How to Write a Reverse Chronological Resume (+ Examples)

The reverse chronological resume format is the most standard resume layout. This is where you list your work history in reverse chronological order. Simply start with your most recent job position and work your way backward to your older job positions. It’s an ATS-friendly structure that works for just about everyone.

Listing your work history from most recent to oldest feels pretty straightforward, right? 

Well, not always.

What if a job from five years ago is more relevant than your last one? What if your past jobs overlapped? And what do you do if you’ve never had a proper job? 

Well, the good news is that resumes aren’t one-size-fits-all. 

The reverse chronological resume format is nothing new — it’s the typical choice for most job seekers. You can stick to this trusted format while making smart tweaks to highlight your strengths.

Let me show you how. This guide will cover:

• The definition of a reverse chronological resume.
• A professional reverse chronological resume template.
• How to order work experience on your resume. 

Don’t want to worry about the layout? You can use our free AI resume builder to generate your resume with the correct format and job history order in seconds. 

What Is a Reverse Chronological Resume?

A reverse chronological resume is a type of resume layout where your work experience is structured with your most recent job first, followed by older positions. This format prioritizes your latest experience, working backward through your career. 

Recruiters generally prefer the reverse chronological resume format because it highlights your most recent professional experience and achievements. 

So, who should use it? Honestly, almost everyone.

This format is recruiter-friendly, widely recognized, and the best way to highlight a steady career path. If you have consistent work experience with no major gaps, this layout helps recruiters see where you are now, how you’ve progressed, and whether your experience aligns with the role.

Chronological vs. reverse chronological order 

You’ve probably seen the terms chronological and reverse chronological used interchangeably — so let’s clear this up. 

Both start with the most recent job first, but “chronological” is just a general way of saying things are listed in a structured order. “Reverse chronological” specifically refers to how dates are arranged within the work experience section — starting with the present and working backward. 

In other words: they’re basically the same in the world of resume writing.

When Should You Use a Reverse Chronological Resume?

Almost everyone should use a reverse chronological resume. It’s the most popular and widely used format, so it’s pretty much your safest bet. 

But there are instances when it’s not for everyone. Below, we’ve specified when you should and shouldn’t use this popular format.

When to use the reverse chronological format 

• You have a linear work history. This layout works well for those with a consistent career timeline with little to no gaps, as it emphasizes your experience.
• You prefer to show career progression. If your work history reflects growth, increasing responsibilities, or promotions, this format highlights your professional journey. 
• You want a format recruiters recognize. Hiring managers are used to this structure. They won’t waste time figuring out where things are, which means they’ll focus on your experience instead of formatting.
• You’re in a traditional industry. Fields like law, banking, or government jobs expect resumes to follow a standard, professional format. A reverse chronological resume keeps things clear and to the point.

When to reconsider the reverse chronological format 

• You have large employment gaps. Since this format focuses heavily on recent experience, dates, and order, long periods of unemployment will stand out. 
• You’re changing careers. If your past work experiences don’t directly relate to your new career path, this format might not be the best in helping you highlight transferable skills like a hybrid resume would.
• Lack of work experience. If you’re new to the workforce or have just graduated, you may want to focus on your skills over job history. 
• You’re in academia or research. If you’ve spent most of your career in education, an academic CV is a better choice. It lets you show your publications, grants, and academic achievements in more detail.

That said, your resume doesn’t have to follow a rigid template. Think of the reverse chronological format as a strong foundation, but one you can adjust to fit your situation. You can always start with the standard structure and tweak it to showcase your strengths in the best possible way. 

Have no resume work experience? You can move your education section toward the top, so employers see your qualifications first. 

And if you’re switching careers? In your career change resume, focus on past responsibilities that highlight transferable skills relevant to your new role.

Find out more about using the right resume layout: The Best Resume Format

Reverse Chronological Resume Example 

A reverse chronological resume is about clarity and impact (no unnecessary graphics or flashy designs). Recruiters don’t have time to decode a complicated resume, so keeping it simple ensures they focus on what really matters — your skills, background, and career growth.

Check out this modern reverse chronological resume template to see how it’s done right.

Take a look at our complete resume template gallery to kick-start your resume writing process.

How to Create a Reverse Chronological Resume

Here’s how to create a reverse chronological resume:

• Start with your name and contact details.
• List your most recent work experience first.
• Add your highest educational qualifications.
• Include updated skills and proficiencies.
• Include extra sections with a clear timeline.
• Summarize with a relevant resume profile.

A reverse chronological resume highlights your career growth by listing your most recent job first and working backward. Start with a strong header that includes your name and contact information. 

Then, add a concise professional summary to introduce your skills and experience. In the work experience section, use bullet points to show key achievements and responsibilities, focusing on measurable results. Next, include your education, certifications, and relevant skills. 

Tailor everything to the job you’re applying for, keeping the layout clean and easy to read. Stick to relevant details, and keep it concise.

1. Start with your name and contact details

What do all resumes have in common? You need to make it as easy as possible for the recruiter to contact you. That means placing your contact details at the top of the resume and close to your name (which should be in big, bold letters). 

Here’s what to include:

• Full name. Make it bold or slightly larger so it stands out — you don’t want hiring managers to forget you. 
• Phone number. Use a number you actually answer (aka, not the fake one you give out at the club). 
• Email address. Keep it professional (no old-school nicknames or quirky emails). A simple format like firstname.lastname@email.com works best.
• LinkedIn profile. If your LinkedIn profile is updated, add the link. Many recruiters check it for more details.
• Portfolio or website (if applicable): Showing your updated work can show employers your potential if you’re in a creative or tech field. 

2. List your most recent work experiences first 

Employers want people who are moving forward in their careers, gaining new skills, and taking on more responsibilities. The best way to show that? Start with your most recent job and work backward.

This format helps recruiters quickly spot your latest achievements, responsibilities, and career progression in your work experience section. Hiring managers are most interested in what you’ve done recently and whether your experience aligns with the role. So, that part-time job from college? It belongs at the bottom (or left out altogether).

For each role, include: your job title, the company name and location, and the start and end dates (or “Present” if you’re still there). Below that, use resume bullet points to highlight key responsibilities and accomplishments. The focus should be on results — what you did and how it made an impact.

Here’s how to structure your work experience section:

• Job title. Keep this in bold to draw attention to your expertise. 
• Company name & location. Help recruiters quickly identify where you’ve worked.
• Dates of employment. Use a simple format like Jan 2020 – Present.
• Key Responsibilities & Achievements:
  
  • Outline accomplishments with measurable results, such as using numbers or percentages to describe positive outcomes. 
  • Prioritize tasks that align with the job you’re applying for and the required skills. 
  • Cut details for older or less relevant roles to keep the focus on recent experience.

Outline your career progression with updated jobs and skills without overwhelming the reader. Stick to relevant details, keep descriptions concise, and use bullet points to make everything easier on the eyes. 

Here’s an example work experience section in reverse chronological order: 

Marketing Manager
Rosewire Company – New York, NY
Jan 2023 – Present
• Led a team of 10 marketers, increasing engagement through targeted campaigns.
• Managed a $500K marketing budget, optimizing spend to boost ROI by 20%.
• Developed a social media strategy that grew followers by 50K+ in 1 year.

Marketing Coordinator
Beats Agency – Chicago, ILJune 2021 – Dec 2023
• Assisted in launching five national campaigns, contributing to a 15% sales increase.
• Analyzed marketing data to refine strategies, improving overall ad performance.
• Created email marketing campaigns that achieved an average open rate of 40%.

And what about if your job dates overlap? You have two options. You can order them with the most relevant and impressive job at the top, or use the reverse chronological order based on the start dates. 

3. Add your highest educational qualifications

When adding education to your resume, keep it relevant and recent — no one needs to know how you did on your high school chemistry final if you’ve already earned a degree. 

If you went to college, list your highest or most recent degree first.

Didn’t go to college? No problem. You can keep your high school details (especially if you had a high GPA or notable achievements), but after 3–5 years of work experience, it’s usually best to remove them. At that point, your professional background speaks louder than your diploma.

Here’s what to include in your education section: 

• Degree earned. Bachelor’s, Master’s, Associate, etc.
• Field of study. What you majored in (and your minor, if relevant). 
• University name & location. Where you studied and in which city. 
• Graduation year. If you’re a recent grad, include the year; otherwise, leave it off. 

If you’re new to the workforce, you can move your resume education section above your work experience and add extra details to strengthen your skills and potential. For example:

• GPA. Include your GPA if it’s impressive, usually 3.5 or higher.
• Honors & awards. Dean’s List, cum laude, scholarships, etc.
• Relevant coursework. Include 2–4 relevant courses on your resume if it applies to the job you want.
• Extracurriculars & leadership roles. Clubs, student government, or study abroad experiences.

For professionals with experience, this section should be short and to the point. 

However, don’t forget relevant certifications, licenses, or professional development courses — these can be just as valuable as a degree, depending on your field.

Check out this education section for a new graduate: 

Bachelor of Science in Marketing
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) – Los Angeles, CA
Graduated: 2024
• GPA: 3.8
• Honors: Dean’s List (6 semesters), Magna Cum Laude
• Relevant Courses: Digital Marketing, Consumer Behavior, Market Research
• Activities: President of the Marketing Club, Study Abroad in Spain

For professionals with more experience, this section would be much simpler:

Master of Business Administration (MBA)
New York University, Stern School of Business – New York, NY

4. Include updated skills and proficiencies 

Unlike your work experience and education, your resume skills section doesn’t need to be in reverse chronological order — but they do need to be relevant. That outdated knowledge of Adobe Flash Player? That’s about as useful as a flip phone in 2024. Stick to in-demand resume skills that are fresh and actually apply to the job you want.

Start by reviewing the job posting. What skills are they looking for? Then, tailor your skills section to align with those requirements. This way, you’re not just listing random abilities — you’re showing hiring managers that you’re the perfect fit for the role.

Here are the types of abilities to include in your skills section: 

• Hard skills (most important). These are learned skills or technical abilities you’ve gained through experience or training, like software proficiency, data analysis, languages, or industry-specific tools. Use bullet points to list five to ten relevant hard skills. 
• Soft skills (weave them in). Instead of only listing “communication” or “teamwork,” in your skills section (which could come across as generic buzzwords), it’s better to show your soft skills in your work experience or education sections. For example, “Helped my team to complete projects weeks before schedule” demonstrates leadership and collaboration.

5. Include extra sections with a clear timeline 

Don’t be shy about adding extra qualifications to give you an edge over other candidates — just don’t do it for the sake of filling up white space. 

Every inch of your resume should serve a purpose, so skip the decade-old language course if you haven’t spoken a word of it since. Instead, focus on recent and relevant extras that strengthen your application.

Here are some extra sections to include in your resume:

• Certifications & licenses: If your industry values additional training (like project management, IT, healthcare, etc.), list them with dates to show they’re current.
• Languages: Only include languages on your resume that you can use in a professional setting and be specific about your level. If you can’t do the interview in another language, leave it off your resume. 
• Awards & achievements: Won an industry award? Recognized for outstanding work? Highlight relevant accomplishments and awards on your resume with a brief explanation.
• Professional development: Include any courses, workshops, or additional training that adds to your expertise and shows you’re willing to learn. 

When adding these sections to a reverse chronological resume, you don’t have to follow a strict timeline, but it’s still a good idea to list recent achievements first.

Here’s how to write additional resume sections: 

Certifications
• Google Project Management Certification (2023)
• Certified Scrum Master (CSM) – Scrum Alliance, 2022

Languages (Based on the CEFR Framework)
• Spanish – Fluent (C1)
• French – Conversational (B2)

6. Summarize with a relevant resume profile

Your resume profile (also known as a summary) is a quick preview of who you are as a professional. In just 2–3 sentences, this concise paragraph should highlight your background, key skills, and biggest achievements while showing how you’re a great fit for the role. 

Even though this section goes at the top of your resume (right below your name and contact details), I recommend writing it last. That way, you can pull the most relevant and impressive points from your resume instead of struggling to summarize everything upfront. 

Start by reviewing the job description and identifying key skills and qualifications. Then, weave those keywords into your resume summary to highlight your most relevant strengths. This instantly shows the recruiter you’re a great fit and makes them want to keep reading. 

Here’s an example resume summary:

Detail-oriented IT specialist with 5+ years of experience in network administration, cybersecurity, and cloud computing. Skilled in troubleshooting complex systems, optimizing IT infrastructure, and implementing security protocols to safeguard data. Eager to bring expertise to Tech Solutions to strengthen security, and support business operations.

If you’re an experienced professional, a resume summary works best. But if you’re just starting out or switching careers, a resume objective might be a better fit, as it focuses more on your career goals and aspirations. 

Here’s a resume objective example:

Ambitious business graduate with a passion for digital marketing and a strong foundation in SEO, content creation, and data analysis. Eager to apply analytical skills and creativity to drive brand success. Seeking an opportunity to grow within a dynamic marketing team and contribute to impactful campaigns.

Tips to Make a Reverse Chronological Order Resume

The whole point of a reverse chronological resume is to make it effortless for recruiters to scan your experience and see how you’ve grown in your career. But a well-structured layout alone won’t land you the job — you’ve also got to nail the formatting, choose impactful wording, and ditch the waffle.

Think about your work experience order

Employers love to see how your skills and responsibilities have evolved, so starting with your most recent experiences makes sense. But this isn’t always the case. Sometimes, the role you held years ago might be more relevant than your latest job. 

What you can do:

• If you have an older but highly relevant role, you can move it up slightly — just keep it within a similar date range so it doesn’t look out of place. Another option is to highlight key roles by using more bullet points for relevant jobs and fewer for less relevant ones.
• Focus on achievements, not just duties. Instead of listing responsibilities, prove what you can do with real contributions and measurable results to show the value you bring to an employer.

Find out more: How Far Back Should a Resume Go?

Use your format to show career progression

A reverse chronological resume makes it easy for employers to see how you’ve grown in your field. But none of that will matter if your font is unreadable, your resume looks like a giant block of text, or it’s packed with design elements that won’t make it past those initial ATS scanners. 

What you can do:

• Keep your job history organized and easy to follow by placing it right after the summary section. If you’ve just graduated, you can switch it with your education section until you get more professional experience. 
• Stick with a readable resume font (such as Arial or Calibri) between sizes 10–12 and 12–14 for headings. Set your line spacing between 1 and 1.15 and margins with bullet points to break your text up. For dates, choose one date format and keep it consistent throughout. 

Learn more about making your resume look good for US job applications: How to Make a US Resume

Tailor your reverse chronological resume to the job 

You could list your best accomplishments and shiny skills, but what’s the point if they aren’t related to the job? 

Employers don’t just want impressive individuals, they want people with the expertise, knowledge, and drive to help their company succeed. 

What you can do:

• Scan the job description and naturally include resume keywords, skills, and requirements in your resume. This helps with ATS filters and shows recruiters you understand and can meet the job expectations.
• Unless you’re new to the workforce, you can leave out or trim the details of jobs that aren’t relevant to the position you want. Keep the focus on experiences that highlight transferable skills and relevant accomplishments.

Find out more: How to Tailor Your Resume to Any Job Description

Keep your skills and work experiences updated 

Nobody’s going to be wowed by seeing Microsoft Word in your skills section — we all learned those basics in school. Listing outdated skills or irrelevant experience won’t help you stand out. Hiring managers are looking for what you can bring to the table now.

What you can do:

• Refresh your skills section regularly. Focus on current and in-demand skills that match the job description, and avoid listing outdated tools or software that are no longer relevant.
• Prioritize recent, impactful experiences. While older roles provide context, focus on achievements from the past five years that reveal your most valuable contributions and growth.

Stick to 1–2 pages in length

Hiring managers are busy people, they don’t want to spend their time reading a full-length biography. So, how do you direct them to the most impressive parts of your resume? Only include the best bits. Keep it short, sweet, and to the point. 

What you can do:

• Limit your job history to the past 10 years (15 if it’s still relevant) and highlight the most relevant experiences. If it’s not adding value to the job you’re applying for, you can trim it down to the basics. 
• Prioritize key resume achievements by focusing on measurable results and removing the small details or filler. Bullet points can help keep your descriptions tight and impactful.

Recommended resources:

• How Long Should Resumes Be?
• Should a Resume Be Only One Page? 
• The One-Page Resume Guide
• The Two-Page Resume Guide

Chronological vs Functional Resume: What’s the Difference?

Reverse chronological is the go-to resume format, but it’s not the only option. 

There’s also the functional resume, which puts your skills front and center instead of your work history. This is typically used when switching careers or trying to downplay gaps in employment, but hiring managers tend to not prefer this format because it can appear less transparent and may raise concerns about job history gaps or career consistency. 

Here are the key differences between chronological and functional resumes.

Summary 

Here’s a rundown of everything you need to know when writing a reverse chronological resume: 

• List your work experience starting with your most recent job and work backward. This format highlights career growth and keeps the most relevant roles front and center.
• Make sure each entry in the work experience section includes your job title, company name, location, and the dates you worked there. Consistency and clarity help recruiters quickly scan your resume. 
• Focus on impact rather than just duties. Use bullet points to showcase key accomplishments, quantifiable results, and how you added value to each role.
• If a past job isn’t related to your target role, keep it brief. Prioritize positions that align with the job you’re applying for.
• List degrees in reverse chronological order. If you’re a recent grad, move this section above work experience and include relevant coursework or honors.
• Your skills section should feature up-to-date competencies. Avoid outdated software or generic skills like “Microsoft Word” unless they’re explicitly required.
• Employment gaps stand out in a reverse chronological format, so be prepared to address them in your cover letter or interview if necessary.
• Stick to one page if possible (or two if you have extensive experience). Use clean formatting, readable fonts, and plenty of white space.
• Tailor your resume for each job. Use keywords from the job description to ensure your resume passes ATS scans and aligns with what recruiters are looking for.

FAQ 

Should work experience be in chronological order on a resume?

A reverse chronological order is the way to go — your most recent job comes first, and you work backward. This format helps recruiters quickly see your latest experience and career progression. 

Traditional chronological order (starting with your oldest job) isn’t common and might make it harder for employers to see your most relevant experience up front. Stick to reverse chronological for a professional layout, unless you’re using a functional resume (which focuses on skills instead), 

Do you put the most recent job first on a resume?

Yes — your most recent job should always be listed first, followed by previous roles in descending order. Recruiters want to see what you’re currently doing (or did last), not your first-ever job from years ago. This structure makes it easy for hiring managers to scan your work history, understand your career growth, and see how your experience fits their open role. 

How to order jobs on a resume?

The best way to list jobs is in reverse chronological order — start with your current or most recent role, then work backward. For each job, include your title, company name, location, and employment dates. Use bullet points to showcase achievements and impact, not just responsibilities. 

What is the most common resume format?

The reverse chronological format is the most common resume format, and the one recruiters prefer. It clearly shows career progression, making it easy to see your most recent and relevant experience first. 

Other formats exist, like the functional resume, which focuses on skills instead of work history, or the combination resume, which blends both. But unless you have a specific reason to do otherwise, stick with reverse chronological — it’s an ATS-friendly format, familiar to hiring managers, and keeps your experience organized.

Skills-based resume vs. chronological: what’s the difference?

A skills-based resume highlights abilities and qualifications rather than your work history. It’s typically used when you’re switching industries, have employment gaps, or want to showcase transferable skills. However, it can be a red flag for recruiters since it hides job timelines.

A chronological resume, on the other hand, focuses on work experience, listing jobs in reverse chronological order (most recent first). It’s the best choice for almost everyone, especially if you have a solid work history and want to show career progression clearly. Employers prefer this format since it gives them a straightforward view of your experience.