Resume Series - Chronological Resumes



A chronological resume template.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 By Megan Elliott, Social Media Developer

If you’ve spent any time applying for jobs online, you’ve discovered just how helpful it is to have a resume written and ready to upload, copy and paste, or otherwise submit to a job posting.  But have you given any thought to the format and content of the resume that you’re submitting?  In the next few posts, we’ll discuss the different types of resumes, what each is good for, and when to use it – starting with the chronological resume.

First off, what is a chronological resume (CR)?  A CR is a document that shows your work history, current or recent employment first, and listing your experience backwards in time from there.  It’s easy to read and understand from a hiring point of view because each position you have held is building up to the one to which you’re applying.

Generally speaking, you will want to start with an objective statement that briefly describes how you imagine yourself filling the position, and then include your work history in a separate section.  Any other skills you have that aren’t listed under your work history can be listed in another section, which is helpful if you have soft skills (like active listening, take direction well, typing 60+ words per minute) that you feel will qualify you for the position, or even hard skills (website development, inventory sorting) that aren’t outlined in your work history.  Any relevant training and/or coursework that you’ve had will also be good for you to list after your skills section.

A chronological resume needs to show you off to your best advantage, so when is it not a good idea to use this format?   If you’ve been out of the workforce for a long time, you don’t want to have your work history as the first thing human resources sees.  This can be a mental black mark that immediately disqualifies you. 

The same goes for if you have been in a lot of different positions for very short periods of time, known as “job-hopping.”  If you don’t have a good explanation for this in your application or in your cover letter, this can also be a black mark in the eyes of a hiring manager.  The whole point is to make you look good!

Make sure that you include percentages and numbers when you can (like “increased sales of product X by 20%”), because those highlight how valuable you can be to the company.  Don’t just list your job duties – list the things that made you a great coworker or a wonderful employee, like perfect attendance.  Scan the job description that you’re applying for, and use the words and phrases that stand out.  Most organizations are using software that scans resumes for those keywords, so using them will make yours rise to the top of the heap.

Try to keep your resume to a single page.  Most hiring managers and human resources professionals spend less than twenty seconds on reviewing a resume that makes it through all of the pre-screenings online, so keeping it short can really make yours shine.

If you need any help at all in building your resume, or if you would just like for a pair of eyes to look over it for you, give ERS a call.  Your career coach will be more than happy to help you get that job!