Use of a chronological resume
The typical resume is a one-to-two page document summarizing an individual’s career objectives, professional experiences and achievements, as well as his/her educational background; and while there are numerous ways to format a resume, there are two basic resume styles. The chronological resume and the functional resume.
As its name implies, a chronological resume is one that lists your experience and education in order, beginning with the most recent jobs or achievements. This type of resume is sometimes also referred to as reverse chronological resume, because the order of which items are listed begins with the individuals’ last or current employment details and continues in reverse order to the first or oldest employment details.
A chronological resume is generally preferred by employers, since they will want to know what job an applicant currently holds so that they can better asses his/her qualifications for the job in which s/he has interest. The same is true for an applicant’s education since a potential employer would rather know that applicant’s most recent scholastic achievement. By listing experiences and education in reverse chronological order, a job applicant shows his/her potential employer the overall career progress s/he’s made.
Emphasis on employment history
Such reverse listing also helps in determining the length of employment at each organization, and indicates any gaps in the individual’s career (in case of gaps, make sure to address them in the cover letter as to not lead a potential employer to believe that s/he is omitting information on purpose). If you are the job applicant, a chronological resume should list your current job, as well as two to four previously held positions.
However, you should not skip any employment information intentionally; and if your employment history is long, or if you have held jobs further in the past that align well with your current career objective, you can address these qualifications in your professional profile or in your cover letter. Chronological resumes are the most commonly used style, and work best for anyone who has had some professional experience.
When a functional resume is useful
Functional resumes focus on the individual’s qualifications, not his/her career timeline, because this style of the resume highlights what skills that person has, rather than where and when s/he acquired or utilized them. In other words, if you are an applicant writing a functional resume, you would forego listing your experiences by job titles and, instead, your resume will contain sections titled by your skills such as verbal and written communication, customer satisfaction and project management, among others.
This resume style is recommended for college students seeking internships or their first jobs out of school; for those with no professional experience; those who have not worked for some time; or for career changers. While potential employers will appreciate the overview of your skills, you should consider using a chronological resume if you have any professional experience; or you can even use a combination resume over the functional format.
Combination resume: A hybrid of resume styles
A combination resume, although not often discussed, has become a popular format in recent years; and as its name implies, it is a combination of chronological resume style and functional resume style. This hybrid style allows professionals to highlight the qualification they have that are critical for the job of their interest, while at the same time listing employment and educational history in reverse chronological order.
A word of caution, however: Don’t try to do too much when using a combination resume, by going over board with the type and number of sections you include in your resume. It is best to keep the information listed – even in the combination format – to what is relevant for the job. The same rules apply for each style. Don’t exceed two pages; simply tailor your resume to your career objective and put your best foot forward in order to get the interview, and eventually the job you desire.
