Chronological Resume Templates

What is a chronological resume template?

Chronological resume templates are the most commonly used format in resumes, and recruiters prefer them to others. A reverse-chronological order resume template lists your jobs, starting with the current or most recent one at the top. It provides comprehension opportunities for hiring managers to see your experience.

Have it in mind that chronological and reverse-chronological resume templates are essentially the same thing. Because they list your experience chronologically, but in a reverse way, starting with your most recent job. You can use the Enhancv builder to craft your chronological resume in the best way possible.

Who should use a chronological resume?

People who can get all the advantages that chronological resume templates offer are job seekers at any professional level. They have a consistent work history without gaps between roles.

However, reverse chronological order can work for just about anyone looking for a job. This resume formatting is simple and professional, and you can effortlessly apply it to any resume design.

Resumes in chronological order are very convenient for students because this formatting is the easiest way to organize their limited experience.

Choosing this format is easily understood by recruiters because chronological resume templates are the most popular layout hiring managers see.

A chronological resume is arranged in a way to emphasize your professional experience—your education and certifications, skills, other relevant activities, or volunteer experiences. A summary statement is optional in chronological resume formatting. Excluding the cases in which you're in higher-level management or changing your current professional field.

If you think a chronological resume template isn't a good fit for your case, you can try a functional or combination resume template. A functional resume is focused on your skills and abilities and lists your roles and education at the bottom.

A combination resume blends a functional resume and a chronological resume and emphasizes both your skills and experience in equal measure.

Tips for building the best chronological resume template

Let’s create your perfect chronological resume by following the best practices.

Design

The reverse-chronological format resume template can be applied to any design—modern or traditional. It only depends on your professional field and the type of company you're applying to. Modern design is appropriate when you're in more creative and innovative industries and want to make your resume pop up from the rest of the applicants. Use the traditional design without icons, graphics, and flashy colors for applying for positions in more traditional companies.

Font

The best font to use for resumes is a classic, easy-to-read font, like Times New Roman or Calibri. You can use modern fonts, which are also appropriate, like Helvetica, Verdana, Ariel, or Lato. Keep in mind that ATS systems don't mind the font as long as it's a readable serif or sans-serif. The regular font size for resumes is 12 points. Larger fonts are acceptable for headings, your name, or titles of sections. If you're having trouble fitting your content on one page, you might try making your font 10.5 points, but don't go any lower.

Colors

Your resume should be easy for the hiring manager to digest all of your best work. Using the right font in combination with colors can help that. Use white as the background, black for the text, and the remaining color as an accent. It's advisable to use for the third color some shades of blue, green, or dark red. Avoid flashy colors.

Select the best layout

Your resume should always begin with your full, searchable name. Your name should be the biggest thing on the page. Recruiters are only spending a few seconds on your resume—they should know whose it is. Show your location, there's no need to put your full home address, but recruiters expect to see your city and state. Add your contact information like your phone number and a professional, easy-to-read e-mail address.

As we mentioned before, for the chronological resume template, you can skip the summary statement section. It can be a plus to add one or two sentences about who you are as a professional and what your experience is.

Your work experience section on the chronological resume template is the most important thing. You should include responsibilities and accomplishments for each job you’ve held. If you want your resume to stand out more, you can organize your experience in two separate sections. The first one, under the header “Relevant Work Experience” to the specific job you're applying for, and the second section simply "Work Experience."

Right after your work experience section, you should list your education in reverse-chronological order as well. Add your academic degrees, followed by your training and certifications. Don't list your high school diploma if you've attended college unless it's relevant to your professional field. </p

You can list your achievements on a chronological resume template in your work experience section also. If you want to emphasize your achievements, lay them out in a separate section. People who don’t have much work experience can use achievements in education, volunteering, or project sections. When you list achievements, make sure they include the time frame, scale, and results.

You can design your chronological resume template in two columns to fit all information on one page. Recruiters prefer one-page resumes because they're easy to scan for the key points that they're looking for in a candidate.

Chronological resume templates pros and cons