Understanding Types Of Resumes: Chronological

Resumes have come a long way over the years but the key to remember is that they are designed to be the first impression of you to a potential employer so understanding what a resume style is portraying is crucial. The first of the resume types that we will be focusing on will be the Chronological resume. This has been the base standard for a resume and is a good place to start when looking to understand the different types of resumes.

The chronological resume type is designed to list your accomplishments based on a timeline. Generally, these items are listed from most recent to oldest but can also be done in reverse order. The main idea is that everything happens in order. Since attributes are listed in order employers can walk through your history with you.

Some of the positives to leveraging the chronological resume include showing where you started in your career and what skills you have gained throughout your journey. If you are continually growing your skills and can explain where you started and where you are going stating these attributes in order helps define a clear story. This resume style allows you to speak to your growth.

In the same breath, if you have gaps in your resume or if you have not done much to develop your skillset over the years this becomes very apparent when using the chronological resume. It is easy to see gaps in years where you may have not been very active and you will need to be able to explain this if you get a callback and since your resume is the first impression you are giving to an employer it may be better to not leave them questioning aspects of your skills.

Leveraging the Chronological resume with the different resume variations will build a roadmap to your complete career. This style is great for when you are first starting and want to highlight everything you have done or if the position requires a complete look at your history.