• Digital Marketing Specialist Resume
• Graphic Designer Resume
• PR Specialist Resume

Engineering

• Mechanical Engineer Resume
• Electrical Engineer Resume
• Civil Engineer Resume

Haven’t found what you’re looking for? This is where you can find a chronological resume example for any profession and career: Resume Examples for Every Profession

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:

Create my cover letter now

See more cover letter templates and start writing.

Key Takeaways

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

• Chronological resume template is one of the most versatile resume formats out there.
• Chronological resumes draw the recruiter’s attention to your work history.
• That said, they’re universal enough to be used by fresh grads and candidates applying for junior roles as well.
• 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!