Resume Templates: Chronological

To be impactful, your resume must have a strong beginning. This means a polished summary statement. This section is a brief yet clear description of who you are and what you can do. It should showcase what makes you the best choice for the position, just as was done in the chronological resume template for Word. To help you as you write yours, consider these three best practices:

• Write your summary statement so each point demonstrates how you meet the requirements outlined in the job description
• Write in first person without using pronouns
• Make sure to include some personal strengths that make you distinctive

Here are a few examples of how this section might look for various professions:

Paragraph Style:

Professional customer service representative with 15 years of experience working in a fast-paced call center. Solid commitment to providing high-quality service with a friendly attitude. Strong skills in defusing volatile situations and calming upset customers.

Passionate project manager with proven experience in managing multi-million-dollar projects. Excellent analytical abilities and strength in overseeing budget restrictions. Expertise in launching global projects.

List Style:

• Eight years of experience working as an administrative assistant in a busy office environment
• Effective at managing multi-line phone systems and organizing demanding schedules
• Upbeat, friendly and focused attitude

A well-written skills section can solidify your ability to do the job at hand. By listing your top skills, you are showing the hiring manager right off what your abilities are. This section must be strong to keep the hiring manager reading. You can get a good idea of what it looks like in the chronological resume template for Word. As you work on your own resume, keep these tips in mind:

• Use this section to include many career-related keywords and terms
• Keep phrases short, but don’t include periods
• All skills listed should be related to the job for which you are applying

Here’s a solid example of what a skills section might look like for a financial analyst:

• Expert in strategy development
• Superior communications and relationship management skills
• Organized and focused, with a commitment to accuracy and detail
• Strong abilities with technology and learning new technologies

Providing proof that you actually have done the job before or have experience in a certain area is essential to convincing a hiring manager you can do the job. This is the point of the work history section, which outlines your previous employment duties. The chronological resume template for Word highlights how this section should be constructed. The following tips will also be useful as you work on crafting your own work history section:

• Write this section in reverse chronological order
• Avoid including jobs from more than 15 years ago unless they are your only job or highly relevant to this position
• Make sure you always include the job’s location
• Vary each job list by include duties along with accomplishments

The following are some examples of work history sections:

Project Manager

• Led a team of 15 employees to facilitate projects
• Maintained projects within budget restrictions
• Developed relationships with clients to ensure smooth communications

Maintenance Technician

• Installed and maintained plumbing, electrical and HVAC systems
• Managed maintenance schedules for three residential apartment buildings
• Conducted repairs of systems during breakdowns and emergency situations

Customer Service Representative

• Answered incoming calls from new and existing customers
• Maintained quality while moving calls along quickly
• Managed distressed customers to reach an amicable solution to their issues

By the time the hiring manager gets to the education section of a resume, he or she wants to see clean and concise information. This section should be brief and easy to scan with solid formatting, as shown in the chronological resume template for Word. Because some professions may require more formal education, this section might hold more weight for some jobs than others, but it should always be included. As you write, follow these best practices:

• Starting with your most recent education or training, work in reverse chronological order
• Include your graduation or completion date unless it would create a gap or was many years ago
• List coursework you may be currently working on and note it is in progress

Here is an example of how of an account manager’s education section might look:

Bachelor of Business Administration – 2001

University of the Great Lakes, Lakeville, OH

To make a resume interesting to read, you have to avoid boring terms. This is why you should always make sure to begin phrases with action verbs. This type of verb conveys authority and adds strength to a statement. As you read through the chronological resume template for Word, note how action verbs were used. Also, take a look at the following phrases that employ this type of verb:

• Managed and trained a staff of 15 employees
• Promoted due to stellar performance over a two-year period
• Coordinated activities between departments
• Exceeded set quotas for my production line each quarter
• Encouraged purchases through friendly service and upselling