Looking for the right resume formats can be hard, but deciding which specific format to use can be even harder. There are three most common resume formats that are used, namely chronological, functional, and combination. In this blog, we are going to talk about the steps and some tips on how to write a chronological resume.
A chronological resume is the most common type of resume. It focuses more on your work experience and achievements and lists them starting from your current or most recent job with the older jobs following below. This makes it the perfect choice for job-seekers who have a lot of experience and no sizable gaps in their work history. It allows your employers to see your work experience and the progress of your career. Employers also tend to prefer chronological resumes because it is straightforward and easy to scan.
Steps on how to write a chronological resume
There are five important parts of a chronological resume namely contact information, brief summary of your skills, work experience, resume introduction, and education.
- Resume heading
- First, put your resume heading. This section contains your full name and contact information. Make sure to put your complete contact information, this includes your phone number, address, and email address,
- Resume introduction
- Having a strong resume introduction is important because it is the first thing your hiring managers will read. Strong doesn’t necessarily mean long, 2-3 powerful sentences should be enough.
In writing a resume introduction, you can either do a resume objective or a summary. Resume objectives are typically used by people who are just at the start of their career, fresh graduates are an example. If you opt on doing a summary, you can list relevant qualifications you have currently and make sure to end it with a statement that shows your dedication and adaptability to your new job.
- Work or relevant experience
- This is the part where you put your work history, starting from your current or most recent job with your past jobs following below. Provide three to five bullet points stating your primary duties and responsibilities under each job or position you’ve held.
- Education
- The education section is short for the majority of people. There are three important things to put here, namely, your university name and location, degree or certification name, and graduation date.
- Skills and certification
- In this section, you’re going to list your soft skills and hard skills. Soft skills are also known as common skills. These are intrapersonal attributes you need in a workplace. Some examples of soft skills are critical thinking, public speaking, teamwork, leadership, and many more. On the other hand, hard skills or also known as technical skills. These are job-specific skills, relevant to each position and seniority level. Soft skills are less defined and universal while hard skills are learned through on-the-job training or by taking specific courses.
Tips to create a resume that will stand out
#1 Be brief and concise in writing your resume
- Employers don’t want to read very long resumes. Keeping your resume brief and straight to the point is the key. Preferably, you should be able to fit your resume on a 1-page A4 sheet of paper.
#2 Choose your template wisely
- There are a lot of resume templates to choose from. Make sure to choose something simple but impactful. Avoid using crazy fonts that can give your employer an eye sore, instead use something simple like Arial or Calibri Body.
#3 Be honest
- Honesty is the best policy, though tempting, make sure to be truthful in writing your resume. Your employers will eventually find out you lied, and if they do, you’re going to face consequences.
Writing resumes can be hard or easy depending on your experience, if this is your first time, then hopefully these steps and tips can be of help in your job-seeking journey.
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