The chronological resume is the most effective and widely used resume format. This approach presents your work experience in reverse chronological order. It offers a clear narrative of your career progression and places your achievements in context.
According to FlexJobs, “Recruiters like chronological resumes because it follows a specific format that makes it easy for them to scan quickly and decide if you’re worth a second look.”
In contrast, skills-based or functional resumes—which focus on competencies rather than job history—are not as well received by recruiters.
Contents
Understanding the Chronological Resume
A chronological resume includes work experience in reverse order, starting with the most recent role and working backwards. This structure provides a clear timeline and meets recruiters’ expectations.
Understanding the Skills-Based Resume
The skills-based resume is also known as a functional resume. It shifts the focus from your career timeline to your skills and competencies. Instead of listing work experience in detail, it organises information into sections with skills heading (i.e. “customer service,” “time management,” “technical support,” or “data entry.”) These sections are supported by brief examples of relevant accomplishments.
The skills-based resume format may be used in very specific circumstances, such as:
- Career Changes: Highlighting transferable skills when transitioning to a new field.
- Non-Traditional Career Paths: Demonstrating freelance, contract, or project-based work that does not fit neatly into a traditional timeline.
This being said, a skills-based resume is rarely the best choice, with a skills-based resume having several drawbacks:
- Lack of Context: Achievements are isolated from the roles or organisations where they occurred, making it harder for recruiters to assess their relevance or impact.
- Perceived Concealment: This format can raise suspicion among recruiters. They may view it as an effort to hide employment gaps or limited experience.
- Compatibility Issues: Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) are designed to parse chronological resumes. Skills-based formats are more likely to encounter compatibility problems.
Key Advantages of a Chronological Resume
1. Highlights Career Progression
One of the chronological resume’s biggest strengths is its ability to showcase career growth. By presenting a clear timeline of roles and responsibilities, you show how you have taken on increasing challenges and advanced.
Example: Transitioning from an entry-level marketing assistant to a digital marketing manager highlights your upward mobility. This story is easy to follow in a chronological format.
2. Contextualises Achievements
Achievements have the most impact when tied to specific roles and organisations. A chronological resume provides this context, helping recruiters understand the scope, relevance, and conditions under which your accomplishments were achieved.
Example:
Here’s how the same information might look in a chronological resume versus a skills-based resume:
Chronological Resume Example
WORK EXPERIENCE
Sales Representative
XYZ Company | January 2021 – March 2023
XYZ Company is a mid-sized tech firm operating in a highly competitive SaaS market. As a Sales Representative, I drove revenue growth in a saturated market, overcoming strong competition from established players.
- Increased sales by 20% within six months by identifying untapped market segments and implementing a targeted sales strategy.
- Secured long-term contracts with three key clients, contributing an additional $500,000 in annual revenue.
- Collaborated with the marketing team to develop targeted campaigns, increasing lead generation by 30%.
Skills-Based Resume Example
SALES STRATEGY
- Increased sales by 20% within six months by identifying untapped market segments and implementing a targeted sales strategy.
- Secured long-term contracts with three key clients, contributing an additional $500,000 in annual revenue.
- Collaborated with the marketing team to develop targeted campaigns, increasing lead generation by 30%.
While both formats showcase the same achievements, the chronological resume provides a clearer narrative. It ties the accomplishments directly to a specific role, timeframe and market context.
This approach answers key recruiter questions, such as:
Where did these achievements occur?
Under what conditions?
How does this align with the candidate’s responsibilities and career growth?
In contrast, the skills-based resume isolates the achievements under general skills categories. While the accomplishments are still listed, they lack depth. They miss the story that comes with knowing the specific job, industry, and challenges. For example, the chronological format explicitly links the revenue growth to the competitive SaaS industry, providing more credibility and relevance.
The Value of a Tried-and-Tested Resume Format
It is tempting to experiment with creative resume formats to stand out, but doing so often backfires. Recruiters review hundreds of resumes and expect them to follow standard conventions and layouts, especially the chronological format.
When it comes to resume formats, the chronological resume remains the best choice. It provides a clear structure, contextualises your achievements, and aligns with what recruiters expect.
