About
A résumé is your ‘sell sheet’ for a potential employer. It provides a concise, accurate summary of your professional and educational experiences, highlighting your accomplishments and skills.
A chronological résumé provides:
- A brief statement describing your career objectives
- A timeline of relevant facts about your history
- A list of your technical capabilities and skills
At a glance, your résumé should highlight the qualities and qualifications that make you a strong job candidate. Your organization, style, and format will be just as important as the experiences you list in getting you a second look.
Writing Tips: Chronological Resume
The most important parts of résumé writing are knowing your audience—the potential employer—and knowing your subject—your history, strengths, and qualifications. Consider both of these and boost your résumé by highlighting your strengths as you write and revise your résumé.
Know your audience.
- Highlight important catch phrases in the job ad or posting to which you are replying.
- Take note of the qualifications and attributes they are seeking.
- Evaluate how your experience fits these specifications.
- Show how you fit these specifications in your résumé and cover letter.
- Research the company or organization.
- What do they do?
- What is their ‘corporate attitude’? Are they big and formal, or small and family-like?
- What are their goals?
- How does the position you are applying to fit the ‘big picture’?
- Why does this company or organization appeal to you?
- Find out to whom you should address and send your résumé.
- Be prepared to explain and defend your interest in the position and organization as soon as your résumé is sent. Although you do not know when an interested employer will respond, you should be prepared to do an introductory interview when you submit your résumé.
- List the reasons you want to work there.
- Identify the ones that will appeal most to this particular employer.
- Consider your strongest qualities and qualifications. How will you convey these?
- Avoid the reasons that you should not share with a potential employer, such as “Because I need a job.”
Know your subject.
- Maintain a generic résumé or data sheet that lists position titles, dates, and employer contacts for easy reference.
- Keep track of such detailed information; it will make résumé writing much easier.
- Revise this generic form to suit each application you send out.
- Create more than one generic résumé for yourself if you have several specialties in which you focus.
- For instance, keep track of one that focuses on writing jobs, another that focuses on professional development, and a third with a focus on teaching to make tailoring résumés simpler.
- This will be especially useful if you do a lot of freelance or contract work in different areas.
- Make sure you are able to concisely and persuasively describe your duties and responsibilities.
- Emphasize your accomplishments and high-level responsibilities.
- Use descriptive, active words that tell exactly what you did.
- Be specific.
- Provide figures that quantify your achievements.
- Point to finished products to which you contributed.
- Highlight relevant differentiators.
- What unique skills set you apart from the competition?
- How can those skills be defined?
- How will those skills contribute to the position applied for?
- Be accurate and honest. Being persuasive does not mean embellishing the truth.
- Tailor each position’s description to emphasize the aspects that apply most to the job applied for.
Highlight your strengths.
- A brief statement describing your career objectives
- Tailor your statement of objectives to the specific position to which you are applying.
- Indicate your workplace ideals, focusing on aspects that will be considered positively by a reviewer.
- “A challenging, dynamic workplace” is a positive ideal.
- “A chill environment” may not be read so positively.
- Find out what the company you are applying to is like and what they expect to gauge what ideals would be appropriate.
- List your overarching professional objectives, focusing on those aspects that will be developed through the position for which you are applying.
- Use active, vivid language to describe your objectives.
- A timeline of relevant facts about your work history in reverse chronological order
- List in reverse chronological order (beginning with your most recent position or degree earned and going back in time to the earliest one you include) positions held, degrees earned, and institutions attended.
- Provide necessary information such as:
- Name of company or institution
- Formal job title
- Dates started and ended
- Location, at your discretion
- Provide concise detail about your responsibilities and accomplishments.
- A list of your technical capabilities and skills
- List unique technical capabilities and skills, such as language fluency or computer program proficiency.
- Name relevant certifications and awards. Include date awarded
- Emphasize computer proficiencies, such as software you are familiar with, coding languages known, and even typing speed, if applicable.
Elements of a Chronological Resume
In addition to your experience, a potential employer will look at how well you can organize and convey information through your résumé. A clean, organized, error-free document will help a reviewer find important information and focus on what you have to say.
All résumés should include the following fields.
Main heading
- Provide your full name.
- List the current address at which you are located, even if it is temporary.
- Provide contact information.
- Include a phone number where you can be reached.
- Make sure you have a professional- sounding outgoing voicemail.
- Provide a business-like or school e-mail address.
- Avoid including cute personal e-mail addresses like roKsTar82@hotmail.com. They appear unprofessional.
Objectives
- Tailor your statement of objectives to the specific position to which you are applying.
- Indicate your workplace ideals, focusing on aspects that will be considered positively by a reviewer.
- “A challenging, dynamic workplace” is a positive ideal.
- “A chill environment” may not be read so positively.
- Find out what the company you are applying to is like and what they expect to gauge what ideals would be appropriate.
- List your overarching professional objectives, focusing on those aspects that will be developed through the position for which you are applying.
- Use active, vivid language to describe your objectives.
Education
Include for each entry:
- The name and location of the schools
- Dates of attendance or year degree was awarded
- Degrees received
- Major and minor fields of study
- Grade point average (GPA) if requested or desired
Work Experience
- Include relevant work experiences from your employment history.
- Limit yourself to the most recent and most relevant positions held.
- List your most recent experience first and work backward. For each position listed, provide the following information:
- Company name
- Location (City/town and state)
- Dates of employment
- Job title
- Significant duties, activities, and accomplishments
- Describe duties in active phrases rather than full sentences.
- Begin each phrase with a descriptive verb.
- Provide specific details about your responsibilities and accomplishments.
- Use the present tense for your current position and past tense for all other positions.
Skills
- List relevant and special skills.
- Include levels of computer proficiency.
- Note languages spoken and read and level of fluency.
- Indicate professional certifications and dates.
Awards, Honors, and Activities
- List awards, scholarships, fellowships, honors, certificates, participation in clubs, and volunteer work.
Hobbies or Interests
- Add a small section that details your interests, if desired. This can be a springboard to good conversation during an interview.
- Include these attributes if uniquely indicate personal qualities.
- For instance, completing a marathon indicates dedication and the ability to follow through on a daunting task. Bowling recreationally may not have the same significance.
References
- Prepare a separate list of references to bring to interviews.
- If you have space on your resume, state References available upon request.
- Confirm a preferred means of contact with each reference before you list them. Include only this contact information.
See a Model: Chronological Resume
Model of a Chronological Resume: Needs Revision
Resume of Qualifications
John Edwards
2219 145th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19144
215.555.0090 (Work) (Item 1)
john222@shipshape.net
Objective
To secure a high paying career (Item 2) sales and marketing management position
with a national or international company. (Item 3) Ideally, this position will allow me to contribute to the company’s growth by allowing me to utilize my years of experience with Xenon Software, advanced certification, and command of the Xenon programming language. (Item 4)
Work Experience
Sales and Marketing Manager
Alligator Industries, Inc. – Philadelphia Office
December 1998 (Item 5)
Ran a sales and marketing team of five and a budget of $750,000. (Item 6)
- Consistently increased sales. (Item 7)
- I developed proprietary training on the Xenon 3200-D (Item 8) and won the Golden Alligator Award six times (Item 9)
- Directly contributed to three new contracts. (Item 10)
Sales Manager/Programmer
Xenon Software – Delaware office
1995 – 1998 (Item 11)
- Spearheaded sales from 1997 – 1998
- Programmed 175 hard drives for 13 different companies
- Became fluent in Xenon programming language
Marketing Assistant
Xenon Software – Delaware office
March 1992(?) – December 1995 (Item 12)
- Xenon Training Program (Item 13)
- Supported marketing department (Item 13)
- Worked on intial website (Item 13)
- work on customer database (Item 13)
Education
University – Drexel University (Item 14)
- Bachelor’s Degree (Item 15)
- GPA 3.80 (Item 16)
High School –
Graduated: June 1991 Maryland High School (Item 17)
- Academic Studies
Skills (Item 18)
- All Xenon computer programs and languages
- Microsoft Office Suite
- Organized, efficient, new business development oriented
- Experienced manager
References
Available upon request
Notes on a Chronological Resume Needing Revision
Item 1. Never provide an existing work number—this is inappropriate and disrespectful to your current employer. Provide more than one means of contact, if available.
Item 2. Do not indicate that salary is such a major motivation.
Item 3. If you have a specific industry or position in mind, mention it.
Item 4. Mention how much experience you have. Be specific.
Item 5. If you are still at an employer, indicate that you are still employed there by writing to the present.
Item 6. Use more management-oriented language such as supported or responsible for.
Item 7. Offer specific growth numbers that will not reveal anything confidential about your current or previous employers.
Item 8. Use a consistent format, usually starting with a verb phrase, to explain your duties and responsibilities.
Item 9. If not well known, explain what your awards represent.
Item 10. Include positive, necessary details. For instance, indicate the importance or scope of these contracts.
Item 11. Include months in your employment history. It can appear you are intentionally misrepresenting your history.
Item 12. Be specific – even if you have to research the information.
Item 13. Be as specific as possible when describing your responsibilities. Use strong, active verbs that help describe your duties. Format each entry consistently and double-check your spelling and punctuation.
Item 14. Include the years attended or the year the degree was awarded.
Item 15. Include at least major concentration of study. Include minor if taken and relevant.
Item 16. It is not required to submit your GPA, unless requested.
Item 17. Including high school more than 10 years after graduation is optional unless you think it will help you. Unless vocational or specifically related to the position applied for, do not include your high school track or course of study.
Item 18. Include certifications here if applicable. Provide your level of fluency or experience, especially for languages and software packages with which you are familiar.
Model of a Chronological Resume After Revision
John Edwards
2219 145th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19144
215.555.0090 (Home) (Item 1)
215.555.6656 (Cell)
john222@shipshape.net (Item 2)
Objective
To secure a career sales and marketing management position with a national or international technology company. Ideally, this position will allow me to contribute to the company’s growth by allowing me to utilize my eight years of experience with Xenon Software, advanced certification, and command of the Xenon programming language. (Item 3)
Work Experience
Sales and Marketing Manager (Item 4)
Alligator Industries, Inc. – Philadelphia Office
December 1998 – Present
Responsible for a sales and marketing team of five with a budget of $750,000.
Consistently increased sales by between 9% and 18% per year. (Item 5)
Developed proprietary training programs on the Xenon 3200-D
Received the Golden Alligator Award winner six times for number of sales per year
Directly contributed to three new contracts over $1 million each and seven over $500,000 each
Sales Manager/Programmer
Xenon Software – Delaware office (Item 6)
March 1995 – December 1998
Spearheaded sales from 1997 – 1998
Programmed 175 hard drives for 13 different companies
Became fluent in Xenon programming language
Directly contributed to four new contracts from between $75,000 and $190,000
Marketing Assistant
Xenon Software – Delaware office
March 1995 – December 1998
Completed Xenon Training Program for certification
Supported marketing department with all aspects of PR, advertising, and collateral material development
Investigated initial website options (Item 7)
Compiled sales reports
Maintained customer database
Education
Drexel University (Item 8)
B.A., May 1995
Major: Computer Science; Minor: Philosophy
GPA 3.80 (Item 9)
Skills
All Xenon computer programs and languages
Fluent to expert in Microsoft Office Suite (Item 10)
Full Xenon Certification (1995 – present) (Item 11)
Organized, efficient, new business development oriented (Item 12)
Experienced manager
References
Available upon request. (Item 13)
Notes for Revised Chronological Resume
Item 1. Offer telephone contact options other than at your current place of employment. Include times, if necessary (i.e. “Home – evenings”).
Item 2. Establish a private e-mail address separate from your current place of employment. Do not name it too whimsically or unprofessionally. Remember, e-mail addresses can be located in search engines. If you have any reason to believe yours may be there under less than professional circumstances, establish one solely for employment activities.
Item 3. Tailor your objective to the position applied for—if you are interested in a particular field or profession, say so. Be specific when describing your experience and goals and indicate that the position applied for is part of your career path.
Item 4. For each entry, include the following: Title, Company, location of your employment, and dates of employment. Use “Present” to indicate you are still employed there. Placing an end date (such as the date you send the résumé) indicates you left that employment at that time.
Item 5. Provide factual, measurable details to reinforce your contributions. If you in any way contribute to a company’s bottom line, mention it. If you are not directly in sales, offer truthful explanations of how you have contributed to your company’s successes.
Item 6. If you held considerable different positions at the same company, list them as separate employment histories.
- The employer will be able to ascertain what you are saying.
- You are given the room you need to include your strengths in each position.
- It mitigates the confusion of trying to describe two completely different positions in one space.
Item 7. Use active, powerful verbs to describe your responsibilities. Words like investigate and maintain concisely describe your duties and add a professional tone.
Item 8. Include information about each educational institution attended. Provide years of attendance or year your degree was awarded. Indicate major and minor programs of study. List honors received or theses completed, if applicable.
Item 9. You are not expected to submit your GPA unless specifically requested. If you received class or departmental honors, these are appropriate to include at your discretion.
Item 10. Always provide a level of skill or fluency when listing languages or software with which you are familiar. Don’t be afraid to list programs of which you have only basic knowledge, but make sure your level of experience is clear.
Item 11. List any professional certifications you have received. Include the date earned and date of expiration, if applicable.
Item 12. You may choose to list personal and professional attributes as ‘additional skills’. Align your attributes with key competencies listed in the posting or ad to which you are replying.
Item 13. Always obtain references’ permission before listing them. Check their preferred means of contact and only provide this information to interested employers.
Revision Checklist: Chronological Resume
Once you have filled in an outline of your resume, use these guidelines to help you polish your résumé:
Focus/Purpose
Have you tailored your resume to the job for which you are applying?.
- Include references to the particular skills and experiences listed in the ad or job posting, if applicable.
Have you kept your resume brief and concise?
- Omit menial tasks and positions that do not relate to the job applied for.
- Your résumé should be between one and two pages in length.
Organization
Have you followed the order of sections suggested in the Elements section above and formatted each section appropriately?
- Use bolded or slightly larger headings to label each section of your résumé.
- Use white space (blank space) to divide and emphasize sections of information.
- Order each section from most recent to earliest.
- Use bullet points or a list format to organize descriptions of duties and responsibilities.
- Order duties and responsibilities from most to least important or impressive.
- Create a “computer friendly” copy of your résumé.
If an employer specifies a ‘scannable’ résumé:- Do not use font sizes smaller than 10 point.
- Do not use italics or underlining.
- Keep formatting simple—use all-capitals to add emphasis.
- Avoid graphics, colored fonts, and shading.
Language/Style
Do you word choices make your experience, skills, and interests stand out?
- Use active words to describe qualifications and responsibilities. Descriptive, powerful verbs will help you write concisely and compellingly about your experience.
Some examples of powerful verbs are:
accommodate | draft | negotiate |
administer | establish | organize |
assemble | evaluate | oversee |
calculate | expedite | perform |
coach | guide | reconcile |
communicate | head | research |
coordinate | implement | schedule |
complete | improve | serve |
conduct | initiate | supervise |
develop | install | train |
direct | maintain | verify |
- Write in brief, direct verb phrases rather than full sentences.
- Omit the subject “I” from each clause describing your responsibilities.
- Start each phrase with a precise verb.
- Use the present tense for your current position.
- Use the past tense for all other positions.
- Make sure each phrase is parallel, beginning with a verb in the same tense.
- Use a standard font and easily read font size.
- Avoid unusual fonts, graphics, and paper colors.
- Proofread your résumé multiple times before sending.
- A job candidate is evaluated not only on the merit of his or her experiences and education, but also on the correctness of his or her résumé. Your résumé may be the most important document you will ever write. Take the time to make sure your resume is flawless.