|
 A chronological resume is one of the three main types of resumes used today. The other types are the functional resume and combination resume. A lot people are uncertain about the type of resume they should use when looking for a new job. And the answer to that question is pretty simple - it depends.
Choosing the Right Resume
Because a resume is like an advertisement for your services, you want to use a resume format that best highlights your job skills and accomplishments. That's the reason that there are three different types of resumes used today. Each resume format has a distinct set of advantages and disadvantages - including chronological resumes.
Choosing the right resume, or picking the right resume, comes down to two factors:
- The amount, consistency and depth of work experience you have accumulated so far in your career.
- How well the job you're seeking is aligned with your past work experience.
As you'll see later on as we look at the advantages and disadvantages of the chronological resume that we've outlined below they're all related to the two factors mentioned above.
The Chronological Resume Format
At the end of this article we provide you with links to a chronological resume sample that you can download for free. But first we'd like to review the main sections of information appearing in a chronological resume:
Name / Contact Information
Like most resumes, the chronological resume starts off with a banner that includes your name and contact information such as street address, telephone number and email address.
Education
The next section you'll find in a chronological resume is a table of your educational background. Many jobs today list a "required" or "desired" educational background. If it's that important to someone screening a resume, it might as well be right up front in the resume.
Honors / Certifications / Licenses Held
The third section in a chronological resume contains a bulleted list of the certifications, educational honors or professional licenses you might hold. For example, a certified public accountant would include that certification in this section of the resume.
Work Experience
This fourth and final section of the chronological resume really helps to define this particular resume format. In the work experience section of this resume you will include the reverse chronological listing of all of your work experience. But as we will see later on when we look at the example we've given you there are some advantages and disadvantages of showing this information in this manner.
Advantages of the Chronological Resume
- If your more recent job experiences are aligned with the job that you are seeking then one of the advantages of the chronological resume is that these job descriptions and job titles are highlighted in the chronological format.
- The progression of your career is easy to follow since the chronological resume lists jobs in a timeline sequence. The sequence of jobs listed in this resume format is uses a reverse chronological order.
- A chronological resume highlights not only your job position or job titles but also the organizations you've worked for in the past.
- Since the chronological resume has a built-in timeline, it is believed to be more fact based. The advantage here is that the chronological resume carries with it a lot of credibility in the eyes of the hiring manger or recruiter.
Disadvantages of a Chronological Resume
- Your work experience is listed in reverse chronological order if you use this resume format. If there is a gap or break in your work experience timeline then the chronological resume makes that gap stand out.
- The chronological resume allows potential employers to figure out if you've been switching jobs every couple of years. This is something they might not like in a job candidate.
- A chronological resume makes it nearly impossible to hide your age from potential employers. This can be a big disadvantage for both younger and older job seekers.
- If your career path might seem somewhat illogical to the reader then a chronological resume would highlight that fact.
Career History Section of a Chronological Resume
The chronological resume format arranges the applicant's career history section into a timeline sequence that runs through what they've accomplished in their careers. An example of how that format is shown on a resume appears below:
ABC Manufacturing Corporation, Some City, Kansas 2000 - 2004
Plant Manager
Responsible for managing the operation of a 150,000 square foot plastics manufacturing facility operating on a 24 / 7 work schedule. Maintained the quality of product while setting annual records for production quantities at that facility.
CBA Laboratories, City Harbor, Maine 1996 - 2000
Laboratory Supervisor
Managed plastics research laboratory responsible for replicating small scale extrusion operations. Developed several low temperature techniques that later became the primary patent under which second generation plants were constructed.
Chronological Resume Sample
If you've been looking for samples of the chronological resume format then we can help. Now that we've explained exactly what this type of resume is all about you can download a free sample here - Chronological Resume Sample. You can use this sample as the starting point, or template, when writing your own resume.
Functional and Combination Resumes
If you're not sure the chronological resume is the correct format to use in your situation, don't forget there are two other resume formats that you can use. In fact, we suggest that you read our information on both the functional resume and combination resume formats before starting to prepare your own resume.
You might also want to take a look at many of the other resume writing resources we've got on this website including additional free resume examples for you to download as well as resume writing tips.
About the Author - Chronological Resume
Copyright © 2005 - 2007 Money-Zine.com
Resume Writing Resources on the Web |
Home 
