Writing a resume is often a harder job than it seems. One of the biggest challenges you would meet along the way is picking the right order for all your different sections.
There are three main resume formats that you can use. And we're going to go through them all.
As the work experience section is the most important one on your resume, we are going to bring some special attention to it.
In this article, we are going to go through some important topics like:
- What is a reverse-chronological order?
- Why should you use a reverse-chronological resume?
- Reverse-chronological resume.
- Functional resume order.
- Hybrid resume order.
Using what you learned here can really help your resume stand out. So, if you are ready to perfect the order of your work experience section, stick around.
What is a reverse-chronological order?
By definition, the reverse-chronological order means that you should list the most recent job positions on the top, and the oldest ones at the bottom of your work experience section.
Keep in mind that you shouldn’t list every position you have ever had. But the reverse-chronological order is always the best way to go when listing entries on your work experience section.
The reverse-chronological order is also a key trait of one of the three main resume formats:
- Reverse-Chronological Resume
- Functional Resume
- Hybrid Resume
There are various factors to consider when choosing the resume format you would like to use. But no matter which one you pick, your work experience section should always follow a reverse-chronological order.
Why should you use a reverse-chronological resume?
It's often a good idea to use reverse-chronological order not only for your work experience section but for your whole resume. The main reason for that is hiring managers being used to seeing reverse-chronological resumes.
That resume format is the most common one, although there are some advantages for the functional format and the hybrid format as well. But as hiring managers would naturally look for the dates on your resume, you need to make them easy to find.
The best way to make the dates of your resume easily visible is by using the reverse-chronological resume format. If you use any other, your resume might not get the attention it deserves.
If you want to use another resume format, make sure that the hiring manager would be able to understand its contents. As there are hundreds of candidates for every position, there is little chance the hiring manager would take extra time to decipher your resume.
The three most popular resume formats – chronological, reverse and hybrid.
Just to get you ready, we have gathered for you the most important information you need to know about the three resume formats. Don’t forget, no matter which one you choose, your work experience section should always follow reverse-chronological order.
Reverse–chronological resume format.
A reverse-chronological resume format is the most popular one out there. It has the great advantage of being suitable for pretty much every job position.
This format is mostly career-oriented - it lists your work history in order, as the most recent position would be at the top. It is the ideal format for people with lots of work experience, relevant to the job position they are applying for.
But if you don’t feel confident that your work experience is relevant enough, don’t worry, the next resume format would be perfect for you.
Functional or skills-based resume format.
As opposed to the reverse-chronological resume, the functional resume format is mainly focused on your skillset.
It is the perfect choice for you if you are looking for your first job or career change, or if you are trying to steer away from the employer’s focus from a gap in your employment history.
The great thing about the functional resume format is that it groups your skills into categories and presents them in a great and easy-to-read format.
Hybrid resume format.
As its name shows, this resume format combines all the best features of the reverse-chronological and functional resume. What it includes is both a reverse-chronological work history section and a highly detailed skill section.
It’s mostly used for job positions that require expertise in a variety of fields, and you want to show that you are the right person for the job.
Takeaways
We are all done. Now you know what order to use in your work experience section. You are now ready to choose your resume format and make the best out of it.
Don’t forget – no matter which format you choose, your work experience section should always follow reverse-chronological order.
Check out everything we showed you once again and get one step closer to getting your next interview.
Make one that's truly you.
