Reverse Chronological Order

Reverse Chronological Order is a format that is commonly used on combination resumes and chronological resumes to display work experience or history.  When presenting this kind of information on a resume, the reader is more interested in what the applicant has done recently than in the distant past.

The rationale behind using reverse chronological order is that it presents the recruiter or potential employer with the most recent work experience first and allow them read back in time to see how the applicant's career has progressed.

Below is an example of work experience presented in reverse chronological order (the dates have been placed in italics to demonstrate this point):

Company ABC, New Town, New York
September 2002 - January 2005
Manager - Workforce Planning

Responsible for managing eight associates trained in the art of Six Sigma.  The team was successful in launching a minimum of five process improvement initiatives annually.  Typical bottom line benefits would exceed $5 million.

US Manufacturing Specialty Company, First Town, Connecticut
June 1999 - September 2002
Plant Manager - Specialty Items

Responsible for supervising and controlling the daily production schedules of 28 employees in the area of plant operations. Under my direction, the plan met all production run schedules on time and under budget.  Created first formal quality control committee that was directly responsible for improving output of products meeting quality standards from 87% to 96%.