Reverse Chronological Order On A Resume

The recruiters come across tons of applications every day. So, it is a must for every applicant to try to stand out from the crowd. They have to provide their information within a resume such that the recruiters can easily remember them. Generally, since the recruiters don’t know the applicants personally, the resume becomes the only medium for applicants to represent themselves. let us know about that the Reverse Chronological Order On A Resume.

Reverse Chronological Order On A Resume

Types Of Resume

Multiple types of resumes define their structure. However, the three popular types of resumes are Chronological, Functional, and Combination resumes. The applicants must choose a resume type according to their goal.

Combination Resume

This resume type provides a combination to group the skills functionally without affecting the understandability of the timeline. In a combination resume, applicants may list their jobs in chronological order and apply bullets for experience to make a section.

Chronological Resume

The most popular type of resume is the Chronological resume, where the career path gets represented in chronological order. The recruiters are used to this type. Thus, they can understand and easily conclude from this resume type. If an applicant has a long career path, he/she must mention his/her most recent experience from the past 10 years.

Functional Resume

A functional resume splits the abilities, skills, and achievements of the applicants into categories such as Key Projects, Technical Skills, Leadership Experience, and more. This type doesn’t imply a timeline. This type is the most favorable for the highly-experienced applicants.

Reverse Chronological Order Resume

In this type, the work experience gets arranged in the descending order of the timeline. The most recent work experience is mentioned at the top, while the least recent one gets mentioned at the bottom.

The reverse chronological order can be used to arrange the overall structure of the resume by writing the resume header first, then the subject followed by a summary, experience, skills, qualifications, and other related sections. Similarly, this type can get used in organizing only the skills section in reverse chronological order.

However, there is no strict rule to apply for the reverse chronological order only to a specific part of the resume. The highly experienced applicants may not mention part-time, jobs, internships, and other non-related information.

Advantages Of Reverse Chronological Order Resume

The following are the advantages of ordering the work experience reverse chronologically:

Helps To Stand Out Of The Crowd

Mentioning the latest work experience under a well-known employer or having an impressive job title puts a great impression on the recruiter of the new company. It makes the applicant stand out from the crowd. Many recruiters judge the applicants according to their latest work experience.

It Is A Popular Type

Since reverse chronological order is generally used for resume building, the recruiters are used to it. So, it becomes easy for the recruiters to find the latest work experience if the applicant mentions it at the top. It can also get tracked by the Automated Tracking System (ATS).

Inconsistencies Can Be Found Easily

The inconsistencies in the applicant’s career can be easily found out by the recruiter. Some inconsistencies include college drops, a decrease in academic scores, long-term unemployment, and multiple terminations.

Challenges Of Having A Reverse Chronological Order Resume

Using the reverse chronological order in mentioning the skills introduces a few challenges as follows:

Employment Gaps Can Be Seen

If the applicant had many employment gaps, terminations, or long unemployment since the latest job, it can be easily seen by the recruiters. It means that the applicant must not have used his/her skills for a long time. The applicant becomes answerable to the related questions during the interview. It also puts a bad image of the applicant.

Mentioning Irrelevant Skills Is Of No Use

Experienced applicants that don’t have any related experience, try to fill the resume somehow. They have working experience or certifications but not in the relevant field. For example, an applicant has experience working with programming but now he/she wants to work in marketing. So, experience related to programming is of no use for many companies.

Not Effective For Applicants With No Work Experience

The newly graduated applicants might not have any work experience or even certifications. So, the reverse-chronological list remains too short. Also, the candidates who do not fit into the job expectations completely may find this type of resume ineffective.

More Tips Related To Resume writing

Maintaining a reverse chronological order is not the only requirement to write a resume.

Different other factors that go hand-in-hand with the reverse chronological order are:

  • The skills, experience, qualifications, and certifications mentioned in the resume must be according to the job requirements.
  • The resume must include the keywords the Automated Tracking System (ATS) of the company must be searching for.
  • There must be no mistakes in the grammar, spelling, or given information.
  • The resume must be one to one and half a page long.
  • The email ID must look professional, the contact numbers and social media accounts must be current.

Reverse Chronological Resume Template

The following is a template or a basic structure for a Reverse Chronological resume:

Name Of The Applicant

Residential Address Of The Applicant

Professional Email ID

Current Contact Number(s)

Subject

[The Subject section mentions the position the applicant wants to apply for].

Summary

[This section elaborates the objectives, strengths, and general skills of the applicant beautifully framed in 4 to 5 sentences according to the job requirements].

Related Work Experience

[The work experience and related role descriptions must be arranged in reverse chronological order according to the timeline. Using a tabular format is optional. However, the experience must be arranged neatly].

Education

[The degrees or extra courses are arranged in reverse chronological order according to the timeline in this section. An applicant may or may not use the tabular format but, the statements must be arranged neatly].

Related Skills

[The skills mentioned by the applicant must be in line with the job description].

Related Certifications

[This section is mostly useful for the applicants with less work experience whereas, the highly-experienced applicants may mention only the most important certifications to keep the resume short and to the point. This section can be arranged in reverse chronological order if the timeline is mentioned].

Reverse Chronological Resume Example

Example 1

The following example shows how an applicant may apply for the post of Technical Project Manager:

Agathe Stewart

The 3rd Street, New York, America

[email protected]

+1(123)123-1238

Subject

To apply for the position of Technical Project Manager.

Summary

Able to work independently or with a team and like to dive deep into the details. Have experience of 5 years working as a technical project team member and experience of 2 years working as a technical project manager. Would like to enhance my skills with the skillful employees of your company.

Work Experience

Technical Project Manager, The Software Systems Ltd.

(2018-2020)

  • Trained new team members for working on the projects.
  • Assessed the projects across all development phases.
  • Developed cost estimates and status reports.
  • Collaborated with the customers to gather their requirements.
  • Monitored the workflow of the projects.
  • Made important decisions related to the projects.

Technical Project Team Member, The Software Systems

(2013-2017)

  • Contributed to the development of software projects with the team members under strict deadlines.
  • Developed the User Interface for many projects independently.
  • Created weekly reports for the seniors.
  • Assisted the Project Manager in planning the costs and ordering the tools accordingly.

Technical Project Trainee, Firstlocal Infotech

(2010-2011)

  • Got trained for the first six months in technical project management.
  • Developed code for User Interface and submitted the same to the senior.
  • Participated in the Planning and assessment of the project workflow.

Education

BS In Computer Science.

Technical Skills

Have experience in working with PHP, JavaScript, JQuery, HTML5, Bootsrap4, and CSS3. Know basic about Java, C#, and ASP.NET.

Certifications

  • Microsoft Certification in basic Java and ASP.NET using C#.
  • Certification in PHP at beginner and advanced level.

Example 2

The following example represents a resume by an applicant for the post of Content Writer:

Nathalie Jordan

The 4th Street, Seattle, America

[email protected]

+1(123)123-4567

Subject

To apply for the post of Content Writer.

Summary

I have experience of 4 years in content writing on a wide range of topics. I can work independently and in a team as well. Eagerly waiting to boost my skills in a pool of skillful employees of your company.

Work Experience

 Content Writer, Albert Marketing Company

 (2017-2020)

  • Wrote articles of a minimum of 3000 words every day.
  • Wrote SEO-based articles and proofreading.
  • Trained new content writers.

Content Writer, Zombo Group Of Companies

(2014-2015)

  • Wrote articles of a minimum of 2000 words per day.
  • Researched and created the topics for content writing.

Education

I hold a Bachelor’s Degree From New York University.

Skills

I possess creativity, good typing speed, writing skills, communication skills, and a strong ability to work independently as well as in a team.

Certifications

  • Certification in Fundamentals Of Digital Marketing.
  • Certification in Google Analytics For Beginners and at Advanced Level.

Resume Builder

Resume builders help the users to create complete resumes by allowing them to enter their information in the collaborative online resume templates. The users must have all the materials ready so that they can enter all the information in the templates. Many resume builders provide prompts. Finally, the users must scan the resume to optimize them for the Application Tracking Systems (ATS).

Free Resume Building Tools

Some free resume building tools are:

Zetty Resume Builder

This tool provides free templates for building a modern resume and cover letters. Tips will be provided by the experts for writing a resume. This builder also provides suggestions to improve the resume.

Resume Genius

It provides classic templates that have already proven their efficiency and more than 50,000 job descriptions. The users may choose numerous options from them. The resume gets formatted perfectly within minutes and the suggestions will be provided by an expert.

Cakeresume

Cakeresume provides a wide range of fully customizable professional resume templates and formats. The resume can be downloaded in PDF format or shared for free. It also helps in building an efficient CV.

Jobscan Resume Builder

It builds universal resumes that can fit well for many job applications. It formats the resume for the Application Tracking System. The user just has to fill in each field. The resume can be downloaded either in a PDF or word document format. Jobscan also provides an optimization feature to check the efficiency of the resume.

Indeed

This tool provides a clean design to avoid distractions. It is a good choice for applicants who have had a long career path. The users just have to select the resume templates and then flow with the further steps. Indeed provides the users with proven pieces of advice and examples for resume writing.

Conclusion

The Reverse Chronological Order Resume is much useful for experienced applicants but is a bit tricky for inexperienced ones. They must please the recruiters while but don’t have much to add to the resume. This type of resume must typically highlight the professional growth of the applicant. Also, this format works on the timeline. So, the applicants must be careful while mentioning the dates.

Frequently Asked Questions
  1. Why Do Recruiters Consider Work Experience To Be Important?

Answer:

The individuals that are new to the business world will take a lot of time to get adjusted to it. The individuals can understand what area they want to work in according to the experience. Work experience builds the individuals to come out of their comfort zone and work across different environments. Thus, the recruiters prefer prior work experience.

  1. What Is A Cover Letter?

Answer:

A cover letter is the compressed version of a resume that directly explains to the employer why the applicant is applying for the job. A cover letter highlights the writing skills, strengths, and seriousness of the applicant. It must be only one page long and must contain 3 to 4 paragraphs. Adding a cover letter is optional. If a company needs the cover letter, it will mention so.

  1. What Are Some Other Types Of Resume?

Answer:

Some other types of a resume include a Federal resume, Mini resume, Non-traditional resume, Infographic resume, and Targeted resume.

  1. How Is Functional Resume Different Than The Reverse Chronological Resume?

Answer:

A Functional Resume is difficult to scan while a Reverse Chronological Resume is easy to scan. The former highlights the skills of an applicant while the latter highlights the experience of an applicant. The Functional resume hides the experience whereas, the Reverse Chronological Resume shows the employment gaps. 

Reverse Chronological Order On A Resume

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